Extra Fare
Register for Guided Tours
Amsted Rail Inc.
Thursday, September 4, 2025
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
1.5 hours long
Amsted Rail Inc. builds everything for railcars from wheels, axles and bearings to brake systems, bogies, bolsters and more. We will tour the foundry, from creating molds, pouring of molten steel, to heavy crane movements, under actual working conditions. Attendance limited to 30 people. A safety meeting will be scheduled before tour starts, usually 5-10 minutes.
Required: Safety shoes, hard hats, safety goggles, earplugs – Bring them if you have them, otherwise a limited number can be provided but Amsted will need to know your shoe size in advance. The facility is NOT ADA compliant. An adult must accompany any minor child.
Amsted also requires the following information: 1. Organization you represent (as a professional), and your current employer (if working.) This is to make sure there isn’t a conflict of interest. 2. Do you have walking restrictions? 3. Do you have a pacemaker? 4. Are you prone to seizures? Questions 2, 3, 4 relate to safety/health concerns that could affect you with the equipment Amsted uses. Breaking into smaller groups, tours will visit many interesting areas of the foundry.
General Rules: No high heels, open toe shoes, no sandals or flip-flops, no weapons, no strollers, no back packs, duffel bags, or cases (all bags subject to search by Amsted security.) Photography and videotaping NOT allowed due to customer confidentiality agreements. Shirts are required. The tour is conducted in a foundry environment where sand, dust, dirt and noise will be encountered. Dress appropriately.
Continental Fabricators
Friday, September 5, 2025
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
2 hours long
Continental Fabricators fabricates pressure vessels, towers, drums, etc. They also have special expertise in fabricating, restoring and rehabbing steam locomotive boilers. Presently, they are producing a new pressure vessel, a 3-½ course boiler, and smoke box of Pennsylvania Railroad T1 No.5550 4-4-4-4 steam locomotive. They have also completed 3-4 miniature boiler repairs for Wabash, Frisco and Pacific RR. In 2019, they completed a new boiler for Mid-Continent Railway Museum former Chicago & NorthWestern No.1385 4-6-0 (See picture), restored a boiler for U.S. Sugar Co. 4-6-2 No.148, furnished a boiler course with fluesheet and smokebox for Grapevine Tourist RR No. 1344. The most recent new boiler project is for #112 Gulf & Ohio. We will tour the fabrication shop under actual working conditions. Attendance is limited to 30 people. A safety meeting will be scheduled before tour starts, usually 5-10 minutes.
Required: Safety goggles – if you have them, bring them; regular eyeglasses with safety lens are acceptable. Earplugs are suggested as arc welding and other fabrication machinery can get loud. Wear a good pair of walking shoes. The facility is NOT ADA accessible in the shop areas as floor is rough and uneven. Floor is neither wheelchair nor walker friendly. Breaking into smaller groups, tours will visit many interesting areas of the site.
NOTE: This is a Group-Guided Tour. Convention attendees must drive their cars to the Tour Site. Detailed driving directions will be provided in your convention registration packet. You should plan on arriving at the Tour Site at least 15 minutes before the tour start time. Tour will start promptly. WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATECOMERS.
Gateway Rail Services
Friday, September 5, 2025
12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM
Tour is 3 hours long
2 hours tour with 1 hour to walk around and take pictures
Gateway Rail Services performs heavy overall repairs for passenger rail cars for private owners as well as excursion railroads and sometimes specialty jobs for major railroads. We will tour the rebuild, fabrication and wheel shops under actual working conditions. The company has about 140 old passenger and baggage cars, a few from the 1920’s, on its 10 tracks. After the shops tour, we will be allowed to walk around the cars and take pictures. Attendance limited to 50 people. Parking limited to 35 cars. Car pooling recommended. A safety meeting will be scheduled before tour starts, usually 5-10 minutes. Required: A Waiver of Liability form will need to be signed. An adult must accompany any minor child. Safety goggles – if you have them, bring them. The facility has limited ADA accessibility with some assistance. It is NOT wheelchair friendly due to gravel and rough ground. A fair amount of walking involved. Wear good pair of walking shoes.
NOTE: This is a Group-Guided Tour. Convention attendees must drive their own cars to the Tour Site. Detailed driving directions will be provided in your convention registration packet. You should plan on arriving at the Tour Site at least 15 minutes before the tour start time. Tour will start promptly. WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATECOMERS.
Metro East Industries
Thursday, September 4, 2025
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Tour Time – 1½ hours long
Metro East Industries is an industry leader company that provides railcar and locomotive repair and maintenance, both in the shop and on the rail, for many Class 1 railroads and regional carriers. They have been in existence over three decades Their state-of-the-art facilities span more than 115 acres of land. We will tour the shops under actual working conditions. Attendance limited to 30 people. A safety meeting will be scheduled before tour starts, usually 5-10 minutes.
Required: A Waiver of Liability and Release Form will need to be signed.
Required: Safety goggles – if you have them, bring them. Wear a good pair of walking shoes. The facility is NOT ADA accessible in the shop areas. An adult must accompany any minor child. Breaking into smaller groups, tours will visit many interesting areas of the site.
General Rules: No high heels, open toe shoes, no sandals or flip-flops, no weapons, no strollers, no back packs, duffel bags or cases. Photography and videotaping allowed outside the shops with permission from MEI staff. Photos must NOT include any MEI employees. Shirts are required. The tour is conducted in a shop's environment where dust, dirt and noise will be encountered. Dress appropriately.
NOTE: This is a Group-Guided Tour. Convention attendees must drive their own cars to the Tour Site. Detailed driving directions will be provided in your convention registration packet. You should plan on arriving at the Tour Site at least 15 minutes before the tour start time. Tour will start promptly. WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATECOMERS.
Wabash Frisco & Pacific RR
Saturday, September 6, 2025, 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Two Shop tours, 1st at 11:30 AM and 2nd at 12:00 Noon
3 hours to ride trains and take pictures
The Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad (WF&P) was organized in 1939 with the acquisition of a 12 inch gauge steam locomotive (Engine #171). In 1961, the WF&P moved to its new home in Glencoe (Wildwood), Missouri. It was rebuilt on top of and along abandoned Missouri Pacific Railroad right-of-way. It has more than a mile of track, a roundhouse, a car barn, and other buildings. The ride is a two mile round trip lasting about 40 minutes and travels along the scenic Meramec River. It is operated by an all-volunteer staff.
After the tours of the shops, you can ride the trains and take pictures. First train ride will be at 12:00 Noon. Last train will leave at 4:00 PM. All trains will run on an as needed basis. Attendance is NOT limited. There are no parking restrictions. An adult must accompany any minor child. The site is ADA accessible.
NOTE: This is a Group-Guided Tour. Convention attendees must drive their own cars to the Tour Site. Detailed driving directions will be provided in your convention registration packet. You should plan on arriving at the Tour Site at least 15 minutes before the tour start time. Tour will start promptly. WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATECOMERS.
