This motor-car (they’re sometimes called “doodlebugs”) was ordered and built for the Missouri & North Arkansas Railway in 1912, shortly after the railroad once again went into receivership. Cheaper to operate than a steam locomotive and coaches for passenger work, the motor-cars were intended to preserve that service. They were luxurious and electrically-illuminated inside.

No. 102 served the Joplin-Eureka Springs route, and her twin sister No. 103 plied the rails between Heber Springs and Helena, the third district. Sadly, just as described in the first novel in my Cycle, “The Water Cure,” No. 102 collided with a steam train near Tipton Ford, Missouri in 1914. Forty-three persons died on the motor-car, including the three-man crew.

This postcard, which I lucked into on eBay, features a builder’s photo of the motor-car and was used for advertising purposes.