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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Latest book released by MoPac society highlights the Missouri-Illinois Railroad in the ‘Lead Belt’

October 20, 2020 / Updated July 25, 2023

Heritage

The Missouri Pacific Historical Society pays tribute to a unique short line with the September release of Missouri-Illinois Railroad: Missouri Pacific’s Route through the Lead Belt and Little Egypt, a 376-page hardback that traces the railroad’s colorful past.

The Missouri-Illinois operated 146 miles of track, connected by the Mississippi River, in Missouri and Illinois. It ran through the “Lead Belt” in Southeast Missouri, which contained the largest concentration of lead deposits in the world. The land between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in Illinois was thought to resemble Egypt’s Nile Delta and became known as Little Egypt in the early 1800s. A city in the region was named Cairo.

The M-I was unique because one of its predecessor roads was built as a three-foot narrow-gauge line, which was unusual in the Midwest. Also, the M-I operated a car ferry across the Missouri River for five decades, and it had the only switchback between the Allegheny and Rocky mountains.
Like many short lines, the M-I depended on second-hand locomotives and rolling stock.

The railroad’s roots trace to the narrow-gauge St. Joseph and Deslodge Railway, which operated on 13 miles of main line from Bonne Terre to Summit, MO. Over the years, several other railroads, including the Mississippi River & Bonne Terre Railway, would lay tracks that eventually became part of the M-I network.

The M-I emerged in 1921 after the Illinois Southern ceased operations in 1919. Large IS shippers who depended on rail transportation bought the property for $900,000 and formed the M-I on the condition that it operate for 10 years.

The railroad was incorporated in January 1921 and operated independently but by the Great Depression in 1929 was swimming in red ink. Missouri Pacific acquired controlling interest about that time and leveraged oil wells that were drilled near the main line in Selma, IL, to provide a critical source of revenue that helped the M-I operate at a profit over the next few years.

The M-I merged into the Missouri Pacific system Nov. 2, 1978.
The book, written by Charles A. Duckworth and published by Donning Co. Publishers (Brookfield, MO), looks at stations along the M-I route as well as locomotives, rolling stock, freight and passenger service, railyards and accidents.

With color and black and white photographs and an extensive bibliography, the book showcases a range of operations information and includes a partial list of customers in Missouri and Illinois. Missouri-Illinois Railroad also honors many of the railroad’s employees, some of whom gave testimonials about life on the railroad.

Proceeds support the Missouri Pacific Historical Society. For information, email [email protected] .

Current Issue: May/June 2025

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Tuned In

Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.

Tariffs Cause Concern

Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.

Managing Freight Cars

The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.”  This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.

Plus

A vintage Lionel store display is always a crowd pleaser, Atlas' N-scale True-Track is the right solution for a new test track on the Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, The Green Diamond was Illinois Central's gem on the St. Louis-to-Chicago route and more!