Welcome to Rails Around Missouri, the website for railfan & author Michael C Kelly. On this site you can find out more about the upcoming book, “Rails Around Missouri”, and see the trailer for the “Last Ride of 1522″. You can also download the PDF sample of my last book, “Rails Around Michigan” which is sold out & out of print. Read reviews of it from historical societies, readers, and magazines. The Missouri book will be of the same format. Welcome!
1 down, 3 to go! It’s been a busy summer here @ Rails Around Missouri. Slides/scanned images are continuing to come in, with recent batches from Lance Garrels, Leon Sapp, Chris Guss, Ken Albrecht, and Mark & Mike Nelson. The total image cout is now just under 800, and it’s going to be a tough job narrowing these down to either a 2-volume work or a single, 200 page book.
The Nelsons filled in a significant gap (one of 4 we had), providing images of the Rock Island’s St Louis line, which wasn’t often photographed despite it being a very scenic line. Coverage provided were shots from Windsor to Gerald, including Eldon, tunnels 2-3, and the bridges over both the Osage and Gasconade Rivers. The shot below was taken 6-22-75 in Ionia, MO, and reflects the sad condition of this line in the 70s. Derailments were common, and much of the line was 10mph.
Again, despite the high number of images received, there are still a few significant gaps that need to be filled in at least a little before we can move on. These include the MP’s DeSoto sub south of DeSoto to Poplar Bluff, MP’s White River line from Pleasant Hill to Branson, and the NWMO area from KC to St Joseph to Chilicothe (CB&Q, MILW, N&W/Wabash). If you can help, please contact me. Again, all published contributors receive a copy of the book. Thanks!
For years the Wabash operated a mixed train as many as 3 times a day each way between Columbia, MO and Centralia, and connection there to the STL-KC mainline. N&W continued to run this train once a day after the 1964 merger, and it is seen here in Centralia in 1967. GP7 2446 is formerly NKP 446. More details to come in “Rails Around Missouri”, due out 2012. Photo by Charlie Childs
The Rock Island was “late to the dance” in the St Louis-Kansas City market, completing its line well after those of the Missouri Pacific, Wabash, and even the MKT. Because of this, along with the line being mostly rural, traffic was never as abundant as that of the MP and Wabash, and the line was eventually considered a secondary mainline for the Rock Island. In October 1975, Rock Island geep @ 1205 trundles along westbound near Owensville with the local freight, headed for Eldon.
Finding shots of this line is proving very, very difficult. The shot above is one of only 3 that I have found outside of the immediate KC and STL areas. I am still looking for shots of this line from Pleasant Hill through Eldon and St Albans to what was Gumbo Flats, or today’s Chesterfield, MO. If you have slides and are willing to share, please contact me and we will work out the details: 314 809-9310, atsf101@hotmail.com. Photo above by Paul Dalman, 10-20-75
July 2011 ‘Rails’ update: Paul Dalman has sent in some of the sharpest, clearest images I have seen in the 6 months I have been searching for Missouri slides. Above, a mixed set of units, led by geep 1680, U30C 3304, and an unidentifiable SD40 power a short ore train on the MPs Pea Ridge branch near Potosi on 11-2-76. This branch left the DeSoto sub at Cadet running roughly 27 miles northwest, passing near Potosi on the way to Pea Ridge and the iron ore mines in that area.
Finding slides of the MPs DeSoto sub have proven challenging. Being very rural and even back-woods, not many photographers ventured much down this line. Pressing on, I am looking for anyone who did shoot this subdivision prior to UP taking over. Any shots of DeSoto, Cadet, Mineral Point, Irondale, Bismark, Arcadia-Ironton, TipTop, Glover, Annapolis, Piedmont, Williamsville and Poplar Bluff. Passenger (Amtrak or MP), freight, locals, depots, anything but a bland roster shot.
If you can help, I can be reached @ 314 809-9310 or atsf101@hotmail.com
While scanning slides for the Missouri book, I’ve always set those aside I felt would make a good cover shot. When I saw this one from Allen Maty, it was over. I instantly thought “that’s it. That’s the cover shot”. So here it is, KCS @ Grandview, MO in August of 1969.
Front cover of "Rails Around Missouri"
Update: as of this past weekend, I’ve scanned over 350 slides for Rails Around Missouri. Not all will make the cut, of course, and I still have a few significant gaps in coverage when looking at the state map. Rock Island’s line to MN and the west end of the STL line, Katy SW of Sedalia and east of Franklin to Defiance, Milwaukee anywhere, CBQ/BN north/northeast of KC, MP & Frisco south of STL to SEMO, MP’s White River line to Branson, Frisco’s KC-Arkansas line, KCS south of Grandview, and MP’s 2 lines west of Jefferson City. Contact me for more info: 314 809-9310 or atsf101@hotmail.com
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