Gulf Mobile & Ohio RR

[Anonymous]

Looking for info on the GM&O. The Historical Society offers very little, and other than finding the occasional timetable at train swaps/shows, there seems to be very little information out there. If anyone has suggestions of orgs. to contact or titles of books regarding the GM&O, that info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[jeaton]

Check out this site http://www.umsl.edu/barriger/bmore/hscollect.html

Since you don't list a location, St Louis may not be an easy trip, but the Barriger collection has a lot. A Google search brought almost 5,000 hits. Might be some leads for the publications you want.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jeaton, I'll check out that website. Much Appreciated!

[daveklepper]

I rode the GM&O frequently in the era 1967-1970 on the Chicago - St. Louis line. Initially there were three trains each way daily during the day plus an overnight with a sleeper. Certain of the day trains carried through cars, possibly only sleepers, for the Missouri Pacific. The sleeper on the overnight was dropped when Pullman turned over its operations to railroads, and the train itself was dropped when the Post Office switched to trucks. The other three trains lasted until Amtrak. They used some lightweight but mostly modernized heavyweight coaches, and the diners were slightly modernized heavyweights with six-wheel trucks. Paint scheme was maroon and lightger red, and power was usually E-7's, with some B-units used, although a single A-unit or A's back-to-back were common. And then there was the contrast with the Missouri Pacific's and sometimes Texa Pacific's blue and grey with white stripe car or cars at the rear. The meals were very good, excellent dining service.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The GM&O in the late 1960's had two Chicago-St. Louis day trains (Abraham Lincoln and The Limited) and an overnighter (Midnight Special). Power was usually two E7A's on the day trains. The only boosters used were some s/g equipped F3B's. The day trains lasted well into the Amtrak era with the Midnight Special being discontinued on April 30, 1971.