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MoPac Hi-Railers, Off-rail Vehicles & Alternate Transportation

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Missouri Pacific Hi-Railers, Off-rail Vehicles & Alternate Transportation

MP MOW Crew and crane Trucks at Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Elvin Klepzig photo

Many of the vehicles pictured below were gathered from other images at Screaming Eagles. Some are unique to this page. Most are poor quality images, as trucks and cars were often seen lurking in the long shadows of the more glamorous rail power. Still we hope this page can provide some insight into another overlooked area of railroading.

Click on the thumbnails to see a larger image

Unit: Missouri Pacific company car	Location/Date of Photo: Freeport, TX 1976-1977
Road No. unknown	Photographer: © Nathan Griffin Photo

Was there a car more classic for the 1970's than the Chevy? Blow-up from MP1190 photograph, taken at Freeport, Texas, behind the depot 1977.

Unit: Missouri Pacific company car	Location/Date of Photo: unknown 1960-1970's
Road No. unknown	Photographer: © Brian Paul Ehni Photo

This time its another symbol of the 1960-70's, a station wagon, as seen in a close-up from Brian Paul Ehni's shot of business car MP8 -

Unit: Missouri Pacific Hi-rail truck	Location/Date of Photo: unknown 1960-1970's
Road No. unknown	Photographer: © George Elwood photo

"Buzzsawed" truck in typical colors seen lurking in the background. From close-up of A&S #1517.

Unit: Missouri Pacific Hi-rail truck	Location/Date of Photo: Paris, TX December 1982
Road No. unknown	Photographer: © Gary Morris Photo

Looks like a Ford similar to one above, this time looking at the tailgate. From this we can make out a rotating beacon light on the cab roof, spare tire in the bed and the hi-railer add-on beneath the bumper. From close-up of Paris, Texas depot.

Unit: Missouri Pacific MoW truck	Location/Date of Photo: unknown unknown
Road No. unknown	Photographer: Jerry Carson Photo/T. Greuter Collection

Blown-up from a slide, the MoW truck wears the MP buzzsaw on the door, has a locker/equipment box behind the cab and an open flatbed with tall slatted sides of wood construction.

Unit: Missouri Pacific MoW truck	Location/Date of Photo: Laredo, TX January 1978
Road No. unknown	Photographer: © Gary Morris Photo

MP truck, this time with short sides around the flatbed. In the full shot there's also a company pickup. Seen at Missouri Pacific station, Jan 78 at Laredo, Texas.

Unit: Missouri Pacific MoW truck crane truck	Location/Date of Photo: Poplar Bluff, MO unknown
Road No. unknown	Photographer: Elvin Klepzig photo

MP MOW Crew and crane Trucks - of the same types seen above. Here they're rerailing MP #5031 (at far right in UP colors) at Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Unit: Missouri Pacific Little Giant Crane	Location/Date of Photo: Wichita, KS February 16, 1987
Road No. RR C12	Photographer: © Ronald Estes, Rail Images/ T. Greuter Collection

RR C12 - rail-runner crane at snowy Wichita, Kansas on February 16, 1987

Unit: Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific Little Giant Crane	Location/Date of Photo: Union, NE February 2002
Road No. RR C25, 1381	Photographer: Todd Greuter Photo

RR C25, rail-runner crane like above, this time after the UP has applied their shield to its side. Union, Nebraska, February 2002

Unit: Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific Little Giant Crane	Location/Date of Photo: Union, NE February 2002
Road No. RR C25, 1381	Photographer: Todd Greuter Photo

RR C25 - detail shot. Union, Nebraska, February 2002

Unit: Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific Little Giant Crane	Location/Date of Photo: Union, NE February 2002
Road No. RR C25, 1381	Photographer: Todd Greuter Photo

Mo-Pac Little Giant Crane #1381 at Union, Nebraska. Notice that these heavy-duty trucks were even equipped with a rear coupler.

Unit: Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific Little Giant Crane	Location/Date of Photo: Union, NE February 2002
Road No. RR C25, 1381	Photographer: Todd Greuter Photo

MP Little Giant Crane #1381 at Union, Nebraska

The Missouri Pacific system was more than just trains. Far from it. In fact the railroad was part of the larger parent company Missouri Pacific Corporation (ex-Mississippi River Corporation, ex-Mississippi River Fuel Company) which dealt with oil pipelines. Like other railroads that had any hope to remain competitive, the MP system was always eager to stay ahead of the curve and strived to keep abreast of all means of transportation, not just that which ran on rails. The following are some interesting examples of the MoPac's other modes of transportation.

Missouri Pacific - By Water

Unit: Missouri-Illinois Rail car ferry	Location/Date of Photo: unknown unknown
Vessel Name: "Ste Genevieve"	Photographer: David Beckermann Collection

A rather famous shot of the 3rd "Ste Genevieve", the Missouri-Illinois rail car ferry, which was retired in 1961. The Transfer Boat is seen with a steam engine pulling a cut of cars off the deck. The boat itself has two steam engines, one on each side, with dual paddlewheels.

The MoPac included ferry operations along the Mississippi River, The "George H. Walker" was a large steam-powered twin paddle-driven ferry boat which operated between Baton Rouge and Anchorage, Louisiana. It's use lasted a quarter century, from 1923-1947. From photos, the Walker was aparently capable of hauling twelve cars which where loaded evenly on either end of the deck. Two large smokestacks towered over the deck and each paddlewheel was enclosed with a large buzzsaw emblem painted over the ship's name on the sides. This was the only ferry on the system that regularly scheduled passenger runs as part of it's transport service.

Missouri Pacific - By Land

Unit: Missouri Pacific Trailways GM PD-2903 Bus (1946)	Location/Date of Photo: unknown unknown
Road No. MPT 864	Photographer: Builder Photo/T. Greuter Collection

A General Motors PD-2903 Bus (1946 model). The Missouri Pacific Transportation Company, Saint Louis, Missouri, was a subsidiary of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, with most of its route miles paralleling the railroad. It provided extensive bus service from Saint Louis to Kansas City, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Memphis, Tennessee and to Houston, Texas, and in the Texas Rio Grande valley. It was an early member of the National Trailways Bus System, later became Midwest Bus Lines and then part of the Continental Trailways Bus System.

Missouri Pacific - By Air

Unit: Missouri Pacific unknown Bi-plane	Location/Date of Photo: unknown Late 1920-1930's
Bird No. unknown	Photographer: T. Greuter Collection

A company-sponsored bi-plane? - I don't know much about this image, except for the obvious. The photo dates to the late 20's into the 1930's. Did the MoPac use this bird for corporate transportation of company officials or possibly it was experimenting with then new air mail shipping? This image would pre-date the company's excursion into passenger air service.

I've got a different idea. This looks more like a public event such as an airshow, which was a very very popular thing in the early days of flight. Notice the large sign in the crowd to the left. I can't make out all the words but it definitely reads "PILOTS REGISTER... " The bottom line is anyone's guess. With the red buzzsaw logo plastered on wings, fuselage and tail rudder it looks as if the she were about to take off for a dogfight with the Red Baron. There's also at least two other planes in the background. Was the railroad a corporate sponsor in the event, just as you see company logos on NASCAR racers today?

Whatever the occasion, the bi-planes seem to have attracted quite a crowd of gawkers and well-wishers including the mother and daughter posing for the camera. The bi-plane design is interesting itself, with a fully enclosed crew cabin, a state-of-the-art idea for those days, and the stubby lower wing in comparison to the upper assembly suggest it was built for speed and maneuverability.


	trainweb.org/screamingeagle l Last Update to this page: 19 June, 2008

	All images & text © 2000-2008 T. Greuter / Screaming Eagles, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.