Gasconade, Meramec & Southern Rwy.

The Gasconade, Meramec & Southern Rwy. is a freelance narrow gauge short line serving rural communities and lead mines in 1950 southeastern Missouri.  The northern terminus of the GM&S is in the freelance city of Monroe, Reynolds County, MO where it has freight transfer facilities with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.  From Monroe the GM&S winds southerly over the eastern Ozark “Highlands” through the Village of Slate Creek to its southern terminus at Galena, which is south staging.   A branch extends southwesterly from Slate Creek to Coalmont, home of the Bear Paw coal mine.  

 

In the greater Monroe area, comprised of North Monroe, Monroe, and South Monroe, the Frisco serves 8 locations plus freight transfer facilities with the GM&S and an interchange with the Missouri Pacific. 

 

Operationally this is a switching railroad with minimal running length between centers of switching activity.  The Monroe Switch job works the GM&S arrival/departure yard at Monroe and the freight transfer facilities in South Monroe.  Mixed trains 48 (northward) and 47 (southward) work from Galena to Monroe and back, serving Slate Creek and Coalmont.  Your host runs the passengers and ore extras.  Train movement follows a sequence, no clock.  Car forwarding is via switch lists integrated with the job instructions.  Yard checks for each work area at the beginning of your shift record the locations of “hold” cars.  GM&S trains run 7 to 9 cars with a single steam engine.

 

The Frisco’s Cuba/Monroe Turn crew board the arrived train in North Monroe and work North Monroe, Monroe, and South Monroe and end their shift with the Cuba-bound train assembled on the North Monroe siding.  Car forwarding for the Frisco job is via a switch list.  Frisco trains run 12 to15 cars with a single diesel unit.

 

Scale: 2-rail O and On30

Car Forwarding: Switch Lists

Control Sys.: NCE wireless DCC

Size: 15′ x 20′

Style: walk-in single-level around-the-room with a peninsula

Crew size: 3 one-person crews plus host  (2-person crews okay upon request)

Aisles: 33″ to 36″

Height: 52″

Track: 100 %

Scenery:    30 %