VOLUME 3 July, 1988 NUMBER 2

HOLLYWOOD

Frisco photo William E. Bain collection

Comes To The FRISCO

RAILROAD MUSEUM INC.

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

NEWSLETTER STAFF

EDITOR Alan SchmittFMIS EDITOR Richard NapperCONTRIBUTING EDITOR Kenneth WulfertDISTRIBUTION Rachel Schmitt Sarah Schmitt

PRINTER Greg Porterfield

The ALL ABOARD Newsletter is publishedmonthly for members of the FRISCO FOLKS, asupport organization of The FriscoRailroad Museum Inc. The museum facilityis located at 500 Walker St. in Ash Grove,MO. All correspondence should beaddressed to P.O. Box 276, Ash Grove, MO65604. All material in the newsletter iscopyrighted by The Frisco Railroad MuseumInc. and may not be reproduced in anymanner without the expressed writtenconsent of the museum President. TheFrisco Railroad Museum Inc. is notaffiliated with the St. Louis-SanFrancisco Railway Co., the BurlingtonNorthern Railroad Co., or any of itssubsidiaries.

RAILROAD MUSEUM

P.O. Box 276Ash Grove, MO 65604

417-672-3110

About the CoverIn the fall of 1956,

Frisco engine #3749, a stringof outside braced wooden boxcars, and caboose #414 wereused in the production of theM-G-M movie, "The Wings ofEagles." See the FRISCOSURVIVORS feature on p.7 formore details.

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

James Martin SwitchmanMissouri

Mary Gregg SwitchmanMissouri

Robert C. Barling SwitchmanArizona

John E. Northcutt SwitchmanOhio

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

Karl Brand SwitchmanTexas

Kenneth McElreath SwitchmanIowa

J.W. Jordan SwitchmanArkansas

Marshall R. Napper SwitchmanMissouri

Clifford R. Johnson SwitchmanLouisiana

LOCAL EXCESS BAGGAGE.

The EXCESS BAGGAGE is amonthly feature of the ALLABOARD that lists newlyacquired items not on thecurrent EXCESS BAGGAGE listand/or items from the listoffered during the month at adiscounted price. Unlessotherwise noted, discountedprices are only good throughthe month listed.

Only five of M.F. Kotowski'sbeautiful color print ofFrisco's "Firefly," are stillavailable for purchase. Each8 3/4 x 11 inch print ismounted on a 14"x16" gray mattready for framing. Each printis signed and numbered by theartist and includes a briefhistory along with acertificate of authenticity.While quantities last, themuseum is offering the printsfor $17.95, postage paid.That's a $2.00 savings off thesuggested retail price aslisted in Trains Magazine,April, 1988.

! ! ! LANTERNS ! ! !

July, 1948 Frisco photo

1. Dietz No. 39 unmarkedswitchman's lantern - mintcondition $25.00

2. Handlan flat-topswitchman's lantern - marked"FRISCO" on top rim - hasbroken but repairable redglobe with "FRISCO" embossedin the glass $35.00

JULY SPECIALS FROM LIST #6

Frisco diesel engine numberboards... while remainingquantities last ...$10.00 each

--Frisco stock certificates--Common & Preferred

Less than 100 shares100 sharesMore than 100 shares

$2.00 each - set of 3 for$5.00 - set of six (one ofeach) $10.00. Buy anycombination of three andreceive a 1951 stock dividendcheck FREE.

"There is no record of thecelebration at Rolla, MO,which must have taken placeway back in 1860 when theFrisco's first diamond-stackedlocomotive snorted into town,but it must have been asatisfactory entrance, becausegrading went on at a vigorousrate between Rolla and theGasconade River on thesouthwest.

To be continued

KIRKWOOD HILL

It is often interesting tostudy history and make note ofhow different organizationswent about solving the sameproblem. Kirkwood Hill, justto the southwest of St. Louis,presents just such anopportunity as both theMissouri Pacific and, later,the Frisco had to climb overthis bit of geography as theirrespective main lines headedwest out of St. Louis.

When the Pacific Railroad,the grandfather of whateventually became the MoPac,laid out the route of theirrails west from St. Louis,they made a mistake when theydecided to climb over theridge that lies to the westand south. Their chiefengineer, James P. Kirkwood,favored a route out of St.Louis to the north of the areathat finally bore his name -Kirkwood, Missouri, and thenalong the south bank of theMissouri River out intomid-Missouri. However, forapparently political andfinancial reasons, therailroad management selected ashorter but much more severeroute up and over Kirkwoodhill, which required twotunnels.

Sometime later, the"Southwest Branch" of thePacific Railroad was built,which eventually became theFrisco Line between Pacific,MO. (then known as Franklin)and Springfield, MO. For manyyears, the Frisco rode out ofSt. Louis on the MoPac untilthey reached Franklin, wherethey set off to the southweston their own rails.Ultimately, the Friscocompleted their own line intoSt. Louis, which closelyparallels the MoPac over mostof its length. For KirkwoodHill, the Frisco engineers

selected a route a mile or soto the south of the MoPac,with less severe grades andonly one tunnel. That tunnelwas taken out of service inthe 1920's, at the time theFrisco put their famed 1500class Mountain and 4100 classMikado locomotives intoservice.

For years railroadliterature has been full ofstories of the MoPac's fightto climb Kirkwood Hill.During the steam days, helperssuch as giant 2-10-2's werethe rule, and even today thepowerful diesels, though notrequiring helpers, slow to acrawl as they struggle upKirkwood Hill from eitherdirection. Indeed, this hillsets the limit on the tonnagein each train the MoPac (nowthe Union Pacific) can haulwest from St. Louis.

But what about theFrisco? How did Kirkwood Hillaffect their trains? It was adifferent situation and, asyou would suspect, the methodsof train operation differed.The Frisco was an up-and-down,or "hogback," railroad, with

many hills beyond Kirkwood.On the other hand, once theMoPac got over the hill, theyenjoyed a water-level routefor most of the way acrossMissouri. Kirkwood Hill wasnot the limiting grade on theFrisco as it was on the MoPac;depending on thecircumstances, Frisco tonnagewas limited instead by thehills at St. Clair or Dixon,MO. So, while the MoPac usedhelpers almost all the time,the Frisco most often did notas they set out west fromLindenwood Yard in St. Louisto fight Kirkwood Hill and themany grades beyond. Theirtrains and tonnage were oftenslowed to a crawl by the toughKirkwood grade, but the Frisconever did feel the need toassign larger helper enginesto Lindenwood Yard as theMoPac had to do at their St.Louis terminal. However, formany years, the Frisco didindeed have helper engines,including 2-10-2's like theone pictured below, assignedto the yard at Newburg, MO tohelp do battle with Dixon Hill... but that's another story!

Newburg, MO July 7, 1937 Don Wirth collection

West Plains, MO Frisco photo

One of the mostdistinctive structures in anyrailroad town was the localdepot. They served as thecommunity center, providingthe citizens of many smalltowns with their only outsidecontact with the world. Thearrival of the train was botha practical occurrence and anentertaining event fewresidents wanted to miss.

Of equal distinction tomost railroad communities wasan imposing structure locatednear the depot, the watertank. As a matter of fact,many small towns can tracetheir origin to theconstruction of a railroadwater tank and their earlyevolution as a "tank town."Along any Frisco main linethere are small towns ten tofifteen miles apart all ofwhich can trace theirbeginnings to the location ofa water tank.

Of course, the primarypurpose of the water tank wasto provide water, thenecessary life blood for theoperation of steamlocomotives. However, theyalso served as a supplementalwater source for manycommunities and those withouta roof occasionally providedyounger residents with arefreshing, yet unauthorized,"plunge" to help combat thesummer's heat. Many of thesprings, wells, and lakescreated by the railroad to

Biocourt, KS Howard D. Killam photo

supply the tank with its waterhave remained in use bycommunities along the line.

In 1917, the Frisco had327 water tanks scatteredthroughout the system. Whilethat number varied through theyears, the water tank, withits distinctive white "FRISCOLINES" coon skin, remained adistinctive feature of manytowns along the line andserved as an intricate part ofthe day to day operation ofthe railroad. In 1950, whenthe era of steam locomotiveswas in its final hour, 181water tanks were still locatedalong the Frisco line.

Today, there is only one!Located in Beaumont, KS, theold water tower has the dualdistinction of being the lastFrisco water tank in existenceand the "Last remainingoperating wooden water towerin the United States."Beaumont was originallyestablished as a junctionpoint between the St. Louis,Wichita, and Western RailwayCo. and the Kansas City andSouthwestern Railroad Co.Both lines were acquired bythe Frisco in 1882 and 1897respectively. The land thewater tank was located on wasleased from a local resident.A stipulation in the leaseagreement required therailroad to maintain the tankand pump station for as longas the city needed it tosupplement their water supply.The water tank is currentlyused in conjunction with theHistoric Beaumont Hotel andRestaurant and apparently isstill maintained by the BN.

While there was no doubt astandard plan or plans forFrisco water tanks, theirplacement, capacity, andappearance were somewhatvaried. Most were made ofwood, twenty-four ft. tall,and standard capacities wereeither 25,000 gals. or 50,000gals., with the latter beingthe capacity of the majorityof tanks. Some exceptions tothe standard capacities wereHoxie, AR (75,000 gals.),Hobart, OK (40,000 gal. "watertub"), Ft. Gibson, OK (24,000gals.), Clinton, OK (20,000gals.), Dora, AL (16,000gals.), Van Buren, MO (15,000gals.), and Portageville, MOwhich replaced a 50,000 gal.wood tank with a 10,000 gal.steel tank. Cedar Gap, MO,Willow Springs, MO, and Amory,MS all had 100,000 gal. tanks.

Cedar Gap, MOHoward D. Killam photo

Some of the tanks had acone shaped roof such as theone illustrated at Piedmont,KS, while others had hexagonstyle roofs usually withwooden shingles, and many hadno roof at all. Most of theones with roofs had aninspection door of some type.

The majority of the watertanks had a single spout whichcould be lowered down totender height. However, somehad a double spout, such asthe one located inside the wyeat Parsons, KS, and some wereconnected to a separate watercolumn or standpipe like theone pictured at Cedar Gap, MO.Because of the need formultiple operation, many tanksat terminal and divisionpoints used the standpipearrangement. They were alsothe ones most likely replacedwith steel tanks.

The standard paint schemefor most Frisco water tanks,wood or metal, was black witha white coon skin "FRISCOLINES" logo. In terms ofmodeling Frisco tanks, theCampbell Scale Model watertank #200-356 is a goodstarting point for woodentanks and Plastruct's Weldedwater tank #570-1009 for thesteel ones.

Piedmont, KSGreenwood County Historical Society

Parsons, KS Howard D. KiIlam photo

Beaumont, KS R.E. napper photo

ANSWER: According to ourrecords, the only Friscoheavyweight Observation Carswere a series of twelve(601-612) Cafe-ObservationCars built between 1901 and1907. They were graduallyretired or rebuilt to closedvestibule configuration. By1938, all of the series weregone from Frisco rosters.

QUESTION: Who built or ownedthe line between Arkansas Cityand Anthony, Kansas?

ANSWER: The line wasoriginally constructed by theSt. Louis, Kansas, & SouthWestern Railroad Co., a Kansascorporation organized onAugust 27, 1885, under thename of the Geuda Springs,Caldwell, & Western RailroadCo. The corporate name of thecompany was changed on July31, 1886. After completingthe line from Arkansas City toGeuda Springs in September,1886, the company leased itsproperty and track rights tothe St. Louis and SanFrancisco Railway Co., whocompleted the line to Anthonyand a branch to Hunnewell, KSin 1889. The line wasabandoned in 1934.

The NEW CAR SHOP is a regulareature of the ModelersInformation Pages profiling:ommercially produced Friscoaodels and/or kits that can bemodified for Frisco use.

once difficult-to-modelrisco diesel locomotive, theG.E. 44 ton switch engine Nos.

has been made easy with:he introduction of Bachmann'snew Spectrum G.E. 44 tonlocomotive, #41-080-D2undecorated. Supplies seem tobe somewhat limited. Cost isaround $40.00. The museum hasa diagram and a number ofblack & white and color photosof the 44 ton series,available for purchase through

our Frisco Research Service.

The MAIL CAR is a regularfeature of the ModelersInformation Pages in which wewill attempt to answer some ofthe many questions that aremailed to our RESEARCHSERVICE. If you have aquestion about the equipment,facilities, or operation ofthe Frisco, please send themto the RESEARCH SERVICE. Allrequest are answeredindividually and selectedquestions will appear in theMAIL CAR feature.

QUESTION: Did the Frisco everhave any heavyweight openplatform observation cars onits roster?

McKean Models is now offeringan HO scale 40' PS-1 PullmanStandard box car, kit#18550-19899. The car hasexcellent floor and underbody

R.E. Napper photo

detail with separate roof walkand ladders. The car is#18637, painted box car red,and is available for about$5.00.

Doodlebugging On The Frisco

PART 5

Between 1931 and 1934,Frisco Motor Car serviceremained at peak operatinglevels running an average of2,133,132 revenue passengermiles, over 1,800 miles ofservice routes in six states.The fleet of equipment wasmaintained at the 1930 levelwith the exception of onegasoline-mechanical coachwhich was rebuilt to a trailercoach in 1930, the retirementof one wood mail-baggagetrailer in 1931, and theretirement of two gaselectrics in 1933.

In 1935, Frisco Motor Carservice started a gradualdecline both in service andequipment. By the end of1935, 1,623,106 revenuepassenger miles were logged.In Missouri: Cape Girardeau toNash, Hayti to Caruthersville,Brooks Junction toCaruthersville, Popular Bluffto Kennett, Kansas City toSpringfield (on the Highline),and Cape Girardeau to Hoxie,AR. In Kansas: Arcadia toCherryvale. In Oklahoma:Oklahoma City to Quanah, TX,Tulsa to Vernon, TX, Hugo toArdmore, Hugo to Hope, AR, andOkmulgee to Fayetteville, AR.In Arkansas: Blytheville toJonesboro. In Texas: Seymourto Mineral Wells. The 1935motor car fleet includednineteen gas electrics, twogasoline-mechanical, threetrailer coaches, and fivemail-baggage trailers.

By 1940, the fleet ofequipment had been reduced tofourteen gas electrics andfive mail-baggage trailers.Service routes were nowlimited to Brooks Junction toHayti, Kansas City toSpringfied, Popular Bluff toHayti, Ft. Scott to Joplin,Blytheville to Jonesboro,Tulsa to Ada, Tulsa to Vernon,Hugo to Hope, and Hugo toArdmore. It should be notedthat a major contributingfactor to the decline of motorcar service, apart from ageand condition of equipment,was the beginning, in 1939,of Frisco Transportation Busservice between many of thetowns formerly served bydoddlebugs.

During the war years(1941-1945) Frisco motor car

service routes remainedrelatively constant althoughthe equipment roster continuedto decline. However, by 1948,both had been reduced. Sevenmotor cars operated 391,252revenue passenger miles, over570 miles on five serviceroutes. Brooks Junction toHayti, Blytheville toJonesboro, Enid to Vernon,Hugo to Ardmore, and Hugo toHope.

In 1951, service andequipment levels were down tofive gas electrics and twoservices routes. Tulsa toEnid and Hugo to Ardmore. OnNovember 8, 1953, Motor Car#2128, operating Motor Service#774, left Ardmore, OK at 8:30a.m. for the four hour trip toHugo, thus marking the lastscheduled run of a FriscoMotor Car and the end of aforty-two year era of"DODDLEBUGGING ON THE FRISCO."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Beginning withthe August issue of the ALLABOARD, the DODDLEBUGGING ONTHE FRISCO feature will beginprofiling individual motorcars and related equipment.

LOOKING BACKWARD is a monthlyfeature of the ALL ABOARD thattakes a look back through ourfiles at the people and eventsthat were a part of the Frisco25, 50, and 100 years ago.

25 years - 1963

The Frisco City Ticket Officein St. Louis moved itsoperation to the sixth floorof the Frisco Building, 9th &Olive Streets, on July 10,1963. This ticket office wasthe last ground floor cityticket office in St. Louis.It was opened on January 10,1952, having formerly beenlocated at 322 N. Broadway.

50 years - 1938

Portions of the Hunter andCurrent River Divisions wereabandoned, along with part ofthe Empire Branch in Alabama.Forty-one miles of track wereabandoned from Williamsvilleto Chicopee, MO, including the

Grandin branch from Hunter toGrandin. Approximately 1.6miles were abandoned fromDebardeleben to Sipsey, AL.

100 years - 1888

The Division Yards at Monett,MO were completed and a newtwenty-four ft. water tank wasinstalled at Ft. Smith, AR.Construction of the KansasMidland Railway was completedbetween Wichita & Ellsworthand the St. Louis, Kansas, &Southwestern Railway waspurchased between Bluff Cityand Anthony, KS.

The Frisco FamilyOn Friday evening, November 6,1931, radio station KWKH atShreveport, LA brodcast the"History of the Frisco." Thisis Part 2 of that broadcast.

"Now, let us look backthrough the years and brieflytrace its history beginning onMarch 2, 1849, when the oldPacific Railroad's charter wasgranted by the MissouriLegislature. Those were thepioneer days in railroadhistory and this companyempowered to build a line fromFranklin, now Pacific, MO, adistance of 34 miles,southwest of St. Louis toRolla, MO, 77 miles away.None of the old timers inservice on the Frisco willremember John M. Weimer, whowas the first president ofthis great system, because hewas the directing head of thissystem 82 years ago and thatis a little longer that we canexpect those hardy veterans ofthe Frisco Lines to remember.

"However, under Mr.Weimer's direction, work onthe line was begun in thesummer of 1856, after sevengrueling years of financing,and the first traffic trainentered Rolla, MO late inDecember, 1860. The track hada gauge of five feet and waslaid with 45-pound iron rails,which is quite a contrast tothe present gauge of theFrisco with its 110-poundsteel rails. It isinteresting to note also thatin those good old days therewere only 2,200 ties to theFrisco's mile, while today,maintenance of way men whokeep up the Frisco's splendidroadbed use 3,200 ties to eachmile.

Rogers, AR circa. 1915 Kevin Johnson collection

became

Down At The Depot

ROGERS, ARKANSAS

Station #333 on the Ft.Smith Sub-Division of theCentral Division was theofficial designation ofRogers, AR. The firstrailroad built into thisnorthwest Arkansas city wasthe St. Louis, Arkansas, andTexas Railway Company ofArkansas, incorporated on July17, 1880. It was the sistercompany to the St. Louis,Arkansas, and Texas RailwayCompany of Missouri,incorporated on June 4, 1880.The Arkansas company wasformed to build a line fromthe Missouri-Arkansas stateline south to Fayettville.Its Missouri counterpart builta line from Monett, MO, south,to make connections with theArkansas line. On June 10,1888, in Missouri and June 28,1888, in Arkansas, the twocompanies joined with theMissouri, Arkansas, andSouthern Railway Company toform a consolidated companywith track extending a totalof 132 miles from Monett, MOsouth to Ft. Smith, AR. OnJanuary 21, 1882, theconsolidated company becamepart of the Frisco. Rogersbecame a junction point onFebruary 11, 1882, when theBentonville Railroad Companywas incorporated to build asix mile branch from Rogers toBentonville. On June 21,1901, the Bentonville Branch

and later extensionspart of the Frisco.

Soon after the line wascompleted to Rogers in 1881, astandard frame combinationdepot was built with a FredHarvey dining house beingadded to the south end of thestation a few years later.This facility served thecitizens of Rogers thirty-oneyears.

In 1912, the originaldepot was replaced with a newbrick station. The 143'6" x

33'10" structure included anexpress room, baggagedepartment, office, newsstand, and separate waitingroom and restroom facilitiesfor whites and blacks, apractice typical for manysouthern stations. The depothad a flat composition roof,hot water heat, concretefloor, plaster interior wallsand ceilings, and electriclights. The interior ceilingswere 10'3".

After serving the Rogerscommunity for fifty-threePassenger

Passenger Station at Rogers Ark

We're proudly a supporter ofthe Frisco Museum in AshGrove, Missouri.Stop by and see the Friscocollection today.

I Printing Cod700 E. Brower

Springfield, MO 65802(417) 831-4434

years, the depot was closed.On September 18, 1965, train#709 pulled out of the depotat 3:29 a.m., thus marking theend of passenger service fromMonett to Ft. Smith viaRogers. The depot was retiredin 1977 and replaced by astandard 24' x 62 metal Armcobuilding.=

EDITOR'S NOTE: On September 1,1986, the Monett to Ft. Smithline was purchased from the BNand is now operated by theArkansas and Missouri RailroadCo.

Frisco Survivors

Used in general switchingand yard service throughoutthe Frisco system, themajority of the 3700's were inactive service through the1940's. Four were ultimatelysold to private companies: In1948 and 1949 Nos. 3731 and3734 went to the RepublicSteel Corporation inBirmingham, AL and became #287and #303; one, #3722, joinedits #3690 sister engine at theWoodstock Slag Co. inWoodward, AL; one, #3739,joined its #3685 counterpartin service on the Delta Valleyand Southern Railroad, a shortline operation in Elkins, AR;#3747 was sold to the SouthernRock Co. in 1949. The balance

In the fall of 1956, theengine, a string of out-sidebraced wooden box cars, anccaboose #414 were used in theproduction of the M-G-M movie,"The Wings of Eagles." Thetrain was used to stage e

dramatic scene on the BayouGrande bridge, toward thePensacola Naval Air Station,in which two frightened traircrewmen (stunt men) werebrushed off the top of a boxcar by a low flying plane.The movie depicted the lifestory of Commander Frank"Spig" Wead and his heroicrecouperation from a disablingaccident. The starring rolewas played by John Wayne ancco-starred Maureen O'Hara ancDan Daily.

When #3749 steamed up tcthe Frisco's Bayou Chic(Drawbridge, (cover photo) itwas discovered that thebridge's drive shaft was a feyinches too low to allow theengine to pass. Consequently,a quick torch job wascompleted, lowering theengine's cast iron smoke stackto the necessary height.

Following the completiorof the movie, #3749 was move(to the Pen Yards at Pensacolawhere it sat idle for nineyears. In the fall of 1966 itwas sold for scrap and orNovember 11, 1966, the enginewas moved to what appeared tcbe its final destination atthe Pensacola ScrapProcessors, Inc. Fortunately,the engine was sparred theinevitable demise and at lastreport had been moved to theChurch Street Station atOrlando, Florida.

The Frisco's fleet of0-6-0 switch engines includedninety-five units numbered inthe 3600 class and forty-six3700 class locomotives. Builtbetween 1906 and 1910, the3700 engines were the productsof the Dickson, Baldwin, andAmerican Locomotive companies.All but four of the engineswere purchased direct by theFrisco.

Numbers 3710-3711-3712-3730were second-hand units fromthe roster of the ColoradoSouthern, New Orleans, andPacific Railroad, a Friscocontrolled line in SouthernLouisiana that in 1910 becamethe New Orleans, Texas, andMexico Railroad Co., a part ofthe Gulf Coast Lines.

Frisco photo William E. Bain collection

of the fleet were eitherdismantled or sold for scrap,with the exception of FRISCOSURVIVOR #3749.

In September, 1952, #3749was officially retired fromactive service and leased tothe Atmore Prison Farm, AtmoreAL. It was used to pull carloads of fresh vegetables fromthe farm to a connection withthe Frisco at Huxford, AL. Thereturn trip would bring neededsupplies back to the farm.According to an article in theNovember, 1966, All AboardNewspaper, "Her engineer,during her stay at the AtmorePrison Farm, was a convict whohad been sentenced to a 99year term for murder."