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ABOVE: From the yacht club looking east, hotels dot the distant Mississippi shoreline. The Gulfport Ship Channel brings deepwater shipping from the Gulf, directly to the Municipal Marina’s neighbor, the anchorage basin and Municipal Pier. Railroad connections bring in rolls of paper and take bananas out, coordinated with weekly visits from the Great White Fleet. R.J. BARTON
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I really like building special trains in New Orleans. The mechanical and operations folks have a can-do attitude that get wrinkles ironed out very professionally. While train building is in progress, you can’t ignore a city with fine food and entertainment just a trolley car ride from the depot!
New since our last visit is the streetcar line that comes to Union Station and to a third building at the World War II Museum. The streetcar connects to the Canal Street line, making getting downtown much easier but at times a little longer than walking. The new building at the museum houses many aircraft and a submarine experience. There’s never a lack of things to do in the Big Easy! The Mississippian Gulfport Limited departed New Orleans and headed out over the Huey Long Bridge following the same route as the Sunset. However, at the west end of the bridge our train switched to the northwest and headed up the Union Pacific’s, old Missouri continued on page 31
LEFT: Prior to the trip members toured the National WWII Museum’s The US Freedom Pavilion. Inside the Boeing Center was a breathtaking display of real WWII military aircraft. Multiple viewing balconies make this a bonanza day for photographers, kids, and folks just interested in vintage aviation! This P-51 Mustang has been painted in the colors of the 332nd Fighter group. Known as the “Red Tails” the Tuskegee Airmen distinguished themselves in combat escorting bombers to Berlin and back. R.J. BARTON PHOTO
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BELOW: The view from the stage of the Grand Opera House as seen by the likes of Sarah Bernhardt, who appeared in “La Tosca” during the 1890s. Built in 1890, it was a favorite of Meridian socialites until its closure in the 1930s. AAPRCO members toured the restored Empire style theatre. LARRY MILSOW PHOTO
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LEFT: David Rohr and Mike Margrave were snapped discussing past and future midterm specials over a cocktail. The concensus is that these trips are an enjoyable adjunct to the long hours spent in the midterm meetings. ELIZABETH MONHOFF PHOTO
BELOW: Squeezing the history of Meridian into a paragraph must have been a challenge for the boys in the Historical Sign Department! Adding the Gulfport Limited to the scene adds credence. ELIZABETH MONHOFF PHOTO
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LEFT: Next door to the Union Station is the Meridian Railroad Museum, operated by the Queen & Crescent Chapter of the NRHS. The members maintain a railroad library, photo collection, exhibits, a model railroad, and host the annual Meridian RailFest.
If you are a fan of Country Music, the museum’s display of Jimmie Rodgers memorabilia is not to be missed. The Singing Brakeman’s tune “Blue Yodel” topped the charts in 1928. Look for a Columbia Pictures short, or “Blue Yodel No. 9” with Louis Armstrong on trumpet next time you’re cruising the net. ART BLISS PHOTO BELOW: Built in 1906, Meridian, Mississippi’s Union Station was beautifully restored in 1997. Serving five railroads and seeing 44 trains daily, it’s no wonder that Meridian was the largest city in Mississippi at the turn of the century. R.J. BARTON
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Pacific line, through Plaquemine to Alexandria and then north to Monroe. Track speed was a gentle 45 and quite smooth.
A lot of agriculture can be seen along this line. Rice and some other kind of green stuff were plentiful. First night stop was Monroe, Louisiana, now being made infamous by the Robertson family of the TV series “Duck Dynasty.” Departure the next morning was on the Kansas City Southern, former Illinois Central, speedway via Vicksburg to Meridian, Mississippi. The AAPRCO planning team allowed plenty of time for this relatively short run. This put the train into the station a little early and allowed all the service work to be completed just about the time we would have arrived. |
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BELOW: Louisville & Nashville No. 6157 was decorated as Miss Alva for the 1966 movie “This Property is Condemned.” It appears to have been “settin’ a spell” under the overpass in Meridian. The movie, based on a Tennessee Williams play, starred Natalie Wood, Robert Redford and Charles Bronson.
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Francis Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay, a story of a hardnosed railroad man who came to town to cut payroll, and wound up finding love but not with the 6157, though it figures into the story.
R.J. BARTON PHOTO |
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ABOVE: Under the watchful eye of Amtrak Detective Sam Bell, the Gulfport Limited rolled through Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where a KCS pilot was added to the engine crew during the move through the interchange from the NS. KCS rails took the train to Gulfport via a reverse move at Delisle Junction. R.J. BARTON PHOTO
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Many folks took the opportunity to visit some of the local sites of interest, while others looked for the closest pub. The Railroad Museum located in the former freight house next door to the transportation center was an easy walk. Leaving Meridian on the Norfolk Southern, ex-Southern, Crescent route, we traveled as far as Hattiesburg where a rather complex backup switching move crossing two junctions got us back on the Kansas City Southern line to Gulfport. This line is the former Gulf and Ship
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BELOW: There was no lack of spirited conversations going on during the Thursday eve reception aboard the Prairie View upon arrival in Gulfport (L-R, facing photographer) Jane Barton, Mike Margrave and Norm Orfall are on the left. On the right is Tom Lanahan sitting with Association Executive Director Borden Black. Built by Budd in 1955 for the GN, and rebuilt from the trucks up in 1997 by Westours, the super dome was bought by Iowa Pacific in 2009. LARRY MILSOW PHOTO
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Island Railroad and had not seen passenger service in over 80 years. The line was built to haul timber out and other materials in, which is certainly one reason that Gulfport is alive and well today. Speed over this line is nonexistent but it is a really nice ride through the trees. Arriving in Gulfport, we did a quick run around with the locomotives and shoved in to the port. The train was parked right on the water’s edge with walking access to the ferry dock and the yacht club. Meetings were held on Friday with Amtrak and there was a general membership
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LEFT: Possibly taking a cue from the photographer, (L-R) Sam and Thomas Stennis take full advantage of the Georgia 300’s platform for some pint-sized whistle stop campaign theatrics. Gotta love those safety glasses! This could be the beginning of a career.
The Mississippian Gulfport Limited’s drumhead was inspired by number plates that adorned the Gulf & Ship Island Railroad’s steam locomotives. Centered on the smokebox, the cast plates featured their “Deep Water Route” slogan atop a ship’s steering wheel. M.J. REINERT PHOTO BELOW: At the other end of the superdome (L-R) smilin’ Elizabeth Monhoff, Pricilla Johnson, and Judy Rohr shared drinks and hors d'oeuvres. From under the full length canopy, the view of Gulfport Harbor was outstanding. LARRY MILSOW PHOTO
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RIGHT: Biloxi WXXV25, a Fox/ NBC TV affiliate, stopped by to interview AAPRCO President Taylor Johnson on Friday while the PVs were in Gulfport. Somebody in the newsroom must have been tipped off that the G&SI hadn’t seen passenger service in over 50 years! On camera, the merits of passenger rail service to Gulfport were discussed. ELIZABETH MONHOFF PHOTO
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meeting in the afternoon. Some lively discussions popped up in both meetings and a nice car party followed back at the port. While the board was meeting on Saturday most of those riding took the time to visit some sites, drive along the beachfront to Biloxi or ride the ferry out to Ship Island. A two-day stay seemed very short and departing Sunday morning came quickly after being out for the evening. The train retraced the route to Hattiesburg, made the complex switch move in reverse, and rejoined the Norfolk Southern line to New Orleans passing over the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. An early afternoon arrival gave us plenty of time for Happy Hour and dinner downtown. A really well done trip with a different routing, in a place we have not been before. Hats off to all those who made it possible. PV
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RIGHT: David Hoffman was caught verifying that his camera was set to the highest resolution and proper time zone. This makes it so much easier for the PV staff to fit member photos into a timeline when preparing to select photos for special train articles. It enables us to sort the photos by date and time taken. R.J. BARTON PHOTO
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LEFT: (L-R) Aboard the Federal, co-owner Janet Dittmer was putting the finishing touches on a mixed drink during the car party Friday night. Larry Milsow (in red), owner of the City of Spokane, and Dale Waltman, Deputy Director, Operations of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport couldn’t resist ‘talking trains.’ ELIZABETH MONHOFF PHOTO
BELOW: Having last made an appearance on the 2013 Napa Valley Limited convention train, Mr. Flamingo wintered in Tuscon aboard the Vista Canyon prior to boarding the Federal for the trip to Gulfport. Spotted onboard the Tioga Pass, during the return leg, Jonathan Moore’s pink metal pal got a gander at the roadrunner that adorns the front wall of the lounge. Though he tried, he couldn’t get that dang roadrunner to look him straight in the eye! R.J. BARTON PHOTO
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LEFT: While Georgia 300 car owner Jack Heard was doing the same job on the other side of the platform, Lee Trombecky, Amtrak Manager of Regulatory Compliance in Albany, New York, helped hang the original marker lights while it was parked on display at the pier at Gulfport. The marker lights used when the car is running the rails are as practical as the originals are beautiful. ELIZABETH MONAHAN PHOTO
BELOW: Hard to say if the Lambert’s Point ever made it this far down south, but ex-Norfolk & Western business car No. 200 might have made the journey sometime in the 100 years following her birthday in 1914. These days, as part of the Railroading Heritage of the Midwest fleet, the old gal probably spends more time off home rails than she ever spent on them! She’s still as handsome as ever decked out in N&W’s version of Tuscan Red. R.J. BARTON PHOTO
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BOTH PHOTOS: The sea has always played an important part in Gulfport’s history, bringing the first explorers from Spain in the 1500s, through the blockade during Civil War years, or the destruction in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. These days the gentle on-shore breezes keep the city cooler than inland Mississippi, and a trip offshore to Ship Island nets passengers cooler temps yet. Association members that journeyed 11 miles offshore found the national historic site at Fort Massachusetts, sugar white sand, and emerald seas. Dolphins escorted the Gulf Islander as the pristine waters at the southern end of the Gulfport shipping channel are home to many species of wildlife not found close to shore. All in all a splendid daytrip! R.J. BARTON PHOTOS
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Reprinted from Private Varnish No. 141 with the permission of the American Association of Private Railcar Owners.
