Webster Groves, MP, Rolla Subdivision, MP 10.1

Discussion in 'Depots Q-Z' started by kenneth, Aug 7, 2003.

  1. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    An attachment was supposed to be in my last message, but I don't see it so here we go again.

    Ken Rimmel
     

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  2. DanHyde

    DanHyde Member

    Hi Ken,
    I'll keep everyone " in the loop" once I get started. I have to finish 3 other buildings that are in progress now- A rural depot, an interlocking tower, and a speeder shed. I was surprised with the depot. I have a photo of it elsewhere in it's first stages. When I started applying the white trim, boy, it came alive! I gotta get some more picts, but I am still 35mm, so it is a waiting game.
    With this recooperation from this busted leg, I just keep bouncing back and forth! It does make the days go by. Between that, and helping my wife out in the bakery, even with the break, I am a'hopping!!:)
    Dan
    ps- I stated in a previous post, I have about 10-15 years of old magazines. MR, Trains. If any of your members are interested, they are for the taking. I could bring them in to the WG station.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 22, 2010
  3. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    At the risk of severly dating myself, my Dad, cousins and I used to go to see the layout back in the '40s. Things would run fine inside until the noise outside started, meaning one of the steam engines was blasting up the grade heading west.
    At that time, all inside activity stopped and everybody went out on the platform to watch and listen. Lord it was loud! I loved every minute of it.
     
  4. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Like Don, I have some of the same memories, but dating a few years later. I remember visiting the Webster Groves depot the first time in the early evening to see the layout, sometime in the early/mid-50's, with my dad, a friend and his dad. It was crowded and the layout was running well and looking good. But then here came a westbound passenger - I presume it was #9 - and a number of the crowd, including us, went out to the platform to watch. Back inside we went for about a half hour, and out we went again to catch a westbound freight grinding up the hill behind some F's.

    Some of my earliest Frisco memories.

    Ken
     
  5. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    Recently got back from taking a fews days away at Branson. One of my wife's friends invited us (and did the driving) to go with them for a 2 1/5 day vacation. We havn't been there in almost 20 years and couldn't say no since other than paying for any of the shows, amusements, etc., the hotel only cost us a little under $14. Any way, it was good to follow part of the original route of the Springfield & Southern Rwy., the branch line that our Springfield & Ozark Rwy. is based on.

    Now for getting back to the messages. Let's see, Dan, we have quite a collection of MR magazines now, but I do not know what, if any, we are missing. We have been trying to find a member or two to take the duplicates to train shows and sell them so that the club can make a little extra, but the guys keep forgetting to do that. You can bring what you have and we can look them over. The value isn't much, but it can still be taken off on taxes since we are a 501(c)(3).

    Don, I know you. We met several times way in the past, but I am sure you may not remember or recognize me. I'm not too sure if I can still do the same since it has been so long since I saw you. I was only able to help with the 1522 rebuild for about a year before I had to spend all of my time rebuilding a 12" gauge steamer in Glencoe. Like what you and Ken said about the past operating nights in WG, I also remember after I joined them in 1984 that we had to take a break when a Chrysler run or any of the mainline runs went by. Today, we could be there ten Tuesdays or more in a row before an evening run would go by. It's bad enough that almost everything westbound (or even eastbound from points west of us) just don't happen anymore, but recently the daytime runs have been severely cut. Even with the new coal trains, very little happens now. Not that long ago on an operating night, a real train actually went by and none of the visitors left the building to watch it. I guess they didn't know what it was. :)

    Ken Rimmel
     
  6. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    Ken, some mornings I don't ever remember me.
    I have a couple of scans from crappy little contact prints. Here's one of them of the "Pacific Switcher" coming east and going west. Too bad they aren't better and I had the negative to scan.
    This train usually left mid morning or so and went out to Pacific and switched all of the gravel pits that were in operation at that time. Empties out loads in.
    I got my first taste of running a steam engine in the fifth grade in Pacific. My Dad had caught the switcher (which he didn't like) and my Mom drove me out to Pacific and I got on the engine and rode around all afternoon. We were ready to leave a plant at the west end of Pacific by the river and Dad told me to sit down and run her. Man what a day! We had the 4146 and coming in I surprised the fireman by doing a perfect grade crossing whistle at a crossing.
    Things like that stick with you forever.
     

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  7. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    It looks like the 4025 did not have to spot for coal too often. Great memories and cool pics.
     
  8. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    Good pix Don. From the paint scheme on the building and the roof surface, I would say it dates around the mid to late 50's. From the beginning in 1910 and into the 1950's, the building had the Spanish tile roof and it was replaced in the 1950's. Some time after 1953, the band on top of the short concrete wall around the building was painted a contrasting color from the lower part. Many friends have told me and I have also read, that you have an extensive collection of pictures and information that would make many envious. It would make one hell of an entertaining clinic or show.

    One particular piece of mail was waiting for me when we got back Sunday. For the fourth year in a row, the North American Railway Foundation has turned us down for any support. This is one organization that is the most likely to be able to fully fund our roof replacement. Somehow we keep missing out and they never give us any hint. A couple of other foundations that also turn us down did let us know that they feel we are too small and do not have enough community or national impact to offer them enough exposure. Whatever happened to just being nice?

    Ken R
     
  9. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    I think the photos are from the mid to late '40s. Frisco dieselized early '52 and steam was very spotty from '50 on.
     
  10. Sirfoldalot

    Sirfoldalot Frisco.org Supporter Frisco.org Supporter

    Yesterday afternoon, on the RFD channel here, the rail fan hour had "Farewell to 1522" by Goodheart Productions. Very nicely done.

    There was a nice clip of passing the Webster Groves Station. Don't think anyone stayed inside that time. :D
    I recorded it on the DVD - Only watched it twice - So Far. :)

    I was surprised at how much jointed rail still existed. All I see out here (main line type) is welded.
     
  11. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    I was there for the last westbound and got it on tape. While I was reviewing it inside, an eastbound freight started to come by and I ran outside to tape that too. However, I did not reset the tape and lost most of the 1522. That is what can happen with older technology.

    Aound our building, you would be surprised with how many loose and missing spikes, along with loose and missing bolts in the rail joiners. A few years back, I reported a joint that was missing three of its six bolts and two of the ramining was loose. It took me two tries to get them to understand and about two months later, they tightened the loose bolts (kind of) and replaced the missing oines. They later called me back and made me promise to never report something like this again. I have since joined their Citizens for Rail Security and made a promise to myself, that if they give me backlash about something like this again, I will call a TV news crew out to film the problem and embarrass them with their lack of concern for safety.

    Ken R
     
  12. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Ken - Was that loose joint incident back in the BN era or in today's BNSF era? Just curious. My impression is, and it's only an impression, that the BNSF is running what's left of our Frisco better than the BN did. Hope so.

    I flew back from Mexico City next to a BNSF operations VP who gave me about a 15 minute lecture on how valuable the SLSF Eastern Division is to the BNSF strategically.

    Ken
     
  13. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    I really do not remember what year that was, but think it was after the SF merger. It was about a year or two later when their contractor came around replacing ties and cleaning ballast. That was about three years ago and there was missing bolts and spikes before and after they left the area. I think the RR cop who called me back then is the one who today is going around, talking about the Citizens for Rail Security program. I have his name written down somewhere, but don't rember.

    In recent years it seems to us that the RR has gotten more distant and corporate-like, not careing about the little guys or any communities they serve. We used to have several contacts with them who took interest in what is going on around them, but now it is like trying to talk to another country. They don't want to help anyone and can only think of their own little world and how to get more money out of it. They won't even let us get any recognotion for the 100 year history of the depot, being afraid of losing use of the land we lease from them that our building sits on. Our last local (and almost the only) contact we had retired about two years ago and no one took his place. We sometimes hear from Jeff Schmid, who I worked with on the 1522 rebuild and is still an engineer and safety officer for the RR, but he has no power to act in behalf of the RR on an issues. I think the number left from the Frisco era can be counted on one or two hands and they are probably no higher than first-level management.

    Ken R
     
  14. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    Jeff Schmid has retired also.
     
  15. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Sherrel - Please don't be concerned - most, if not all, of the old Frisco Eastern Division is welded rail, with new, modern signals and great looking, newly ballasted right-of-way. BNSF, to their credit, has been investing heavily in the former main line of our beloved Frisco RR.

    The line out to Kirkwood/Valley Park is still mainly sectional track railroad (including through Webster Groves) because - it is in good shape, is dual track, and is relatively slow speed trackage.

    Ken
     
  16. Kenneth

    Kenneth Member

    I don't think I put this information out on this forum yet, but our club has a new web site since Jan. 2010 and got a Facebook the following September. Added to our page on Yahoo Groups, we offer information about our club and our depot which turned 100 in 2010. Check us out! www.bigbendrrclub.org http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bigbendrrclub/ Ken Rimmel
     
  17. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    I may have posted this one before, but if not here goes.
    Webster Grove depot and Big Bend Rd the way they should be.
    Oh look, there's a train.....
     

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  18. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Number 10, "The Meateater", coming through Webster Groves!

    Looks like it could be the demo run, right?

    Ken
     
  19. Rick McClellan

    Rick McClellan 2009 Engineer of the Year

  20. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    That hoghead is looking back for the "highball" looks like to me. Great picture, thanks for sharing with us!
    Tom Holley|-|
     

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