After I was born in San Antonio, Texas I spent my first three years
living about 6 blocks from the MP-IGN yard on the southwest side of the
city. My Mom told me I was imitating steam locomotive noises before I
could talk. And because I had relatives who lived in San Antonio, Longview
and Kilgore, we often returned by car for summer visits, and I had many
chances to see Mopac trains. My Dad chose roads that ran parallel to
the Mopac between Longview and San Antonio. I finally got to ride the
Eagle as a 14 year old with just my 15 year old sister along from St Louis
to Longview in 1968. (I pestered my Dad for weeks to let us ride the train!)
I'm primarily interested as a modeler in the Southern Pacific but I've always
had a strong side interest in the Missouri Pacific.