At one time, the Moberly branch was actually the MKT mainline to Hannibal. The railroad had a goal of reaching Chicago, and at Hannibal it could connect to the CB&Q. Meanwhile, the Wabash obtained trackage rights over the Moberly-Hannibal segment, and eventually purchased it outright from the Katy in the 1940s, while the Katy retained service to Moberly as a branch. Extra 113 North is seen here in September 1971 as it arrives in Moberly, and then switches the interchange track not far from the N&W Moberly depot. (Leon Sapp)

This double selection from “Rails Around Missouri” can be found in Chapter Two: Northern Missouri. “Rails Around Missouri” is a new 224-page, hard cover book to be released on May 10, 2013 with over 500 all-color photos like this one. Your copy can be reserved today at the pre-release price of $47.95 plus shipping, and will come signed by the author. Choose from the KCS or Frisco cover (contents identical). Books will ship by May 10.