My major bad. I haven't been beating the bushes for Katy fans. Living in Texas, you can find beaucoup katy folks from Denison south to Houston, and north to KC and St. Louis. I've been considering doing some GP40s in Barringer red (to go with maybe one green Geep) to run on my Frisco layout as a detour. Across the street from the restored Katy depot in Denison is the former location of the offices- it is now an antique shop (well, OK, a great big flea market), but in one room in the back, a group of local modelers is busy building an HO layout depicting the Katy thru Denison down to Greenville, and north over the Red River towards McAlester, OK. I may be a Frisco modeler, but I recognize trhere were other railroads in the area, and I got as many shots of MP and MKT as I could before they were assimilated into Borgrail. Kudos to folks like Paul Cassar who keep the memories alive thru modeling.
hadn't seen anything in KATY paint in a long time that wasn't on a module. But the mom-in-law lives a half-block from the KATY main in Pryor, so I see some action up there from time to time and a bit in the OKC area as well. KATY fans are out there, bunches of them in the Tulsa area @ the GATS show a few weeks ago. Lots of KATY shirts, hats, cars, and locos going out the door beast
I'm a secondary Katy fan, having modeled the OKKT back in my HO days. (I lived about 4 blocks from the MKT/OKKT main where it crossed BN's ex-FW&D line) I just about wet myself when I saw pics of the new UP "Katy Heritage" unit, and I think I finally did when I was travelling adjacent to the Choctaw sub one afternoon and saw her on the point of a parked freight near Roanoke, TX a few weeks ago. Got some great pics. The interesting thing about the new scheme is that I had dreamed up something VERY similar for a someday-layout depicting the MKT as if it never merged. (not surprising since both were heavily influenced by the Texas Special scheme, mine more so)
Only diesel you'll see now in Katy paint is the "blind cab" F-unit on display at the Katy depot in Denison. It shares space with several cabooses, including the 1024 repainted Sloan yellow with Sloan-type lettering (The KATY serves the Southwest Well). Thankfully, NO Deramus lettering
Raymond Hamm has a good website on his version of the KAty had it existed in the mid-1990s. If I can find the URL, I'll show it here.
ALso, in the latest issue of Great Model Railroads, there's an HO scale layout featured that depicts the Katy & KCS. Even tho what diesels shown are in the Deramus scheme, he does have a re-engined Baldwin and re-engined Alco, both of which look very nice.
Aw I must admit I have been bitten by the green I'm trying to put together a unit train of IM 2 bay hoppers, up to 23 now with 1 GP 40 to pull them with (thx Pac Rail). Anybody have a picture of one out in the wide open spaces of the mid west? I can see it in my minds eye
For you Katy folks who don't know about THIS site, here 'tis: http://www.katyrailroad.org/ This is the URL of the Katy Railroad Historical Society- has beaucoup info on Miss Katy.
The site Frisco Bob was referin to is http://rwhamm.tripod.com/katy.html the site is called KATY CENTRAL and it is a nice little site to visit. Another site to try is http://mktnscale.tripod.com/ it's still under construction or just do a Katy search. If you are ever in St.Louis check out the DOT museum it has the last Katy steam train. or Baldwin City,Ks and see the RS-3M painted Katy Red. Well got to go check the main till later. Fred
Yes I have a MKT Unit grain train on my roster, the 3 GP40's look great, I also have a repatched Conrail unit as well.
I miss the Katy red....so thats what I have. I picked up an A-B-A set a couole of months ago. The new proto units. Looks great and runs even better. I was using them in my open house in front of a mixed freight. Ran great for 2 days. Also ran my Texas Special (personal favorite) Then double headed mikes in front of a tank car train. Ran good also. Mike
heyhey..I myself am trying to model Milwaukee's Hiawathas, but my father wants to do MKT, he used to live not far from their yard in St. Charles, Mo..er..NEAR St. Charles
A month or so ago I bought a Katy caboose. I have no Katy engines. The E7s that pull my Texas Special are the Frisco ones. So, I have an undec USRA Mikado that is getting the MKT treatment. Little stuff like plating over the coal bunker and adding a dog house to the tender, moving the bell and replacing the steam pops with a turret. Slap some decals on and some big MKT shields on the side of the tender and hopefully it will pass.
Mr. straw, if you'd like, I can provide you with detailed (ok..not too detailed..)info on how to convert those frisco E7's to Katy...I seem to remember discussing the differences with my father a few times..
I think it had something to do with the small logos on the nose behind the anticlimber. That and the number boards. I finished modifying and decaling the Mikado, #784. Now I have to reassemble it.
Sweet! Now all you need is a caboose done up in the Sloan-era scheme (yellow paint and the lettering "The KATY Serves The Southwest") bringing up the rear.
