The most recent issue of Trains features Missouri Pacific as the map of the month. Kinda neat, showing where all the lines have gone. Most to UP (really?) but also a lot to various shortlines as well as some abandonments. Really no new info, but a nice pictorial look at where the Eagle now stands (perches?)
It's the May 2005 issue. The headline article is "21st century steam." Like I said, there's really nothing new there, but it does give a quick pictorial snapshot of todays' status.
I've seen the map in question, and there are two errors in it: 1. Texas Northeastern now only goes Sherman-Bonham, 30 miles. The track west of Sherman and east of paris to New Boston, TX has been taken up, and the line from Bonham to Paris, TX is inactive. 2. Blacklands Railroad does not run in Oklahoma- that part was once operated by the Osage RR, a Watco shortline. It ran from Tulsa to Pawhuska, and was abandoned in the late 1990s. Blacklands runs on former Cotton Belt trackage from west of Mt. Pleasant, TX to Greenville, TX. Sadly, all the Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf and Midland Valley is gone- these two lines were bought by MP's Texas & Pacific. About the only stretch of MV track left I know of is part of the freight house spur in Ft. Smith, AR used by the local Trolley Museum to store rolling stock. I don't know about anybody else, but I miss shooting the MP in & around Van Buren, AR.
