Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

50 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2010

Ride on A&M excursion to Monett on 9/12/10

The power for this trip is a ex-NYC RS32 A&M #30, formerly A&M #42. This unit was rebuilt at the A&M with a new electrical cabinet to make it equivalent to a C420 with "blue board" solid state electronics. Our engine is first seen crossing the street and stopping to line the switch for the siding where our train sat.

As we depart Springdale our hosts come and make some announcements while being heckled.

We made no photo runbys until we got to the northern most point of the excursion, Hudson, where Hudson Foods once had a feed mill which is now a Cargill Mill.

Here we see the manuvers which were required to turn the train around. First the caboose is set to the siding. They pulled back to the main before setting the coaches to the main. The engine then cuts off and goes and picks up the caboose in the siding. The engine then ran around the train. The train then backed up for a runby.

The runby at Hudson, MO feathered a 1950s era GM bus in Trailways paint which belongs to the American Association of Railfans out of St. Louis.

Here we see the photo line for the runby at Hudson.

The bus then came towards me where I got this runby shot of it.

The train then backed down to pick us up at the crossing. We rode both days in coach #105, Golden Age.

Here is the right side of the Trailways bus as seen from the coach of the excursion train.

The next photo runby was at the MO highway 37 overpass which the Frisco installed over the new highway in 1963. After the train unloaded the photographers, the train backed across the bridge for a runby.

In this view we see where the station once stood that served both the Frisco and the Cassville and Exeter Railroad here in Exeter, MO. The track once crossed the street on the rise in elevation.

Our second photo runby was at Exeter, MO.

We then proceeded to Seligman and its Fire Station #2 where we picked up our box lunches. The engine was parked at the crossing which is at the corner of Frisco Street and Roller Ridge with the Seligman water tower in the background.

The train then backed to the station area in Seligman where it is pictured with the stores of downtown behind it. This once was a thriving community. The downtown is basically vacant except for the Senior Citizens Center at the far end of the street.

Here are some views of the former Missouri & Arkansas facilities in Seligman. The area shown in the first photo is where their 50' turntable was once located. The second image shows Bart explaining the M&A operation in Seligman, including the area where the road ruts now are located was once the track where the passenger trains unloaded. That track also led to the turntable.

Upon returning to Springdale, we see the excursion train sitting in the station unloading.

This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren. If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu