Cargill Grain Elevator - Just east of Sedalia, Missouri

Started in late 2005, the Meramec Valley & Pacific Lines is the name of my current layout. Still very much a "work in progress" - it is a free-lanced HO-scale layout featuring mid-western operations of both the Missouri Pacific and Frisco railroads circa 1960-1970. The name for the layout comes from the geographic region that a portion of the line passed through.

The Frisco railroad was born of the Southwest Branch of the Pacific Railroad.  The Pacific Railroad being the predecessor of the Missouri Pacific Lines.  The Southwest branch left the St. Louis to Kansas City route at Franklin (now Pacific) Missouri.  By the end of the civil war, the Southwest Branch was bankrupt.  The state foreclosed and took possession after the road defaulted on state-held mortgage bonds.  The road was sold in late 1866 to a group of investors, and renamed the South West Pacific.  After little more than a year it would be bankrupt and the road sold again - this time to the South Pacific Railroad Company.  This would later become known as the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad - better known as just the Frisco. The new Frisco Company was forced to use the tracks of the Missouri Pacific for the 37-mile distance from Pacific, Missouri into St. Louis.  Frisco constructed its own line by 1883.

Two staging yards originally served to represent St. Louis and Kansas City on the MV&P layout. The MoPac mainline passes through the Missouri towns of Sedalia, Pacific, and Valley Park. Springfield, Missouri on the Frisco line is represented by a small yard. In late 2008, another section was added, along with a larger yard that now represents Neff Yard in Kansas City.

In November 2011, completion of a new staging yard west of Kansas City on the Mopac was completed, to represent Bailey Yard in North Platte. At the same time, a staging yard and engine servicing tracks were installed along the Frisco to represent a Kansas City destination from Springfield. Point to point operation is now possible from St. Louis to KC to North Platte on the MOP, and from St. Louis to Springfield to KC on the Frisco.

"The Meramec River winds along the northern border of the Ozarks, draining 3980 square miles in its 220 mile northeastern journey from its origin. Year round navigability begins at the confluence of Dry Fork and the Maramec Spring branch

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