Spring1995

VOLUME 10 Spring, 1995 NUMBER 1

Railroad Week June 10-15, 1935 4In 1935 western railroads engaged in a cooperativeadvertising and publicity campaign. This feature priofilesthe Frisco's involvement in the project in Springfield, MO.

Company Service Roster 9This is the fifth installment in our regular series profilingselected pieces of Frisco company service equipment.This issue features SLSF tanks and tenders in companyservice.

The 1920 installation of a 200-Ton coaling plant atMonett, MO, the 1945 construction of a new roundhouseat Ft. Smith, AR, and the 1970 purchase of a specialservice flat car are all featured in this edition of LookingBackward.

Did the Frisco ever ship automobiles in auto transporttrailers on piggyback? The answer with photos is featuredin this installment of the Mail Car.

A 1920's circa. photo of the roundhouse at Salem, MO. Its

Frisco Standard Plans 16This is the first in a new Standard Plans series that willfeature reprints of original Frisco Standard Plan designs.This issue features a 1961 Dirt Filled T.O.F.C. Ramp.

New Car Shop 18Frisco Folk Curtis Baker provides information on kitbashinga 1975 era Frisco Appliance Box Car in HO Scale.

Passenger Train Consists 21This is the first in a new series in which we will listselected passenger train consists with descriptions ofeach unit and photos when available. This installmentprofiles trains 107-108, Springfield - Memphis,February, 1948.

Frisco's Executive Fleet 22This is the tenth in our series of articles profiling thehistory of Frisco Business Cars. This installmentfeatures the Arkansas car.

DOWN AT THE DEPOT 24Rare photos of two early depots at Tulsa, OK, StationC424, Cherokee Subdivision, Southwestern Division areincluded in this issue of our Down At The Depot feature.

Rick's Tips 27Frisco Folk Rick McClellan shares with us an assort-ment of modeling tricks, tips, and neat things to do allof which can enhance the appearance and operation ofyour model railroad layout. This installmen featuresTrack Feeders.

Getting It Correct 29The reprinting of a reversed photo and a profile of a FriscoUSRA series of box cars are included in this Getting ItCorrect.

Frisco Folk George Green captures a group of Frisco coveredhoppers with some interesting paint shop creativity.

Our covers for 1995 aretaken from a series of colorfulFrisco Employes' Magazinecovers produced by the WallaceBassford Studios in the mid-1920's.

Our front cover for thisissue is a replica of the April,1927, edition. Our back coverwas the back cover on theMarch, 1927 issue, celebratingthe 25th anniversary of theinauguration of the Meteorpassenger train in 1902.

This is the first in a new photo series that will feature various Frisco rail yard facilities along the Friscosystem. The above photo, circa. 1920, is of the Frisco Yards at Sapulpa, OK.

RAILROAD WEEK JUNE 10th - 15th INC. 1935

Frisco Office Building, Springfield, MO, June 13, 1935. Frisco photo

In 1935 western railroads,for the first time in history,engaged in a cooperative na-tional advertising and public-ity campaign. While some lo-cal, cooperative advertising hadbeen done in the past by variouslines, this was the first na-tional effort of any kind. June10-15, 1935, was officiallydesignated as RAILROADWEEK.

Newspapers throughoutthe west were the basis of thecampaign. Every newspaperin every city of 20,000 or more,west of a line drawn north andsouth through Chicago and NewOrleans, was targeted. Spe-cial copy was also provided fornewspapers in principal east-ern cities who printed traveland resort sections.

Four national weeklymagazines were also being used,including Colliers, The Satur-day Evening Post, Literary Di-gest, and Time. A number ofpopular farm magazines wereincluded, along with spot ra-dio announcements in ap-proximately thirty western citieswith superpower stations. Ac-cording to an article in theMay, 1935, Frisco Employes'Magazines, "Electrical tran-scriptions are utilized in orderto obtain train effects, somemusic and a very exciting anddramatic presentation of thecommercial copy or announce-ment."

The campaign was de-signed primarily to increasepassenger traffic revenues. Inmiddle and central westernterritory the primary appealwas to interest the travelingpublic in regular day to daytravel. In eastern newspapers

and those on the Pacific Coast,more of the appeal was de-voted to attracting tourist traffic.

Air conditioning was thedominant theme throughoutthe entire campaign, togetherwith all that it means to thetraveling public in added comfortand convenience. Accordingto one description, "Thehealthful benefits and restfulcomfort of air-conditioning isforcibly brought out time andagain throughout the campaign."

The fact that such ben-efits, together with the millionsof dollars the railroads investedin order to air condition theirtrains, were being offered tothe public at no increase inrates was also emphasized inthe campaign. Not to miss anopportunity, the campaign alsonoted that train travel offeredclean, quiet, safe, and de-pendable service for travelingpatrons.

It is interesting to notethat the air-conditioningcampaign itself, because of themoney that was expended forcompletely air-conditioningpassenger train cars, resultedin additional employment ofthousands of railway workers.Expedited schedules through-out the west also resulted inadditional employment for otherworkers in improving track,strengthening bridges, etc. Theincreased potential for em-ployment was emphasized inlocal campaigns urging rail-road employees to support thecampaign.

The Frisco's participationin Railroad Week, in Spring-field, MO, included theirsponsoring a vast assortmentof local displays, events, pro-grams, speeches, and variousactivities, some of which arechronicled in the followingphotos.

Railroad Week display at West Shops, Springfield, MO, June 12, 1935. Frisco photo

Railroad Week display at West Shops, Springfield, MO, June 12, 1935

Train travel gives you supreme comfort.

Train travel is the most economical.

Train travel is dependable.

Train travel is safest.

Train travel—especially on Western Rail-roads' fleet of air-conditioned trains—is luxurious.

Brochure produced for Railroad Week June 10-15, 1935

RAILROAD WEEKWe are doubly glad to welcome you on this train at this time—for this is Railroad Week,

so proclaimed by Governors and Mayors of States and Cities throughout the West.

The week of June 10-15 has been designated as Railroad Week to celebrate the recentoutstanding accomplishments of Western Railroads—particularly in the improvement of theirpassenger train service--and to strengthen the bonds of friendship and understanding whichalready exist between the railroads and the traveling public.

This week will he characterized, in many communities, by a wide variety of special cere-monies and activities of general interest. It is a good time for everyone to become morefamiliar with the many ways the railroads are now serving the traveling and shipping publicin a far better way than ever before.

Western Railroads, have been—and are still—engaged in the most tremendous program ofprogress in the history of transportation. They have just spent millions of dollars, and affordedemployment to thousands, in air-conditioning their principal trains. They have improvedand increased their equipment. They have speeded up their schedules.

Yet all these pioneering improvements have cost the traveling public not one penny extra.In fact, rates have been cut to the point where Western Railroads actually provide "theworld's finest travel service at the lowest cost in the world."

You are Invitedto participate in the Railroad Week activities in your locality. Railroad shops, round housesand terminals throughout the West will, at many points, be opened for inspection to you, yourfriends, your lodge, club or other group during this gala Week. Many interesting things awaityou at these places.

Your railroad is a vital part of your community life. Know it—and its improved services--better. There is no better time to become acquainted with it than (hiring Railroad Week.

Visitors at Railroad Week display at West Shops, Springfield, MO, June 12, 1935. Frisco photo

Special train taking visitors to Railroad Week display at West Shops, Springfield, MO, June 12, 1935. Frisco

Railroad Week display at Shrine Mosque Auditorium, Springfield, MO, June 11, 1935. Frisco photo

Frisco lounge and dining car mock-up at Railroad Week display at Shrine Mosque Auditorium , Springfield, MO,June 12, 1935. Frisco photo