OperatingSessions.com | Missouri Pacific’s Bagnell Branch

Layout Description

Bagnell Branch

History
The 43 mile Bagnell Branch was originally built in two segments. The first segment was named Jefferson City, Lebanon and Southwestern Railway. This company was incorporated under the board of directors of The Laclede and Fort Scott Railroad January 24, 1871 as a branch of the Laclede and Fort Scott RR. After purchase of this line by the Missouri Pacific Railway in 1884, the line was extended from Cooper to Bagnell 5.79 miles the end of the line. Bagnell had a 75’ turntable where the locomotives were turned for the reverse trip. After the Bagnell dam (creating Lake of the Ozarks) was constructed, the town of Bagnell was flooded and a wye was built at Aurora Springs to enable locomotives to be turned. In 1946 the track and wye were removed and the mainline extended only 1.5 miles south of the RI crossing in Eldon. The Mopac abandoned the branch in August 1962. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (RI) was built from St. Louis to Kansas City and through Eldon in 1903 and small line segments are still operated from St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The layout represents the summer of 1954 in the central Missouri Ozarks with a turn-around local making the track plan 'point to point'. One summer my father and I traveled the former Bagnell Branch and photographed and measured the 1881 depot at Olean and 1912 depot at Lohmann. The feed mills at Lohmann, Olean and Russellville were intact, as well as, a couple of railroad bridges. Since the line was abandoned in 1962 it wasn't too hard to follow the old right-of-way. My wife's family farm was 9 miles from Eldon so I was in the area during summers on family reunions and float trips down the Osage River. These trips gave me many of the ideas for trying to capture the beautiful Ozark scenery that would be incorporated on the layout.

Operating Sessions
The Missouri Pacific branch was operated as an turnaround ‘extra’ with no meets. As cars are set out place the waybills in the bill box and take the waybills for the pulls with you. Cars destined to the Rock Island have their waybills left in the bill box once you leave the cars on the interchange.

Lohman
Spot any setouts and you have a choice of lining up your pulls for the return trip of work them on the way back. It’s not advisable to take the pulls with you unless the car is destined to the Rock Island for interchange. Industries in Lohman are two feed mills; Producers and Lohman Milling Company, coal storage and railroad’s stock pens.

Russellville
As above, leave any Russellville setouts and decide how you want to handle your pulls on the return trip. Industries include lumber dealer, Kent Feeds mill and Purina elevator.

Enon
Only industry is Kraus grain elevator and the railroad’s stock pens.

Olean
Industry here is Olean Milling and railroad’s stock pens.

Eldon
Industries served are Cities Service inbound fuel dealer on a spur, Miller County Grocery and Missouri Farmers Association on the house track and a team track behind the hotel. There’s an interchange track between the MP-RI.

Rock Island Eldon
The RI serves several industries MFA grain elevator, RI stock pens, MFA feed mill, coal, Sinclair, Shell and Mobil fuel dealers. Yardmaster furnishes a switch list to the crew. Cars going to the interchange for the Mopac to pull need waybills placed in the bill box. It’s advisable to pull and spot the interchange before doing other work as the MP extra will pull the interchange and work these cars back enroute to Jefferson City.
Layout information
NCE DCC
Code 70 track
All turnouts are hand throws
Depots at Lohman, Russellville, Enon, Olean and Eldon are all laser cut based on the prototype structures
Feed mills are all scratch built from photographs and site measurements.
Stock pens are scratch built based on MP and RI standard plans.
Large percentage of the freight cars are resin kits from Sunshine Models, Funaro, Yarmouth Model Works and Resin Car Works.