MKT (Katy), T&P, Santa Fe, MP Railroad operators???

As you know Steve, I am a big TS fan and run two of them on our layout.

I run Mopac, Katy, SP, and UP. I was born and raised here in Austin, Texas and am a member of the Tinplate Trackers of Austin, Texas.

Does it count to just be an admirer of the Katy?

Art

Love them all and trying to add to the collection.

The more I look at the Texas Special, the more it appeals to me.  I think I need to get the IC City of New Orleans and a Milwaukee Road passenger first though.  Have to go by priorities.

Art

MoPac: some of the most handsome, impressive and well-maintained modern steam

locomotives ever completely ignored by the 3ROS hobby. Someone (author Joe Collias,

maybe?) said that MoPac steam had kind of a New York Central handsomeness to

it, but without the NYC's loading-gauge (size) restrictions.

They had some twin-sand-dome 2-8-4's that they converted into one of the best-looking classes of 4-8-4's ever, for starters.

When a child, I had a railroad book that pictured yellow Katy cabooses, and so yellow

is the color of my free lanced road's cabooses.  The Mopac is admired because they

had THE largest and most interesting variety of different cabooses than any other road

that I've found.  My road will have a connection with the Mopac so Mopac cars will roll

on it.

I model the Texas and Pacific exclusivly.  I have a 2-8-2, a 2-8-0, a 0-8-0(formerly Lionel and Western), and a 4-6-2 all in T&P livery.  All of the engines are numbered after prototypical engines. I also have 1930s era rolling stock to go with them. I am currently building a new layout or I would post pictures. My old layout had to be pressed into service outside as a chicken coop. Everythig is in packing/storage boxes. The T&P which played a major role in the economic development of northeast Texas and northwest Texas was a federally chartered railroad and a lot of it's buildings and rolling stock can still be found.  Unfortunatly this is not true of O scale equipment.  I did not know until last month the T&P had built some stone arch bridges that are still used for roads. 

Have always liked the 2245 Texas Special and have the RK Scale ABA set as well as the UP 'Katy' Heritage SD70.

Brian - my eye's light up when you post these babies.  I'm patiently waiting.........

Texas Eagle - I visited a club layout in Temple last year, closest I got.

Texas SP - do you have a layout?  Hard to find some road name items now.

Chugman - anything counts, but I would ge a TS first.....

D500 - thanks for the MoPac steam info.

TP Fan - I could guess from your name...like to see some pictures of your TP items.

c.sam - Great looking set.  Once I modify to 072 I can fit the Katy SD70 to run.

I wish more of MoPac, Katy, T&P items were made.  I try to get what I can.  I'm have some rolling stock in MKT, T&P and Santa Fe I am selling.  Email me (profile) and I will send list.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Not a Katy operator (at least not yet), but I had to get one of these when they were re-issued:

If I relocate to Texas, though, that may change. If I model the Imperial Sugar Facility in (appropriately named) Sugarland, I'll have to add some MoPac to the mix.

MoPac GP spotting a car on the sleeper track at Kansas City Union Station.

I do have a layout, was building a table style, but missed the interaction of having it on the floor.  I pulled out what I was constructing and went back to the floor.  Will be doing scenery details around the outer edges along walls.

My tie in to two of these lines is as follows:

My grandfather worked and retired from SP in the Englewood yard in Houston.  In his stories he always talked about switching cars and what not which would route to the Katy yard west of Houston.  So there is a lot of rich history on all of that for me.

As for the mopac, that was the first modern style diesel (not a carbody) I received as a kid.  It was exciting for me because those were the kinds I always saw as a kid in the 80's.

As for the other Texas related items, I am a 9th generation Texan born and bred, so anything Texas tweaks my interest.

I almost forgot these custom painted Lionel 2343s in the 'American Flyer' MoPac colors

About the closest I'll probably get is modeling a Texas Electric freight motor or two. Frisco was my primary interest when I lived in SW Missouri, but my fiancé lived in Branson, so I'd occasionally see a Mopac freight roll through town.

Jeff C

I hired out on the Mopac in 1974 as a switchman, moved up to locomotive engineer in 1978,  now in my last year on the UP,  still out of St. Louis.

Always liked the MP blue and gray diesels, even though everything was Jenks blue when I started out. So, now I have both along with Texas & Pacific diesels.

I keep hoping one of the manufacturers, MTH, would make up the F7's in the blue and gray scheme, a one paint scheme for all the MP Lines F7's.  MP, T&P and the KO&G F7's all had the same scheme with different nose heralds and side lettering.

But you gotta love those Screaming Eagles on the turbocharged diesels of the 1960's an 70's. 

Dan

TP Fan,  Do you have the locations of any of the bridges.  I am a big fan of old bridges, particularly railroad bridges. Thanks, Pat B.

Watching Santa Fe pocket Hudson running hard with streamliners last year. Pardon the poor I-phone camera work. The Hudson squeaks because of a tension spring on the motor mount vibrating. Will take care of it when tmcc is installed.

OOPS, still getting hang of attachements.

My railroad is the CBS, When built it was owned by Santa Fe, CB&Q, Mopac, KCS and Frisco. The CBS RR use the engines for the parent roads. Today the CBS is owned by BNSF, UP and KCS. BUT we have not repainted the engines so you can find engines in BN, Santa Fe, Frisco, MP, Katy, UP, BNSF and KCS colors. The CBS Railroad runs from Clayton, NM to Springdale, AR with most of the track across northern Oklahoma.

Railroad offices are in Farmington, Arkansas.

Finished this one a while back!

The Missouri Pacific Historical Society published a very good book that you may be interested in about Missouri Pacific cabooses by Jerry Michels.   Pat B.

Here are a few of my Mopac trains on the Austin Tinplate Trackers layout.

I'm a 6th generation Texan and am also interested in most things Texas!

Texas Eagle 77,  What models are the caboose and the diesel?  Thanks, Pat B.

Joe Collias produced an outstanding book titled MoPac Power on Missouri Pacific locomotives, primarily steam.  He also produced similar books on the MKT, Frisco, and Texas & Pacific.  Pat B.

Have there been enough Missouri Pacific and Texas & Pacific freight cars produced in traditional O gauge and O Scale for a decent representation?

Andrew

I found one old stone railroad bridge over Bullinger Creek in Sealy, Texas.  I believe it is a three arch bridge.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakrnsm/6340829142/

Steve, Lady and Tex

TexSpecial, That is a beautiful bridge. It would be a nice subject for a layout scene.  Pat B.

They don't make sugar in Sugar Land (two words!) anymore!  Most of the plant has been torn down!

Sorry to say, but the TS did have run through sleepers from the PRR and B&O at St. Louis!

I do think the TS is an underated passenger train in terms of looks!  Then again,Warbonnets are overrated!

The Austin group had a MP train with 3 SD40-2's and a U 30C at the WGH show in Houston.  Those guys have a power system which could run a arc welder!  Amazing!

My layout is in the process of rebuild.  I feature T&P steam passenger, UP steam freight, and MKT Alco with Texas Special livery.  I would really prefer an MKT diesel in freight, but they are hard to find, but I will get there.  Would like a MoPac, but that's too many engines.  Have cabeece in all three liveries and more, and a wide variety of rolling stock, mostly boxcars and tankers.

Funny,

what was once Sam's is now mine !!

There were MKT Alcos without the Texas Special silver markings that hauled freight, but I can't find them.  MTH shows one, but the stock picture with black trucks is apparently incorrect in that the actual item has silver trucks.  Anyone have this one?

The caboose is Overland Models and is brass. I used to see those all the time go thru Austin. The engines are Atlas O. They did those about 6 years ago. I also have the GP15, MP15's and U23 Atlas did in Mopac Jenks blue along with the SD40 MP Canaries they did.

There is a lot of nice scale MoPac rolling stock out there. A lot is by Atlas, but some MTH, Lionel, and Weaver but if you didn't get it when it came out its hard to come by.

Dominic, that was my MP train. Glad you enjoyed it! Those engines were done by MTH. They also did SD50's MP Canary scheme. I also ran a trio of Atlas MP15's on a mixed freight down there in Houston.

Texas Eagle 77,  Who manufactured your SD40-2?  Is the MoPac livery factory paint or custom?  Thanks, Pat B.

Pat, The SD40-2's, U30C's and SD50's are all factory by MTH.

I was the guy from Houston Tinplate enjoying your layout.  The MP15's also looked great!  A UP unit with good paint in Jenks Blue I think is an under rated livery!