AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1990

SPRINGFIELD

A TIME TOREMEMBER

PresidentAlan Schmitt

Vice-PresidentClarence Pearce

Secretary-TreasurerSaundra Schmitt

Alan SchmittClarence PearceSaundra Schmitt

Charles E. MahaffeyWarren Hall

Richard Napper

Editor Alan SchmittFMIS Editor Richard NapperPrinter Fouraker Printing

DistributionRachel SchmittSarah Schmitt

VOLUME 5 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1990 NUMBER 2

River Division 4This is the second in our year-long series profiling the history and operations ofthe Frisco River Division. This installment features a chronological history ofthe Districts, Divisions, Sub-Divisions, and Branch Lines from 1904 to 1979.

Frisco Terminal Cabooses 12Our modeling feature this issue profiles one of the most unique and interestingflat car modifications on the Frisco.

Doodlebugging on the Frisco 16This is number twenty-five in our series of articles profiling the history ofFrisco's fleet of Motor Cars. Nos. 2127-2128 are on track in this issue. Inaddition, page 17 features some rare photos of #2124 (June-July ALLABOARD) following the Oklahoma City roundhouse fire in 1933.

Down At The Depot 18Cape Girardeau, MO, on the River Division, is the featured station in this issue

EXTRA RUNS • - •

. .

W47's on the FriscoAn on the light side look at Frisco special equipment used to transport aircraft

- parts in the 1950's.

Frisco Trailerliners 11A brief profile of one of the most unique and ingenious pieces of non-railtransportation equipment ever to carry the Frisco name.

Frisco Florist 15A fascinating personal profile of Don B. Fellows, the one and only FriscoFlorist.

Frisco Folks 3Museum Dispatch 3Museum Acquisitions 8Looking Backward 9Mail Car 10Collecting The Frisco 19

Our cover this issue is Springfield Missouri artist Charles Summey's painting of Springfield - A Time To Remember and feature:Frisco 4524 with a consist of pre-war heavyweight passenger cars preparing to depart the Springfield depot. A limited supply of fullcolor 17 1/2" x 24" prints of the painting are currently available from the Downtown Kiwanis Club of Springfield for $40.00 eachAll the proceeds from the sale of the prints will go to support various children's projects sponsored by the club. To order a copy of theprint, contact Frisco Folk: .

Glenn Martin1919 Stoneridge Dr.Springfield, MO 65803417-833-1578

Fayetteville, AR circa. 1979 H.D. Conner collection

FRISCO SD45's

The May 1, 1990 issue ofDiesel Era Magazine featured anextensive (11 pages & 35 photos) articleon Frisco's fleet of SD45 locomotives.The article includes a comprehensivehistory of their purchase, operation, andmodifications including a number ofdetailed photos. The Article alsofeatures a complete roster with BNrenumbering, builder's numbers anddates, and final disposition information.

The museum is pleased to acknowledgethe following membership renewals inthe FRISCO FOLKS:

Inc., the Frisco depot at Fayetteville, ARwas one of thirty-three railroad stationsthat were added to the NationalRegister of Historic Places in 1989.

The Fayetteville station was oneof six Spanish Colonial Revival Style

depots built by the Frisco between 1926and 1928. The other locations includedNeosho, Poplar Bluff, Rolla, andSpringfield in Missouri, and theQuanah Route depot at Floyada, TX.

Anthony LaLumia SwitchmanKansas

The museum is pleased to welcome thefollowing new members to the FRISCOFOLKS:

Don E. Tate BrakemanMissouriMartin Beatty BrakemanMissouri

MUSEUMDISPATCH

Like our new style? Thanks tothe recent donation of a complete desk-top publishing system, we have nowreached the goal, set five years ago, ofpublishing a professional quality ALLABOARD magazine!

With the completion of our new

office facilities, space is now available toaccommodate a wide range of volunteerwork, including indexing, filing,research, typing, cleaning, painting, etc.,etc.! If you can share your time andtalents please contact the museum officeat 417-672-3110 or 417-672-3032.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

FAYETTEVILLE DEPOTON

NATIONAL REGISTER

According to an article in TheBulletin, the publication of TheRailroad Station Historical Society, SD45 #901 September, 1980 Tulsa, OK Troy Botts photo

RIVER DIVISIONThis is the second in our year-

long series profiling the history and,operations of the Frisco River Division.This installment features a chronologicalhistory of the Districts, Divisions, Sub-Divisions, and branch lines from 1904 to1979.

1904

In 1904, the line was listed astwo separate divisions and eight branchlines, as follows

ST. LOUIS DIVISIONSoutheast Junction to Cape Girardeau

MEMPHIS DIVISIONGulf Junction to Big Creek

Hoxie BranchShepley to HoxieHunter BranchMingo to Hunter

Bloomfield BranchZalma to BloomfieldLeachville Branch

Gulf Junction to LeachvilleCaligoa BranchGibson to Caligoa

Caruthersville BranchHayti to Kennett

Taliposa & Deering BranchTaliposa to DeeringMalden Branch

Clarkton to Malden

1905

In 1905, the line was designatedas the RIVER & CAPE DIVISIONS.The River Division now included the St.Louis District (former St. LouisDivision ), and the Memphis District(former Memphis Division). The CapeDivision included two renamed districts(Hoxie Branch renamed Hoxie Districtand the Leachville Branch renamed theLeachville District. The division wasnow operating as follows:

HOXIE DISTRICTNash to Hoxie

Hunter BranchMingo to Hunter

Bloomfield BranchZalma to Bloomfield

LEACHVILLE DISTRICTGulf Junction to Leachville

Campbell Branch(replaced the Caligoa Branch )

Vanduser to GibsonCaruthersville BranchKennett to Grassy Bayou

Deering Branch(Taliposa dropped from name)

Taliposa to DeeringMalden Branch

Clarkton to Malden

1906

In 1906, the former MemphisDistrict was changed to the CHAFFEEDISTRICT, from Chaffee to Big Creek.The rest of the division remained thesame as 1906.

1907-1909

Between 1907 and 1909 therewere no significant changes or additionsto the division.

1910

In 1910, the St. Louis Districtwas re-named the ST. LOUIS SUB-

DIVISION, the Chaffee Districtbecame the CHAFFEE SUB-DIVISION, both on the River DivisionThe Hoxie District became the HOXIESUB-DIVISION and the LeachvilleDistrict became the LEACHVILLESUB-DIVISION, both on the Cape endof the division.

1911-1912

Between 191 1 an d 1912 therewere no significant changes or additionsto the division.

1913While the line was still

officially designated as the River &Cape Divisions, it was now listed assimply the respective sub-divisions andbranches of the RIVER DIVISION.

1914-1924

Between 1914 and 1924 therewere no significant changes or additionsto the division.

1925 1935 1940

On November 5, 1925, TheJonesboro Lake City, & EasternRailroad was leased to the Frisco andbecame the:

JONESBORO SUB-DIVISIONBarfield to Jonesboro

WILSON SUB-DIVISIONWilson Junction to Wilson

1926

In 1926, the RIVER &CAPE DIVISION officially became theRIVER DIVISION.

1927

On August 26, 1927, theButler County Railroad , and on August29, 1927, the St. Louis, Kennett &Southeastern Railroad, were leased tothe Frisco and became the:

Piggott BranchLEACHVILLE SUB-DIVISION

Poplar Bluff to KennettOspery Junction to Tipperary

1928-1932

Between 1928 and 1932 therewere no significant changes or additionsto the division.

1933

In 1933, the total trackage ofthe River Division was reduced bytwenty-one miles with the abandonmentof three lines:

Fraily to Wardell, MOYukon to Deering Jct., MOMcDaniel to Tipperary, AR

1934

In 1934, almost seventy milesof the division were abandoned, asfollows:

Brownwood to Zalma, MOMarquette to Brooks Jct, MOVanduser to Bloomfield, MODeckerville to Evadle, AR

In 1935, the division wasreduced by an additional sixteen milesdue to the following threeabandonments:

Wardell to Yukon, MOOspery to McDaniel, AR.66 miles at Grandin, MO

1936-1937

Between 1936 and 1937 therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division.

1938

In 1938, the line fromWilliamsville to Chicopee, MO, wasabandoned, removing nineteen milesfrom the Current River Branch,(Willow Springs Sub-Division,Southern Division) and twenty-twomiles from the RIVER DIVISION,Hunter Branch, Hoxie Sub-Division,from Williamsville to Hunter, MO.

1939

In 1939, the Hunter Branchwas further reduced with abandonmentof twenty miles between Williamsvilleand Wappapello, MO, and 4.42 mileswere abandoned from the J.L.C. & E.connection near Nettleton, to Jonesboro,AR.

In 1940, the followingabandonments were made:

Caruthersville, MO to Grassy Bayou,AR.East Wilson to Stoffles Landing, AR.Armorel to Barfield, AR.

1941

In 1941, five miles wereabandoned between Mingo andWappapello, MO.

1942

In 1942, .49 miles of track wereabandoned in Caruthersville, MO.

1943

In 1943, the RIVER DIVISIONwas comprised of the following:

ST. LOUIS SUB-DIVISIONSoutheast Junction to Chaffee

CHAFFEE SUB-DIVISIONChaffee, MO to Turrell, AR

HOXIE SUB-DIVISIONNash, MO to Hoxie, AR

LEACHVILLE SUB-DIVISIONBrooks Jct., MO to Leachville, AR

January 1, 1950, the previously leasedlines of the Jonesboro, Lake City, &Eastern Railroad, the Butler CountyRailroad, and the St. Louis, Kennett &Southeastern Railroad were officiallysold to the Frisco.

1951

In 1951, thirty-three miles ofthe River Division were abandonedbetween Poplar Bluff, MO and Piggott,AR.

1952 - 1956

Between 1952 and 1956 therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division.

1957

In 1957, two miles of trackbetween Granby and Granby Mines wereabandoned.

became part of the Eastern Division,and the remainder of the RIVERDIVISION became a part of the newSouthern Division. Before the yearwas over, 104 miles of line wasabandoned between Nash, MO andPocahontas, AR.

1966

In 1966 there were nosignificant changes, additions, orabandonments to the division.

1967

In 1967, two sections of thedivision were abandoned, as follows:

Nettleton to Lake City, ARWilson Junction to Wilson, AR

1968-1971

Between 1968 and 1971, therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division.

Caruthersville BranchKennett to Caruthersville, MO

Campbell BranchCampbell to Gibson, MO

Malden BranchMalden to Clarkton, MO

Piggott BranchPoplar Bluff to Keimett, MO

Jonesboro Sub-DivisionArmorel to Jonesboro AR

Wilson BranchWilson Jct. to Wilson, AR

1944-1950

Between 1944 and 1950, therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division. Itshould be noted however, that on

1958

In 1958, the last portion of thePiggott Branch was abandonedbetween Piggott, AR and Kennett, MO.

1959-1962

Between 1959 and 1962 therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division.

1963-1964

In September, 1963, the FriscoSystem was reorganized into threedistricts: Central, Southeast, andSouthwest. The River Division and. theSouthern Division were combined toform the new Southeast District. Thesystem operated in this fashion throughthe end of 1964.

1965

In 1965, the Frisco System wasagain reorganized, this time into threedivisions: Eastern, Southeastern, andSouthern.. The Hoxie Sub-Division,between Hoxie and Pocahontas, AR

ST. LOUIS SUB-DIVISIONLindenwood to Chaffee

CHAFFEE SUB-DIVISIONChaffee to TurrellKennett Branch

Caruthersville to Senath

1972

By the end of 1972, the last ofthe old Leachville Sub-Division wasabandoned from Brooks Junction toLeachville.

1973

By 1973, the remainingportions of the old River Division stillin operation were as follows:

EASTERN DIVISIONMemphis Sub-DivisionPocahontas Branch

Hoxie to Pocahontas

SOUTHERN DIVISIONSt. Louis Sub-Division

Lindenwood to Chaffee

Chaffee Sub-DivisionChaffee to TurrellKennett Branch

Holcomb to CaruthersvilleLeachville Branch

Lake City to Armorel

1974

In 1974 there were nosignificant changes, additions, orabandonments to the division.

1978

In 1978, 3.8 miles betweenBrooks Junction and Vanduser, MOwere abandoned.

1979

The last River Divisionemployee timetable issued by the Friscoon April 27, 1979, included thefollowing:

EDITOR'S NOTE: On November 21,1980, the Frisco was absorbed, throughmerger, into the Burlington NorthernRailroad. On Sunday, July 26, 1981, theBN issued Employee Timetable No, 1.In it, the ex-Frisco River Division waslisted as follows:

MEMPHIS DIVISION1st SUB-DIVISIONSt. Louis to Memphis

MEMPHIS DIVISION2nd SUB-DIVISION

Caruthersville to Senath

GETTING ITCORRECT

WE MISSED ONE! In the June-JulyALL ABOARD, River Division feature,page 7, "St. Louis, Kennett & SouthernRailroad Co.," we stated that thecompany "operated... a four milebranch between Kennett and WestKennett." The line between Kennett andWest Kennett was built by the St. Louis,Kennett & Southeastern Railroad Co.,incorporated March 29, 1906. OnAugust 29, 1927, the line was leased tothe Frisco and on January 1, 1950,ownership of the line was officiallytransferred to the Frisco

1975

In 1975, the Frisco System wasreorganized into the pre-1963 divisions:Eastern, Northern, Southern,Western, Southwestern, and River.The 1975 River Division included thefollowing:

St. Louis Sub-DivisionLindenwood to Chaffee

Chaffee Sub-DivisionChaffee to TurrellKennett Branch

Caruthersville to SenathLeachville BranchArmorel to Lake City

1976-1977

Between 1976 and 1977, therewere no significant changes, additions,or abandonments to the division.

removed when the train arrived at theTulsa Terminal.

On October 18, 1936, the Friscoinaugurated a new passenger trainbetween St. Louis and Oklahoma City.The Will Rogers , trains 3-4, was one ofnine named trains operated by the Friscoin 1936 and three similar trains jointlyoperated by the Frisco and the Katy, asfollows:

FRISCO: Meteor, Southwest Limited,Sunnyland, Memphian, Kansas City-Florida Special, Oklahoman, OilFields Special, Tulsa Texan, & WillRogers.

FRISCO/MKT: Texas Special, BlueBonnet, & Texas Limited.

When placed in service, theWill Rogers provided travelers with aneleven hour through train between St.Louis and Oklahoma City featuring oil-burning locomotives and an all air-conditioned fleet of equipment includingChair Cars, twelve-section SleepingCars, and Lounge and Dining Carservice. The Will Rogers, along with theMeteor, also provided through sleepingcar service to Chicago with connectionsmade at St. Louis with either the Altonor Wabash Railroad.

Effective September 18, 1965,service on the Will Rogers (3-4) andthe Meteor (9-10) were discontinued,and were replaced with trains 1-2, the(new) Oklahoman.

With one short lived exception*,none of the Will Rogers equipment evercarried its famous name. However, thetrain was easily identified by way of a26" lighted drumhead that was attachedto the rear of the last car in the train'sconsist. With a style first used in 1938,the drumhead was white, with red borderand diagonal lines, and black logo andlettering all reverse painted on a 1/2"piece of plate glass. According to ourrecords, similar drumheads were alsoused on the Meteor, Firefly, Kansas

City-Florida Special, Memphian, andSunnyland. Trains jointly operated bythe Frisco and Katy featured squareunits. In addition to service on regularscheduled trains, the drumheads werealso used to identify a variety of specialexcursion trains.

Thanks to the generosity andcooperation of Frisco Folk Bill Heiss,the museum now has in its collection oneof the lighted drumheads used on theWill Rogers.

*The one exception was inconjunction with the seventiethanniversary of the American folk herofor whom the train was named. AFrisco train, put together to takevisitors to the Claremore, OK,celebration in 1949, had as its motivepower #4519 complete with The WillRogers painted on its tender. Theshort-lived embellishment was appliedwith washable paint that was promptly

MUSEUM ACQUISITIONUP-DATE

In the June-July ALLABOARD, Springfield, MO PowerHouse Whistle, a photo was featuredshowing the whistle in place on top ofthe Power House. The photo below is ofthe whistle now on display at themuseum.

LOOKING BACKWARD is a regularfeature of the ALL ABOARD that takesa look back through our files at thepeople and events that were a part of theFrisco 25, 50, and 75 years ago.

4-6-2 #1063 May 26, 1936A. Johnson photo

25 YEARS - 1965

On September 1, 1965, theFrisco System was reorganized intothree operating divisions as indicated onthe chart below.

50 YEARS - 1940

In 1940, two Pacific (4-6-2)type steam locomotives, Nos. 1063 and1068, were rebuilt as Hudson (4-6-4)engines.

75 YEARS - 1915

From a 1915 passengertimetable: "Guns (unloaded) in cases,saddles in bags, golf, cricket, baseballand other club paraphernalia in closedreceptacles, when accompanied bypassenger, may be transported inbaggage cars at owner's risk.."

4-6-4 #1063 September 12, 1948A. Johnson photo

4-6-2 #1068 October 19, 1935A. Johnson photo

4-6-4 #1068 June 21, 1947A. Johnson photo

The MAIL CAR is afeature of the ALLABOARD in which weattempt to answersome of the many 'questions that aremailed to ourRESEARCHSERVICE.

If you have a question about theequipment, facilities, or operation of theFrisco, please send them to theRESEARCH SERVICE. All requestare answered individually and selectedquestions will appear in the MAIL CARfeature.

QUESTION: The membership card yourecently sent me shows a diesel and aballooned stacked steamer. Is thesteamer a Frisco or predecessor line?

ANSWER: Our membership cards arepatterned from the last annual passissued by the Frisco in 1961. if you willexamine the locomotive to the left of thelogo, you will notice that it is an exactcopy of the locomotive in the photo onthis page.

Engine #8, the Gasconade, wasoriginally an Atlantic & Pacific Railroadengine. It, along with sister engine #7,the St. James, was built by HinkleyLocomotive Works in 1869. It weighed70,800 lbs, had 15x22 cylinders, 60"driving wheels, and could produce 9,488lbs. of tractive force at 135 lbs steampressure.

In 1876, the locomotive becameFrisco #8 and remained in service untilbeing removed from the roster in 1882.

4-4-0 #8 Gasconade circa. 1870 Frisco photo

Frisco Trailerliner Springfield, MO circa 1943 Warren Hardecke photo

B-47's ON THE FRISCO

FRISCO TRAILERLINERS

In 1943, the Frisco's WestSpringfield Shops created three of themost unique and ingenious pieces ofnon-rail transportation equipment ever tocarry the Frisco name.

Faced with an increase in travelin and out of Ft. Leonard Wood, MO,brou ght on by World War II, and ascarcity in supply of conventionalequipment, the Springfield Shopsconverted three double deck highwayautomobile carriers intoTrailerlinertrailer buses.

The top decks were removed,bodies were built, and seats and interiorfittings were installed. Each trailer bushad a seating capacity of forty-five,including a semi-circle seat located at thefront over the fifth wheel hitch. Thetrailers were thirty-three ft. long, eight ft.wide, and were pulled by two-tontractors. In addition to the driver, eachunit was manned by a conductor whotook care of tickets and passenger needs.

When placed in service, thetrailer buses were operated by the FriscoTransportation Company, the truckand bus subsidiary line of the Frisco,between Newburg, MO and Ft. LeonardWood.

According to our records, oncethe war was over, one of theTrailerliners saw limited service in

southeast Missouri and northeastArkansas (River Division). The trailerbuses were eventually taken out of

The Fall 1990, issue of theBN News, the company publication ofthe Burlington Northern Railroad,featured a cover photo and lead storyabout the BN shipping aircraft parts forthe Boeing Company in Seattle. Thefive-page article is very informative andlist's an impressive BN fleet of carsspecially equipped for transportingaircraft parts. The article is veryinteresting... if you happen to be a BNrailfan! However, for those of us whoare Frisco railfans (the best kind!) wecan take satisfaction in knowing that theFrisco was transporting Boeing aircraft

service and their final disposition iscurrently unknown.

parts long before the BN was ever theBN! (The BN officially became acorporate entity in March, 1970)

Our files have revealed that in1952, the Frisco modified seven of its95800-95899 series flat cars fortransporting B-47 wings. The speciallyequipped cars were Nos. 95833,95837, 95841, 95867, 95877,95879, & 95896. The 42'6" cars,built in 1951, were used as the trail carsin a two-car articulated unit. The leadcars were provided by the WabashRailroad, series 25500-25549.

FRISCO'S TERMINAL CABOOSES

One of the most versatilefreight cars on any railroad was the flatcar. Aside from the endless and novelarray of cargo they could carry, (Note:B-47's on the Frisco, pp. 10-11) the flatcar was recycled, more than any other,into a wide variety of special uses.

According to our records, thethree series of Frisco flat cars that wererecycled most often were as follows:

95300-95799: These cars wereoriginally built as 40'7" cars in 1928 byGeneral American Car Co.Cost: $1,706.00 each.

95800-95899: These cars wereoriginally built as 42'6" cars in 1951 byAmerican Car & Foundry Co.Cost: $5,171.00 each.

95900-95999: These cars wereoriginally built as 42'6" cars in 1954 byAmerican Car & Foundry Co.Cost: $6,299.99 each.

One of the most unique andinteresting flat car modifications on theFrisco was completed in the WestSpringfield shops in 1967 and 1968.According to our records, forty-six of thecars in the 95300 and 95800 series wererebuilt as dog-house type terminal ortransfer cabooses, series 1300-1345.While the May 22, 1967 memo shownon this page indicates the 95300 classflat cars were to be used, subsequentblue prints listed the 95800 series also.The specific flat car numbers used in theconversions is currently unknown.

The cars were equipped with a9' square dog house mounted to thecenter of the flat car. The dog housedoors were standard Frisco caboosedesign panel doors, with a small windowin the upper right hand corner, and wereinstalled on both ends. One exception tothis door design is a metal sliding door,that appears on an October 1970, photoof #1343.

Most of the units in the fleethad small windows on either side of the

dog house. While the majority werestandard double-hung design, aNovember 1971, photo of #1319 showswhat appears to be a one-piece solidwindow, and a September 1974, pictureof #1321 shows a vertical slidingwindow design.

Steps were installed at eachcorner of the car and the open platformends were equipped with 36" high handrails. Appropriate grab irons wereattached on either side of the steps, alongwith an additional curved iron to theinside of the steps on each side. Twobrake wheels were installed on verticalstanchions for application at either endof the cars.

When placed into service, thecars were originally numbered in the 300series. However, in 1968, when theFrisco caboose fleet numbering systemwas standardized due to the installationof a system computer, they wererenumbered to the 1300 series.

With two known exceptions, allthe cars in the series were painted BoxCar Red with yellow railings, steps, andbrake wheels. The car number was inwhite above the side windows and to theupper right of the end doors. On theopposite side of the end doors was awhite SL-SF and a white-on-blackcoonskin logo was located under the sidewindows.

The two exceptions in ourrecords are a May 1971, photo of #1306,painted yellow with black lettering andlogo, and an August 1971, photo of#1300. While the #1300 car was paintedBox Car Red, the lettering scheme isdifferent. The SL-SF and number arelocated directly above the end doors andon the flat car side below the dog house.

#1343 October, 1970 Ft. Smith, AR Edward J. Stoll photo

#1319 November, 1971 Tulsa, OK Edward J. Stoll photo

#1321 September, 1974 Tulsa, OK Edward J. Stoll photo

of #1322 at the Springfield Terminal.Another variation of the terminaldesignation is an August 1968 photo of#1337 with KC TERMINAL located tothe right of the side windows.

It should be noted that ourrecords indicate that there was at leastone exception to both the constructionstyle and numbering scheme of theterminal cabooses, possibly an earlyexperimental unit. A May 1, 1966,photo shows #73 at St. LouisLindenwood Yards with what appears tobe a larger dog house, with larger enddoors, off-set side windows, and anapproximate 6" roof overhang

A small white-on-black logo appears tothe left of the side windows, and a boxcar style Ship it on the Frisco! islocated below the windows on the sidepanels. One additional constructionexception on #1300 is a 6" roof overhangdesign and off-set end doors.

Some of the cars had theirterminal assignment located in whiteletters below the side logo, as shown inthe March 1972 photo of #1311 at theMemphis Terminal, while others had itpainted on the flat car sides below thedog house, as seen in the June 1975 shot

#73 May 1, 1966 St. Louis, MOMike Condren photo

What is especially interestingabout the photo of #73 is that the frame,end platform, and steps design bear astriking resemblance to a standardFrisco-built caboose, possibly a salvagedwooden model. The fact that it is ridingon elliptic spring trucks (all others inthe series are shown with the standardflat car style coil spring trucks) tends tosupport the recycled standard caboosenotion. Apart from the photo, noadditional information on #73 iscurrently available in our files. Anyadditional information our membersmight have would be greatly appreciated.

One final note. Our recordsindicate that the Frisco was considering asimilar style of caboose as far back as1956. Our Car Shop files include anAugust 23, 1956, blueprint for aProposed Transfer Caboose - From160,000 Series (40') Box Cars. To ourknowledge, these cars were never built.

By 1977, only ten of the doghouse cabooses were still listed on theroster. Following the Frisco/BN merger,the last three remaining units, Nos. 1337,1340, & 1341 were renumbered BN11626, 11627, & 11628.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is aninventory of the terminal caboose photoscurrently in our museum file.

#1306 May, 1971 Memphis, TN Edward J. Stoll photo

#1300 July 13, 1975 Springfield, MO Harold Hall photo

#1311 March, 1972 Memphis, TN Edward J. Stoll photo

MODELING FRISCO'STERMINAL CABOOSES

By Rick McClellan

73, 305, 1300, 1304, 1306, 1311,1318, 1319, 1321, 1322, 1324, 1337,1342, 1343.

Do you have a photo or slide of one noton the list? If so, we would appreciateyour sharing a copy with us! Our photo

lab can make a copy or we can cover thecost for you to have one made. Pleasecontact the museum office if you canhelp complete the collection!

To model a Frisco terminalcaboose, begin with an undecoratedAthearn 40 ft. flat car. I took the grabirons off of the ends and drilled holes forDetails Associates grab irons. Next, thesheet metal end steps were formed usingstyrene. Working from photos, the carbody was constructed out of styrene. Ivery carefully carved the side windowsout of the sheet styrene leaving the crossbar in the middle to simulate a doublehung sash. The doors on the ends werecut out of a scrap Athearn caboose andinserted into openings in the car bodyends and trimmed with styrene 1 x 4's.After mounting the finished car bodyonto the flat car, I found it necessary tocut an opening in the flat car to allowlater insertion of glass in the windowareas.

The handrails and stanchionswere next and probably the most difficultpart of the project. I used Plastruct 3/64"plastic angle for the stanchions. Eachstanchion was drilled to accept .020"brass wire and were carefully aligned andglued to the sides and ends of the flat carbody. Leftover brake wheels from who-knows-what were mounted on scratch-built stands and the end grab irons wereadded. Finally a Precision scalesmokestack was added to give the crewsadequate heating ventilation on thosecold winter days.

The finished model was thengiven a coat of Floquil Boxcar Red andthe steps and hand rails were brushpainted Floquil Reefer Yellow. Later, acoat of Crystal Cote was sprayed on forthe decals to stick to. Microscale Decalswere used to letter the car. Another coatof Crystal Cote sealed the decal film andlight weathering gave it that been inservice look. Clear plastic was added toglaze the windows and the weights,trucks, etc., were added along withKadee #5 couplers that the crew likes sowell.

The final product is a terminalcaboose that is not a bolt -for-bolt copyof the original. However, it is a closeenough model that makes experiencedmodelers take a closer look. The unionsdon't seem to mind! GOOD LUCK!

#1337 August, 1968 Kansas City, MO Edward J. Stoll photo

PARTS & MATERIALS

MFG CAT # NAME COLOR PURPOSE Athearn 1349 40' Flat Car Undecorated Base CarAthearn 1249 Caboose N/A End DoorsDetails 6503 Grab Irons N/A End Grab IronsPlastruct 101 Angle Iron N/A StanchionsPrecision 31456 Smokestack N/A dog house stackFloquil 110074 Paint Boxcar Red Car BodyFloquil 110031 Paint Reefer Yellow Steps & RailingsFloquil 110004 Crystal Cote N/A FixativeMicroscale 87-0085 Decals White Lettering

EDITOR'S NOTE: An 11" x 17"reprint of the July 21, 1967, DoghouseFor Terminal Cabooses for Mountingon 95300 & 95800 Flat Cars , diagram isavailable from the Frisco ResearchService for $2.50.

FRISCO FLORIST

#1322 June 2, 1975 Springfield, MO Harold Hall photo

#1318 Rick McClellan photo

When Don B. Fellows started asa fifteen year old call boy for the Frisco,little did he know that twenty-three yearslater he would leave the railroad with thedistinction of being its first and only full-time florist.

Don Fellows railroad careerstarted on June 2, 1912, working thirteenhours a night walking house to housewaking the train crews when it was timefor them to report to work. He earned$1.30 a night. In 1914, he was promotedto the Accounting Department andeventually worked his way up to theposition of Payroll Clerk.

In 1927, while visiting with J.E.Hutchinson, Vice-President ofOperations for the Frisco, Fellowsmentioned that he felt the railroadstations on the system could be mademuch more attractive if they had plantsand flowers around them. Mr.Hutchinson liked the idea and madearrangements for Fellows to present hisplan to J.M. Kum, the President of theFrisco. For a thirty year old PayrollClerk to be riding in the Vice-President'sprivate car to St. Louis to meet therailroad's president, was an experiencethat Fellows never forgot.

Fellows made his proposal toMr. Kum. When asked about a budget,he said it would require at least$5,000.00 annually to do the work. Mr.Kum agreed to the proposal, approvedthe budget, and officially appointedFellows as the Frisco Florist.

The newly established programof depot beautification started with a fewsmaller stations, then branched into thelarger depots such as Springfield, MO,Oklahoma City, OK, Columbus, MS,Aliceville, AL, Demopolis, AL, Linden,TN, and Pensacola, FL. Fellows wouldtravel to the stations, chart the areas thatwere to be planted, specify the plants andflowers to be used, and the localemployees would do the work. Fellowseventually built his own greenhouse andgrew all the plants, bulbs, and flowersused on the system. Over 23,000 plantsand flowers were planted atapproximately 400 locations by 1932.

Doodlebugging On The Frisco

New Motor Car for Central Division LastWord in Design and Construction

Gasoline Driven Car Accommodates Sixty-two Passengers—Will Run Between Ardmore and Hope

One of the most memorable ,plantings was at the Springfield, MO.station. The flowers were arranged inthe design of Frisco steam locomotive#1050. The measurements were oneinch to the foot and various flowers wereused to create the intricate designpatterns.

Mr. Fellows served as theFrisco Florist for eight years. After thedeath of Mr. Hutchinson, hisreplacement had no interest incontinuing the program arid canceled it.Fellows was allowed to make one moretrip to all the stations and present awardsto the employees who made outstandingdisplays. In 1935, he left the railroadand went into business for himself as oneof the most respected nursery men andlandscape artist in Springfield, MO.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The editor of theALL ABOARD recently had theprivilege to visit with Mr. Fellows.When asked how life was for a youngman of 93, he responded, "Well, I can'tsee, I can't hear, and I can't walk.Otherwise, I am doing just great!"

Such was the headline in theJuly, 1926, issue of The FriscoEmployes' Magazine, announcing thearrival of the first of two motor cars,Nos. 3010 & 3011, purchased by theFrisco from the Sykes Company of St.Louis. The article stated that,

"The car is somewhat different fromany previously purchased or built by theFrisco, since it is a straight gasolinemechanically driven car... The engineis known as the Sterling Coast Guard,of six cylinders, 6 1/4 inch bore by 7 3/4inch stroke, of 300 horse power.Special provision has been made forproper cooling.

"The transmission has six speedsforward and six speeds for reverse. Theforward speed will develop from twoand one-half miles an hour at 750 r.p.m.of the engine in low gear, to sixty milesan hour or 1,425 r.p.m. of the engine inhigh gear. The transmission is of theconstant mesh type and no sliding gearsare necessary.

"The driving is done on the two rearwheels of the front trucks and the twofront wheels of the rear trucks.

"The body is designed especially tocarry the weight of the car. It is sixty-two feet, three inches long over bumperand nine feet, five and three fourthsinches wide.

"There is seating capacity for sixty-two passengers; eighteen in the smoking

compartment and forty-four in the maincompartment.

"The trucks are of standard railroaddesign, having thirty-three inch wheels,full elliptic springs and plain bearings.The equipment, including the trucks,lights, body lights, etc., is of standardrailroad type - the lighting furnished bya belt-driven generator through astandard regulator panel. When readyfor a trip, carrying gasoline, water andoil the car weighs 73,800 pounds.

"Due to the weight and the evenconstruction, the car rides smoothly andcan develop great speed. The motorruns quietly, and the car handles easilyas a trailer."

Because of their poor overallperformance and on-going problemswith a mechanically driven car, theNorth Springfield Motor Car Shoprebuilt the cars in November, 1928, asgas-electric units, Nos. 2127 & 2128,with EMC equipment and a new,somewhat smaller 220 h.p. engine.

In addition to the details listedin the 1926 article, the cars featured amahogany interior with yellow pinefloors. The cars were equipped withroofs that were constructed using steelframes, wood decking, covered withcanvas roofing.

When first placed in service inJune, 1926, the cars were assigned to theA & A Ardmore/Arkinda Sub-Division,Central Division, between Ardmore, OKand Hope, AR. Photographic evidenceindicates that following their rebuildingthe cars were returned to the Ardmore-Hope run as trains 775-776 daily.

According to our records,#2127 was removed from the roster in1935, reason unknown, and #2128 wasdismantled in 1954 at the WestSpringfield Shops.

#2128 April 15, 1937 Ardmore, OK A. Johnson photo

RESEARCH SERVICEUP-DATE

In the June-July ALLABOARD, Doodlebugging On TheFrisco, pp. 18-19, we reported that,"Early in 1933, No. 2124 wasdestroyed in a fire at the OklahomaCity, Ok roundhouse." Thanks to thegenerosity of retired Frisco employee,and long-time friend of the museum, LeeBuffington, we have acquired these rarepictures of No. 2124, or what was leftof it!, taken a few days after the fire.

DOWN AT THE DEPOT

It was at the end of onedivision, the beginning of another, andthe starting point for a complexassortment of branch and connectinglines. Its name was associated with theFrisco's River Division more than anyother, including being a part of thecorporate name of seven predecessorlines companies. The Pilot Knob, CapeGirardeau, & Belmont Railroad, CapeGirardeau & State Line Railroad, CapeGirardeau & Northern Railroad, CapeGirardeau Railway, Cape GirardeauSouthwestern Railway, St. Louis, CapeGirardeau, & Ft. Smith Railway, and theCape Girardeau, Bloomfield, &Southern Railway. It was Station T131on both the St. Louis and LeachvilleSub-Divisions. It was Cape Girardeau,MO.

While pin-pointing when thefirst depot was built in Cape Girardeau isdifficult, it is safe to say that sometimebetween 1880 and 1890, when the St.Louis, Cape Girardeau & Ft. SmithRailway was building its line from CapeGirardeau to Hunter, MO, some type ofdepot was built. The first Frisco-builtstation was completed in 1920.

The depot was an impressive161' x 32' brick and concrete structurewith 13" walls. The General WaitingRoom was 54' x 33' and included aninside/outside News Stand located on thetrack side. To the south of the waitingroom was a Baggage Room and ExpressRoom each with two large garage-likedoors for inside loading and unloading.The north end of the depot was dividedinto a Ticket Office, Trainmen Locker

Cape Girardeau, MO circa. 1924Kevin Johnson collection

Room, restroom facilities, and a 22' x20' Women's Lounge/Waiting Room.

The roof type was flat withcomposition roofing, heat was providedby a steam boiler, and the depot wasequipped with electric lighting. Twointeresting features of the depot was theabsence of the typical telegrapher/agentsbay window and its variation in floortypes. The baggage and express roomswere concrete, waiting rooms andrestrooms tile, and the ticket office floorwas wood.

The station was served by twotracks with a 611 ft. concrete with brickcurb platform on the depot side and asimilar 520 ft. platform between thetracks.

COLLECTING THEFRISCO

In addition to the depot, theCape Girardeau facility included a largeFreight House to the south of the station,a large classification yard, 25,000 gal.water tank, water treatment plant, 80-ton40 ft. Fairbanks track scale, elevated coaldock, interlocking tower, emergencyicing station, diesel engine house, andtwo 37' x 48' stock pens. The yardfacility also included an engine houseand 70' Phoenix iron turntable.

Cape Girardeau was served by awide variety of named trains, dailylocals, and Motor Car service. The lastpassenger train to depart the CapeGirardeau station was the Sunnyland,trains 807-808, which made their finalruns on September 17, 1965.

This is the second in a regularseries of ALL ABOARD articles that isdevoted to COLLECTING THEFRISCO, and is designed to be aninformation resource for Friscocollectors.

How can you be sure whatyou are getting is authentic?

To borrow an old adage,Experience is the best teacher! Itdoesn't take a collector long to develop asixth sense when it conies to detecting afake from an original. Most dealers willusually be honest about an item.However, the most honest person in theworld can sometimes be convinced thatan item is authentic, when it isn't! Intwenty years of collecting Frisco items, Ihave found that many people will have agenuine railroad relic and assume thatbecause it was found in a Frisco town,that automatically makes it a Frisco item.While such an assumption is made withthe best intentions, it isn't alwayscorrect.

Even though experience isindeed the best teacher, there is one basicguideline that can be used inauthenticating Frisco items. Themajority of Frisco items are marked,either by the company name, logo, orany number of abbreviations. Thecompany name can be listed as the St.Louis & San Francisco RailwayCompany, the St. Louis & SanFrancisco Railroad Company, the St.Louis - San Francisco RailwayCompany, the Frisco Line, FriscoSystem, Frisco Lines, or simply theFrisco.

The most identifiable markingon Frisco collectibles is the companylogo, the coonskin. It has been anintricate part of the Frisco for overeighty years, first appearing on manycompany documents in 1900. While thelogo is recognizable by most collectors,and by anyone who has ever lived orspent any time in a Frisco town, manyare unaware of its origin.

In the late 1800's, Mr. G.H.Nettleton, then Vice-President of therailroad, was making an inspection tourof the system. As the train pulled into

the station at Neosho, MO, MrNettleton's private car stopped in viesof the south end of the building on whichthere was tacked a coon hide to dry,When he saw the hide, he immediatelysummoned the local agent, SamAlbright, to the business car. "What'sthat thing doing tacked on the end ofthe depot?" roared the Vice-President,"and just what do you think you aredoing using company property fortanning hides?" Mr. Albright quicklyreplied that it was hard to support afamily on the $1.25 per ten-hour daysalary he was receiving from therailroad, and that he was catchingtanning, and selling coon hides tosupplement his meager paycheck.

Mr. Nettleton promptlyreminded Albright that railroadingshould come first. When the agentagreed, Nettleton said, "Well, having ahobby is O.K. as long Os companyproperty is not improperly used." To theagent's surprise, the Vice-President thenasked him how much he would take forthe coonskin. When Albright replied,"two hits," Nettleton agreed and thematter was settled. After the inspectiorof the Neosho facility was completed,Mr. Nettleton boarded the train and leftwith coonskin in hand. As the trainslowly pulled out of the station, Albrightstood and watched in amazement.wondering what on earth a companyofficial would want with an oldcoonskin.

It wasn't long afterward that anink outline of the tightly stretched skinbegan to appear on Frisco drawingboards in the St. Louis office, but insteadof hanging vertically as it was on thedepot, it was displayed in a horizontalfashion. By early 1900, the emblembegan to appear on many companydocuments with the letters FRISCOinserted inside the outline. The FR wastaken from the Francisco in SanFrancisco, the IS from the Louis in St.Louis, and the CO for Company. Whilethe company officially remained the St.Louis & San Francisco Railway orRailroad Company, it became betterknown as the FRISCO.

On Frisco collectibles, thecoonskin may appear any place on theitem and may be in the form of an

outline only, or it may have the companyname inside the logo, on a bar below thelogo, or any one of many combinations.

A common, yet confusing wayof identifying a Frisco item is byabbreviation markings such as thefollowing:

S.L.S.F.S.L.S.F.R.R.S.L.S.F.RY.S.L.S.F.Rwy. Co.St.L. - S.F.R.R.St.L. & S.F.R.R.Co.S.L. & S.F.S.L. & S.F.R.R.S.L. & S.F.Rwy. Co.St. L.S.F.

When examining the markingsof any item, look closely to make sure ithasn't been stamped by someone otherthan the railroad. Just because an item ismarked Frisco doesn't automaticallyinsure that it is authentic. For instance ifthe item is old and dirty, but the inside ofthe name stamped on it is clean, WatchOut! Likewise, just because an item isnot marked Frisco, doesn't automaticallymean it isn't authentic. Common sense,experience, and your trust in the personyou are dealing with will have a lot to dowith authenticating any item. Don't bediscouraged if you get burnt on an item.Every collector has thought he or shehad a rare, one-of-a-kind , item only todiscover that it was really only acommon, many-of-a-kind. In collectingFrisco relics, one additional word ofadvice should be followed. If you don'tbuy it when you first see it, chances areit will be gone when you return. I canassure you that such disappointment hasbeen known to make a grown man cry!

What is a fair price to pay?

The dictionary defines fair asbeing according to the rules. When itcomes to collecting railroad memorabiliathe rule is simple: If the seller wants tosell it bad enough and the buyer wantsto buy it bad enough, and they canagree on a price, then it is a fair price!Most collectors will agree that apartfrom this general rule, the elements thatmost affect the price of a railroad antiqueis its age, condition, uniqueness, andwhether or not the railroad is still inoperation. The fact that the Frisco is nolonger the Frisco has had a major.influence on the price of Frisco

collectibles. A Frisco-markedswitchman's lantern purchased twentyyears ago for $15.00 is now selling for asmuch as $150.00! That's good for theseller but tough on the buyer, dependingof course on how bad he or she wants theitem.

One final word of caution.Watch out for reproductions! There isnothing wrong with having areproduction. Many of them are of equalquality to the original. There is nothingwrong with having one, as long as youknow that it is a reproduction, and that iswhat you want. While the number ofFrisco reproductions on the market hasbeen minimal, due to the railroad's sizeand general obscurity, they are startingto appear. One recent example was aglass milk bottle, sold as being used onFrisco passenger service. Closeexamination of the bottle revealed that itwas cloudy and scratched from repeateduse, although the markings on it wereclear and new looking. Remember, inmost cases if it is old, it looks old!

There will come a time whenthe only Frisco relics available will bethose on display in a museum.(Preferably The Frisco RailroadMuseum!) If you are interested instarting a collection or adding to the oneyou already have, now is the time to getit while the getting is good! Good luckand happy hunting!

EDITOR'S NOTE: In our next issue ofCOLLECTING THE FRISCO, wewill discuss collecting Advertising andPromotional items.