VOLUME 4 October. 1989 NUMBER 5

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT Alan SchmittVICE-PRESIDENT Clarence PearceSECRETARY-TREASURER Saundra SchmittBOARD MEMBERS....Charles E. Mahaf fey Warren Hall Richard E. Napper

OFFICE STAFF

SECRETARY Rachel SchmittEXCESS BAGGAGE Sarah Schmitt

ALL ABOARD STAFF

EDITOR Alan SchmittFMIS EDITOR Richard E. NapperDISTRIBUTION Rachel Schmitt Sarah Schmitt

PRINTER A & B Printing

The ALL ABOARD is published monthlyfor members of the FRISCO FOLKS, asupport organization of The FriscoRailroad Museum Inc. The museumfacility is located at 500 Walker St. inAsh Grove, MO. All correspondenceshould be addressed to P.O. Box 276,Ash Grove, MO 65604. All material inthe ALL ABOARD is copyrighted by TheFrisco Railroad Museum Inc. and may notbe reproduced or duplicated in anymanner or form without the expressedwritten consent of the MuseumPresident. The Frisco Railroad MuseumInc. is not affiliated with the St.Louis-San Francisco Railway Co., theBurlington Northern Railroad Co., or anyof its subsidiaries.

ABOUT THE COVER"A new use for a grand old lady

of the rails," could well be anappropriate caption for thismonth's cover photo. Posed onthe end platform and ladder ofFrisco caboose #1288, is the1988-89 Scrap Book Committee ofthe Ash Grove High School BetaClub Honors Society. The

committee members (from left toright in photo) are Jill Mosley,Charity Newton, Kevin O'Brien,Kristie Dickens, Ray mondaBloomfield, and Alesha Richter.The photo was featured on thecover of the organization's annualactivities scrap book entered instate competition last spring atSt. Louis, MO.

The caboose, one in a series ofseven (1285-1292) was built inMay, 1969, by the InternationalCar Co. and delivered to Friscoproperty on July 18, 1969, at acost of $26,099.00. The all steel,extended cupola unit, wasoriginally painted "carhide hotspray red freight car" paint withblack trucks and underframe and"lemon yellow" ladders, grabirons, brake wheels, and steps. Inthe mid 1970's, the caboose waspainted in the Mandrin Orange andWhite livery, its current paintscheme.

Following the Frisco/BNmerger in 1980, the caboose wasrenumbered BN 11616. In 1986, itwas acquired by the City of AshGrove and is currently on displayat the Ash Grove City Park.

LOOKING BACKWARD is a monthlyfeature of the ALL ABOARD thattakes a look back through our filesat the people and events thatwere a part of the Frisco 25, 50,and 75 years ago.

25 YEARS - 1964In October,1964, the last two

steam locomotives in the St.Louis Lindenwood Yards wereremoved to their finaldestinations. No. 1527 wasmoved to Mobile, AL, where it iscurrently on display in the CityPark, and No. 4515 was sold forscrap.

50 YEARS - 1939

In December, 1939, the "OilFields Special" passenger trains107-108 between Kansas City, and

Oklahoma City, via Joplin, MO,were replaced with the "Firefly"through service, via BaxterSprings, KS, reducing travel timeby five hours. Trains 121 and 124began daily service between Ft.Scott, Ks and Joplin, MO, viaPittsburg, KS and Carl Junction,MO.

75 YEARS - 1914In 1914, the roster of Frisco

Business Cars included twentyunits, numbered as follows: 100,200, 300, 400, 502, 600, 800, 900,1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400,1500, 1600, 1900, 2200, 2300,2500, 2600.

The Museum is pleased toacknowledge the followingmembership renewals in theFRISCO FOLKS:

Bob Thompson BrakemanOklahomaEd He iss SwitchmanMissouriRobert King SwitchmanMissouriWilliam White II SwitchmanIowa

The Museum is pleased towelcome the following newmembers to the FRISCO FOLKS:

Ervin King ConductorDelawareEd Adams FiremanTexasEric Fogg SwitchmanIowaLes Winn SwitchmanGeorgiaA. Orman Fisher SwitchmanMissour iHarry Bahr SwitchmanNew YorkJames Mills SwitchmanNorth CarolinaBonnie Trail SwitchmanMissouri

NEXT MONTH IN THEALL ABOARD

Ex-Pullman Tourist Cars inM.O.W. service, Whyte System4-6-4 "Hudsons," GARX 50583,NIRX 14007, plus more!

Lounge Section May 26, 1948 Pullman photo

Republic, MO July, 1988 R.E. Napper photo

In January, 1972, the "OklahomaCity" was sold to a Springfield,,MO, businessman who convertedit, along with Coach-Buffet"Ladue," #1651, into a restaurantand lounge in conjunction with alocal hotel. In 1983, when thehotel was sold, the "OklahomaCity" was purchased by a privateindividual and is currently locatedon property in the Springfieldarea awaiting restoration.

THEOKLAHOMA C I TY

Par t 2Between 1912 and 1967, there

were three Oklahoma City's on theFrisco. One was station G542 onthe Oklahoma Sub-Division of theSouthwestern Division and theother two were Frisco passengercars. This is the second of twoarticles profiling "The OklahomaCity" cars.

The second "Oklahoma City"passenger car on the Friscoroster was #1551, built byPullman, Lot #6768, at theirChicago plant in May, 1948. Itwas 82 ft. long, weighed 135,500lbs., and cost $137,652.00. Thecar featured a full servicekitchen, dining room with seatingfor twenty-five, and a loungesection that would accomodatefifteen. Two of the most uniquefeatures of the car was the"bullet-nose" design of thelounge end and the square"Meteor" drumhead, a drasticdeparture from the steam eraround medallions. The "OklahomaCity°' was one of three such unitsbuilt for service on the Frisco.Additional units included the"Tulsa," #1550 and the "StephenF. Austin," #1400, anObservation-Lounge-Sleeper usedon the Frisco/MKT Texas Specialservice.

When placed in service, the"Oklahoma City" and "Tulsa" Carswere assigned to trains 9-10between St. Louis and OklahomaCity.In February, 1960, the"bullet-nose" B-end of the carwas rebuilt and squared off foruse in mid-train service. InSeptember, 1965, when the"Oklahoman," 1-2, replaced the

May 26, 1948 Pullman photo

"Meteor," and the "Southland,"101-102, replaced the "KansasCity-Florida Special," the"Oklahoma City" car wasre-assigned to service on trains101-102, between Kansas City andBirmingham. In June, 1967, thecar was removed from revenueservice and stored at the WestCoach Shops.

EDITOR'S NOTE: While thehistory of the streamlined"Tulsa" car closely parallels thatof the "Oklahoma City" throughearly 1967, its history from thatpoint on is quite different, andwill be detailed in a follow uparticle in the November ALLABOARD.

In January, 1960, a new era inrailroad transportation and a newchapter in Frisco history beganwith the arrival of an"experimental" tri-level auto rackcar #3000. So successful was theexperiment, that by October ofthat same year the Frisco had 130such units in service. Twelveyears later, the company had invarious assigned pools 709tri-level cars and 316 bi-levelunits.EDITOR'S NOTE: See "AutoRacks" feature, ALL ABOARD,February, 1989, pp. 3-4.

With the arrival of the new autotransport fleet came the need fornew support services andequipment. Consequently, theFrisco initiated a multi-phasedconstruction program to meet theneed. By September, 1960, threestaging and loading facilitieswere in operation at Valley Park,MO, Irving, TX, and Tulsa, OK,utilizing movable loading rampsmanufactured by the BuckEquipment Co. By the end of1960, the first of four portableloading ramps were also inoperation.

PORTABLE AUTO LOADINGRAMPS

SL-SF 2054 Frisco photo

was one of a series of 100(2000-2099) 53'6" 100M capacitycast steel flat cars built by theSpringfield Shops in 1956, at acost of $9,500.00 each. In 1960, itwas equipped with a shop-builtloading ramp and painted yellowto match the auto-rack fleet.

SL-SF 95937 Frisco photo

In 1964 and 1966, two additionalloading ramp cars were added tothe fleet, both from the95900-95999 series of 42'6" 100Mcapacity flat cars built by ACF inFebruary, 1954, at a cost of$6,299.00. Car #95937 wasequipped with a Dana ramp inNovember, 1964, and #95961 wasplaced in service in May, 1966.

All four portable rampsremained in revenue service until1974, when they were renumberedand reassigned to Maintenance-Of-Way Service, as follows:

2054 renumbered to MOW 10971195884 renumbered to MOW 10970395937 renumbered to MOW 10970495961 renumbered to MOW 10970E

January, 1958 Frisco photo

After experimenting with anumber of portable ramp designs,such as the one shown above, theFrisco decided that the mostefficient method would be toequip a flat car with a loadingramp capable of servicing boththe tri-level and bi-level cars.Consequently, the first such unitwas completed in late 1960 as anall-Frisco built unit. Car #2054

SL-SF 95884 Frisco photo

In May, 1963, a second portableloading ramp was added to theroster. Car #95884 was one of aseries of 100 (95800-95899) 42'6"100M capacity flat cars built byAmerican Car & Foundry in June,1951, at a cost of $5,171.00. In1963, a Dana Corporation loading.ramp was installed on the car andit too was painted yellow tomatch the auto-rack cars. It isinteresting to note that forty-oneof the 95800-95899 series werealso the first to be modified foruse in Trailer-On-Flat-Carservice on the Frisco.

To model the portable loadingramps, a good starting point willbe Athearn Flat Car kit#140-1319 for the 40' series(95884-95937-95961) and kit#140-1399 for the 50' #2054 car.The racks will have to be scratchbuilt from Plastruct materials.Floquil Reefer Yellow #110031will work for both revenue serviceand company service livery. GoodLuck!

Kit #502 is similar to #501except it features a baggage cartype door suitable for modelingFrisco series 450 & 451.

SD40 -2 #251

In July, 1978, the last series ofdiesel road engines ordered bythe Frisco arrived on companyproperty, series SD40-2 Nos.950-957. The 3000 H.P. engineswere originally purchased forservice on unit coal trains. Afterthe Frisco/BN merger in 1980,they were renumbered BN6840-6847.

The SD40-2 is a relatively easymodel to build, now that Athearnhas come out with their twinflywheel version #140-4400($32.50). To "Friscoize" the unit,you might want to add thefollowing accessories:

Northeastern "521-860 liftringsDetails West:

#235-130 plow pilot#235-106 rotary beacon#235-187 Nathan M5 horn#235-157 radio antenna

Detail Associates:#229-2204 coupler lift bars#229-1508 MU air hoses#229-1001 Pyle Gyral ite

NOTE: The light on the modelpictured is installed incorrectly.It should be recessed into thehood and set horizontally, notvertically as shown.

The engine is also equippedwith Kadee #7 couplers and Walternumber board set #D209.

To paint the unit, use FloquillReefer White #270-110011,Engine Black #270-110010, andDaylight Red #270-110135.Decals are Herald King #L-461.Good Luck:

R.E. Napper photc

FRISCO MODELERSINFORMAT I ON SERV I CE

UP-DATE

Additional information hasbeen received concerning theex-Troop Sleeper Baggage-Express Cars (ALL ABOARD,"NEW CAR SHOP," August, 1989,pp. 3-4). Roller Bearing Modelshas produced three kits for thesecars, one in the original troopsleeper configuration and two inthe modified Baggage-Expressversion.

The Troop Sleeper model is kit#500.

Kit #501 is a convertedBaggage-Express with a freightcar type door that can be used tomodel Frisco series 452-464.

SL-SF 455 Frisco photo

SL-SF 450 Frisco photo

For additional informationwrite Roller Bearing Models, P.O.Box 573, Livingston, NJ 07039.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks and a tipof the Frisco hat to Frisco FolkKarl Brand for bringing thisUp-Date information to ourattention. =3

r HE NA I L. CAR

The MAIL CAR is aregular feature ofthe ALL ABOARD inwhich we attempt toanswer some of themany questions thatare mailed to ourRESEARCHSERVICE.

If you have a question about theequipment, facilities, oroperation of the Frisco, pleasesend them to the RESEARCHSERVICE. All requests areanswered individually andselected questions will appear inthe MAIL CAR feature.

QUESTION: What kind of systemdid the Frisco use to classify itsfreight cars, according to whatthey could be used for, in the1930's and 1940's?

ANSWER: According to a June 1,1939, "INSTRUCTIONS

GOVERNING THE INSPECTIONAND CARDING OF CARS," theFrisco had seven classificationsof freight cars that determinedthe type of commodities thatcould be shipped in them.

1. Class "AA" cars had to be freefrom any leaks, protruding nails,oil, grease, fertilizers, etc.,carrying odors likely to damagelading. They were used forshipping flour, sugar, corn meal,and commodities of a similarnature.

2. Class "A" cars also had to beleak proof, ordorless, and inrelatively good condition. Theywere used for haulingcommodities such as blastingpower, bagged cement, dried fruit,feed, grain, plaster, rice, baggedsand, etc.3. Class "B" cars were more of ageneral use car with fewercondition restrictions. They wereused for such commodities asapples, canned goods, flooring,hay, lumber, machinery,merchandise, salt, soap, stoves,straw, vinegar in bottles, wool,etc.

4. Class "C" cars were designedfor rough freight loading such asbrick, cord wood, hides, lead,

molasses in barrels, rails, scrapiron, tile, ties, etc.

5. Class "D" designation waslimited to refrigerator cars,hauling perishable commodities.

6. Class "E" cars were for bulkloading of coal, sand, gravel,chatt, etc.

7. Class "F" cars were formiscellaneous commodities notspecifically covered in "AA" - "E"classifications and included suchlading as automobiles, furniture,live stock, poltry, wall board, etc.

In 1954, the classificationsystem was up-dated and threeadditional classes of cars wereadded, as follows:

B. Class "P" cars for transportingpipe, logs, poles, and piling.

9. Class "S" cars for soybeans.

10. Class "W" cars for bulkloading of grain.

Each class of cars had to beinspected on a regular basis andthe appropriate commodity cardwas to be placed on both sides ofthe car before it was permitted toleave the repair or shop tracks.=

Doodlebugging On The Frisco

In 1912, Frisco Motor Car#2112, serial #3730, was placedin service on the Friscocontrolled Gulf Coast Lines' NewIberia and Northern Railroad astrains #204 and #205 betweenPort Barre and Shadyside, LA. Itwas a 70' 8" Baggage-Coachcombination with a centervestibule entrance. The all steelbody was manufactured byWasson, Model #10400, trucks byALCo, and the 175 H.P. GM-16-C1engine and 205D traction motorswere built by G.E. The interiorfinish of the car was the standardmahogany paneling with yellowpine floor. Total seating capacitywas fifty-two passengers.

During the 1913-16reorganization, #2112 was sold,along with sister car #2111, tothe Macon & Birmingham Railroadand was renumbered #11. Itsfinal disposition is unknown. Noreplacement car was acquired forthe Frisco roster.

FRISCO DEPOT DISPATCH

From "THE BULLETIN," thepublication of The RailroadStation Historical Society, Inc.,comes the following FRISCODEPOT DISPATCH.

1. The depot at Hugo, OK, whichlast saw passenger service in1956, has been restored, includingoperating Fred Harvey cafe.

2. Plans are now underway torestore the Antlers, OK depot fora museum and possible excursionservice.

3. The Bentonville, AR depot hasbeen restored and is currently thehome of the local Chamber ofCommerce.

We have also received word thatmajor restoration efforts are nowunder way at the Fayetteville, ARdepot. A passenger car andcaboose currently on the propertyare to be remodeled for use as abranch office for a local bank.

DOWN AT THE DEPOT

Fredonia, Kansas

On March 21, 1879, the St.Louis, Wichita, and WesternRailway Co. was incorporated as a"paper line" of the Frisco. A"paper line" was a railroadincorporated as an independentintity while being controlled by aparent company. During its entireexistence, the St. Louis, Wichita,& Western was under thecorporate control of the Frisco.In March, 1882, when 124 miles ofsingle track railroad wascompleted between Oswego andWichita, KS, a deed was executedofficially conveying its property,rights, and franchises to theFrisco.

Approximately ninety mileseast of Wichita and fifty-twomiles northwest of Oswego, at ajunction point on the Frisco,Santa Fe, and Missouri Pacific,was located the town of Fredonia,KS, station F414 on the WichitaSub-Division of the NorthernDivision. In addition to being ajunction point, Fredonia was oneof the many brick and cementproduction centers of southeastKansas.

In 1880, a joint service(Frisco/Santa Fe) combinationstation was built in the northern"V" of the junction point betweenthe two lines. The framestructure was set on a pile headfoundation and had one of themost unique and unusual designsof any depot on the Friscosystem. The ticket office wasbuilt in a 22' x 19' elongatedhexagon shape which opened intoa V-shaped general waiting room.The station also providedseparate waiting rooms for menand women, both of which wereeventually equipped with indoorrestroom facilities. The northend of the building was dividedinto baggage and freight handlingfacilities.

The exterior of the building hada 1/3 pitch combination gable andhip roof with metal shingles. Thedepot was covered with 1" x 6"drop siding. Inside, the walls andceilings were 3/4" x 3 1/4" M&Bwith the station ceilings at 14'4"and the freight room 15'. Thefreight building had a woodenplank platform on both sides

while the station was surroundedon three sides with locallyproduced bricks, including a bricktrack-side curb.

During its eighty year tenure ofservice, the Fredonia depot wasserved by as many as three trainsdaily. Passenger service ended

THE FRISCO FAMILY

On Friday evening, November 6,1931, radio station KWKH atShreveport, LA, broadcast the"HISTORY OF THE FRISCO." Thisis Part 11 of that broadcast.

"In 1925 the mileage wasincreased by acquisition of theJonesboro, Lake City & EasternRailroad, from Barfield andWilson to Jonesboro, and in 1927by the acquisition of the St.

with the final run of trains 309and 310 between Monett, MO andWichita, KS, on October 15, 1960.The station survived until theearly 1970's when it was replacedwith a smaller metal building.

Louis, Kennett & SoutheasternRailroad, from Kennett to Piggott,MO, and the Butler CountyRailroad extending from PoplarBluff, MO to Tipperary, AR.

"A glance at the map will showhow completely the Frisco serves,with its net work of tracks, theterritory in southeast Missouriand northeast Arkansas.

"In 1929 the Frisco acquired theGulf, Texas & Western, extendingfrom Salesville, TX, to Seymour,

#1511 North Springfield Yards December 20, 1939 Frisco photo

TX, with trackage rights over theWeatherford, Mineral Wells andNorthwestern, from Salesville toMineral Wells, TX.

- "An extension of the new linefrom Seymour to Vernon, TX, isprojected, which, with theproposed acquisition of trackagerights over the line of theChicago, Rock Island & GulfRailway Co, will form a directconnection from Vernon to Ft.Worth, TX.

"We think that that, ladies andgentlemen, is indeed a romance ofone of America's foremostinstitutions, and while otherrailroads have had similar trialsand tribulations in theirconstruction days, we doubt if anyone of them have a moreglamorous background than FriscoLines.

"It is a well known fact thatwhere the railroads led,civilization followed, and thatalso holds true for Frisco Lines.Several of the great eastern trunklines had been completed whenthe Frisco's construction programbegan back in the days of 1849,

'but the Frisco was building intonew territory, and that territoryhad grown apace."

to be continued

THE WHYTE SYSTEM

In the late 1800's, an engineernamed Frederic M. Whytedeveloped a system forclassifying the many types ofsteam locomotives that werebeing produced. His system wasbased on the total number ofwheels. The first numberindicated the number of wheels inthe leading truck, the secondnumber listed the driving wheels,and the third number was for thewheels on the trailing axle.

This is the nineth in a series ofarticles profiling the enginetypes of the Whyte system thatwere in service on the Frisco.

In 1911, a new type oflocomotive wheel configurationwas introduced, designed tooperate on lines with steepgrades and mountains to climb.Thus was born the class of 4-8-2"Mountain" engines.

The Frisco roster includedthree classes of 4-8-2locomotives. The 4300's(4300-4310) and the 4400's(4400-4422) were 4-8-2 Friscorebuilds from 2-10-2 "Santa Fe"units Nos. 1-60, non-consecutive.(ALL ABOARD, "Whyte System,"September, 1989, p.7)

The third class of 4-8-2 motivepower, the 1500 series, waspurchased from the BaldwinLocomotive Works between 1923and 1926. Nos. 1500-1514 werebuilt in 1923, Nos. 1515-1519 in1925, and Nos. 1520-1529 werecompleted in 1926. The 1500'swere originally built as oilburning passenger units, althougheight were converted to coal forduty on freight trains shortlybefore their retirement fromactive service. Twelve engineswere equipped with Franklin C-2trailing truck boosters.

When placed in service, the 1500class engines were assigned asfollows:1500-1519 & 1524 were assignedto passenger service out of St.Louis to Oklahoma City, with aTexas Special engine going on toMuskogee and a Blue Bonnetengine cutting out at Monett for a380 class Katy unit.

1520-1523 & 1525-1529 wereassigned to passenger servicebetween Kansas City andBirmingham on trains 105 and 106,and also 107 and 108 when heavyconsists required. Initially, the1500's could only be operatedbetween St. Louis and OklahomaCity, Kansas City and Birmingham,Ft. Scott and Afton, and Tulsaand Sherman.

The 1500 class enginesrepresented a departure fromearlier Frisco locomotives aswitnessed by the high arched cabroof design, lower-than- centerheadlight placement, and frontmounted bell. In addition, thecosmetic appearance of the serieswas enhanced with the applicationof gold-leaf fretwork and stripingon the cab and tender, red cabroof, graphite smokebox, and anattempt at a modifiedstreamlining of engine #1503.

In September, 1951, only seven1500's remained in active service.(1501-1504-1519-1522-1524-1527-1529) By March, 1952, allhad been sold for scrap with theexception of six that entered theranks of "Frisco Survivors:" 1501,1519,1522,1526,1527, and 1529.

#1503 North Springfield Yards March 7, 1938 Frisco photo