VOLUME 4 February. _ 1990 NUMBER 9

were a part of the Frisco 25, 50,and 75 years ago.

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

SECRETARY Rachel SchmittEXCESS BAGGAGE Sarah Schmitt

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

Its 10:05 a.m. and the "Firefly,"No. 117 southbound, is right ontime as it cuts through the crispFebruary chill of winter, 1940.This month's cover is the secondin a series of Frisco classicsfrom the pen of Frisco Folk JanEdward Jester. Copies of theprint (8 1/2" x 11") are availablefrom the museum for $2.00 each,postage paid.=

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

Phil Henson FiremanIndianaLawrence Pakula BrakemanMarylandJim Marsh SwitchmanMissouriDouglas Hughes SwitchmanMarylandP. Allen Copeland SwltchmanCaliforniaBruce Danielson SwitchmanMinnesota

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

D.V. Rowton ConductorMissouriEarl Morris ConductorMissouriJames A. Milling ConductorTexasSamuel E. Pick ConductorNevadaHoward Biby BrakemanOklahomaDanny Nigh SwitchmanMissouriW.B. Fletcher SwitchmanCaliforniaMark Evans SwitchmanKansasRobert Dick SwitchmanMissouriJ.C. McDaniel SwitchmanTexasPaul Lyons SwitchmanTexasGlenn Martin SwitchmanMissouriHoward Wm Rector SwitchmanMissouri

LOOKING BACKWARD is a monthlyfeature of the ALL ABOARD thattakes a look back through our filesat the people and events that

25 YEARS 1965In 1965, discussions were held

with two other railroadsconcerning the feasibility of someform of consolidation or merger.One was with the SouthernRailway System and one was withthe Atchison, Topeka, and SantaFe Railway Company.

50 YEARS — 1940

A one hundred ton concretecoaling station was built atAfton, OK, replacing the oldwooden chute.

October, 1955 Fred Springer photo

75 YEARS — 1915

In 1915, six new passengerstations were built atRobertsville, MO, Anaconda, MO,Monett, MO, Swinton, MO, andWilliford. AR.

July, 1971 Edward Stoll photo

51 STEAM GENERATOR CARS 52

Frisco Steam Generator Car #52Springfield, MO December 3, 1953 Frisco photoIn May, 1910, the American Car

& Foundry Co. built the Frisco aseries of six mail-baggage cars,lot #5519, number series 101-106.The all steel cars were 70' longand weighed 139,000 lbs. In 1945,the cars were rebuilt in theSpringfield, MO shops toaccomodate express shipments.

In the early 1950's, the need forstand-by steam generator powerfor passenger service and anemergency power plant for shopuse resulted in car #104 beingrebuilt at the Springfield shopsas a Steam Generator Car.Rebuilt in November, 1953, theunit was re-numbered #52 andequipped with a Clarksontwo-vapor steam generator,three-cycle General MotorsDiesel Engine, and a GardnerDenver two-cylinder aircompressor. The car was also

fitted with two water tanks, atotal capacity of 5,100 gals., andit carried a 1,020 gal. fuel tank.It was designed to operate ondiesel fuel or 220 volt AC power.

The car was painted in the blackand yellow freight diesel liveryand the trucks were paintedsilver. It is interesting to notethat, according to our records,when placed in service #52 wascarried on the locomotive roster.Because the apparent efficiencyand constant use of #52, inOctober, 1956, car #103 wasrebuilt as a second SteamGenerator unit, equipped thesame, painted the same, andre-numbered #51.

Both units remained primarilyin passenger service until May,1968, when they were

re-numbered (51 to 105661 and 52to 105662) and assigned tocompany service. In 1974,#105661 was sold for scrap. AnOctober, 1979, photo shows#105662 awaiting the scrapper'storch at Springfield, MO, still inits original black and yellowlivery.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks and a tipof the Frisco hat to Frisco FolkWayne Porter for providingtechnical information for thisarticle.

Frisco Steam Generator Car #105662 Springfield, MO October, 1979 Edward Stoll photo

FRISCO

COIL STEEL CARS

#69073 Memphis, TN September, 1979 Edward Stoll photo

In August, 1967, the Frisco tookdelivery of the first fifty-threeunits in a series of 200 52'6"gondola cars, Nos. 65100-65299,built by General Steel Industriesin St. Louis, MO. The carsweighed 66,700 lbs., had a 100 toncapacity, and cost $13,200.00each. They were equipped withbelt rails, steel floor, sides, andends.

In December, 1967, ten of theseries, Nos. 65100-65109, werere-numbered to Nos. 69010-69019and rebuilt equipped with fulllength Shunk Rolload roof cradlesand telescope roofs for shipmentof coil steel up to 84" indiameter.

In 1975, the telescope roofswere replaced with fiberglasscovers and in 1976, thirtyadditional units were added tothe fleet of coil steel cars, Nos.69050-69079. The new cars wereequipped with fabricated steelcovers and specific loadinginstructions, as follows:

"Load with first coil in eachtrough at outboard ends withprogressive loading toward centerof car and odd coils load nearcenter partition when necessaryto prevent overloading trucks."

The cars were painted "FriscoRed" Dutch Boy Won-Spray DTMFinsh Paint #22545. Trucks andBrake Plates were Black. Theexposed section of the slidingcenter sill (both ends) fixed andsill cover plates full length oftrough were coated with anti-skidpaint, Mortell #3009. The cars

were stenciled "SL-SF" andnumbers in white 7" lettering onthe sides of the car and 4" lettersand numbers on both ends of thehoods. According to a September,1979, photo of car #69073, takenat Memphis, TN, the hoods alsohad "FRISCO" stenciled on atleast one side.

At the time of the Frisco/BNmerger, the cars werere-numnbered as follows:

69010-69019 re-numbered to576220-57622869050-69079 re-numbered to576230-576259.

As of BN records dated July,1986, the cars were still inservice. Their currentdisposition is unknown.

Wathers has recently come outwith a 50' cushion coil steel car inHO scale that, according to ourphotographic information, isalmost identical to the 69000series Frisco cars. Theundecorated version is #932-3850and sells for $9.98. Wathers alsooffers individual hoods,#933-1500 undecorated package oftwo for $4.98. Wathers is alsooffering a package of twelve coilsfor their cars, #933-1499, for$4.98. A close match to the"Frisco Red" color is FloquilOxide Red #270-110186.

GOOD LUCK;

THE MAIL CARThe 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. #1180 Ft. Smith, AR October, 1970 Edward Stoll photo

QUESTION: Did the Frisco everuse any cabooses in M.O.W.service and if they did, were theyever painted in the silver andgray standard M.O.W. colors?

ANSWER: Yes! When the Friscostarted replacing its fleet ofaging wooden 1100 seriescabooses with the ex-Santa FeCE-2 units, purchased between1968 and 1971, some of the oldermodels were assigned to a varietyof duties, including companyservice. Those delegated tocompany service were usuallydesignated such with a "10" beingadded to the beginning of theirnumber. While a complete rosterof cabooses in M.O.W. service isnot currently available, we dohave on file photographic

evidence of two such units thatwere painted in the standardcompany service silver and blacklivery.

An October, 1970, photo showsunit #1180 in work train serviceat Ft. Smith, AR. It was paintedsilver with black lettering andnumbers. The grab irons, roofladders, and step ends wereyellow. The "FRISCO" logo wasblacklined on a rectangle yellowbackground.

A November, 1971, photo shows#1166, re-numbered to M.O.W.101166, in work train service atTulsa, OK. The unit appears to befreshly painted in a similar liveryto #1180, with one exception. TheFrisco logo, while still blacklinedon a yellow background, does nothave the rectangle box around it.

RESEARCH SERVICEUP—DATE

Photographic evidence has beenlocated that indicates thepossibility that the repaintedheavyweight Baggage-ExpressCars (HELP! ALL ABOARD,December, 1989) that appear insome photos to have a namedesignation, in reality did not. AFebruary 25, 1949, company photoshows unit #436, fresh from theSpringfield, MO, Paint Shop, inthe shadow-line camoflouge paintlivery, with "RAILWAY EXPRESSAGENCY" on the name boardrather that a specific name.=

#436 Sprinhgfield, MO

February 25, 1949 Frisco photo

#101166 Tulsa, OK November, 1971 Edward Stoll photo

Doodlebugging On The FriscoTHE FRISCO FAMILY

No. 2100

Our New Motor CarFirst of Six

Cover photo of July, 1911, "THEFRISCO MAN" Magazineannouncinng the arrival of #2100,the first of Frisco's Motor Carfleet.

In August, 1912, Frisco MotorCar 142116, serial #3734, wasdelivered, along with sister car142115, to the Frisco controlledGulf Coast Line's St. Louis,Brownsville, and Mexico Railwayand placed in operation on the runbetween Victoria, Bloomington,and Port O'Conner, LA It wasalso assigned to train Nos.301-303-305-307-309 southboundand 302-304-306-308-310northbound.

The car was a 70'8"Baggage-Coach combination witha center vestibule entrance. Theall steel body was manufacturedby Wasson, Model #10400, trucksby ALCo, and the 175 H.P.GM-16-C1 engine and 205Dtraction motors were built by G.E.The interior finish of the car wasthe standard mahogany panelingwith yellow pine floor. Totalseating capacity was fifty-twopassengers.

During the 1913-16reorganization of the FriscoSystem, ownership of #2116 wastransfered to the New Orleans,Texas, and Mexico Railway.Following the completion ofreorganization procedures, the carwas sold to the Birmingham Railand Locomotive Company, arailroad equipment brokeragefirm, who in turn sold it to theMacon and Birmingham Railroad.The car's final disposition iscurrently unknown.

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.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,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."

Portion of Frisco Lines ticket,July 14, 1916, from Memphis, TNto Mineral Wells, TX. Actualticket measures 46" long.

DOWN AT THE DEPOT

Cordova, AL

"Looks are deceiving," could bean appropriate caption for theabove photo of the depot atCordova, AL. What appears to bea typical small town depot set ina quiet southern residentialneiborhood was in fact a largecombination station in the heartof north central Alabama coalcountry that served six coalminning companies and was amajor connection point with theSouthern Railway.

Built in the 1890's by theforces of the Kansas City,Memphis, and BirminghamRailroad, Station C701 on theBirmingham Sub-Division of theSouthern Division was a 105'6"frame combination station builton a concrete foundation. Of itstotal square footage,approximately 60% or 1054 sq. ft.of the building was devoted tofreight and baggage facilities.The remaining area was dividedinto a 11'6" x 12' negro waitingroom, central ticket office, and a

16'8" x 17' white waiting room.The depot had 2"x 6" walls, a 1/4shingled gable roof, and heat wasprovided by wood/coal stoves ineach room. The interior wallswere covered with 3/4"x 3 1/4"M&B, ceiling height was 10'11"throughout, and the exteriorwalls were sided with boards andbattens. The exterior waspainted Frisco standard gray and

H.D. Conner collection

white. The station was served bytrains on both sides with a brickplatform on the southeast ormain-line side.

During its tenure of operation,the Cordova station was servedby as many as five daily trains.On December10, 1967, the"Southland" No. 101 made its lastdeparture thus ending passengerservice to the community.

#2001 Birmingham, AL December 30,1937 Johnson collection

#2003 Birmingham, AL August 4, 1931 Johnson collection

#2007 Birmingham, AL November 2, 1935 Johnson collection

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 twelfth in a seriesof articles profiling the enginetypes of the Whyte system thatwere in service on the Frisco.

Of all the locomotive types ofthe Whyte system, the one classthat could easily claim thedistinction of being the mostunique and unusual first appearedin the United States on theBaltimore & Ohio Railroad in1904. Designed by JamesMuhlfeld of the B&O and CarlMellin of the AmericanLocomotive Co., their 0-6-6-0"Mallet" locomotive was anAmerican version of a Frenchengine first designed in 1875 byAnatole Mallet (originallypronounced Ma-Lay), Thearticulated design of the enginewas based on a simpleengineering concept: Produce thetractive force of two locomotivesunder one boiler.

Mallet power arrived on Friscoproperty In 1910 when seven2-8-8-2, series 2001-2007,locomotives were delivered fromthe American Locomotive Works.While originally intended forfreight service on the steepgrades between Springfield andThayer, MO, the series soonproved to be deficient in a numberof areas. In particular, a smallfirebox, in relation to the boilersize, and a tender capacity thatrequired frequent fuel and waterstops forced the engines intoearly retirement from mainlineservice. Although a number ofchanges and modifications weremade such as the addition of alarge 42" diameter air reservior,movement of the power reverse toa more desirable location, and the

conversion of the slide valvecylinders to piston valveoperation, the Frisco Malletsnever really measured up to themotive power department'sexpectations. Consequently, inthe mid-1920's, they weredelegated to mining operations inthe Alabama coal fields between

Sipsey and Birmingham.In December, 1929, #2005 was

scrapped at Springfield, MO andbetween July, 1935 and April,1939, the remainder of the fleetmet a similar fate at theBirmingham shops. Nos, 2001 and2004 were the last Frisco Malletsin service.