Frisco Hi-Rail Trucks

Discussion in 'Maintenance of Way' started by murphy millican, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. I have a couple questions. When were the first Hi-Rail trucks used on the Frisco? Also does anyone have pictures of Frisco Hi-Rail trucks? I've seen a few before on Dr. Condren's Frisco web page, but I haven't seen many pictures on here. Thanks to anyone who can help me.
     
  2. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Yes, my dad had one assigned to him. I have picture, but I am away from him at the moment.
     
  3. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Here is one of me on old Frisco territory now KCS
     

    Attached Files:

  4. TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020)

    TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020) Passed Away July 15, 2020 Frisco.org Supporter

    William--Where is that actual location? I'm interested in the tunnel.

    Thanks, Tom G.
     
  5. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Tom, that is the one just west of Ft. Smith, Jenson, is what I think it is called. When I worked as roadmaster for KCS, it was on my territory. I hy-railed it once a week. This time their was a guy taking a photo of the tunnel. I gave him a ride to his car and he sent me the photo. Its dated 3-28-00 Terry Chicwak is the photo owner.
    The Tunnel at that time was in poor condition, I put a 10 MPH order on it, water used to leak through it. I think the west end was partially brick lined. I have had several tunnels on my line before. The worst was Cape Horn, its curved and located in Washington South of Camas. It would be raining west side and snowing on the east side. Every time you went through it, the light on the other end would brighten, I always worried it was a train. It never was.
    William Jackson
     
  6. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Bill, you would probably enjoy one of the layouts here in KC. Bob Willer models the SP&S in 1967 from Vancouver to Pasco and Bend, Camas is on his layout.
     
  7. TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020)

    TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020) Passed Away July 15, 2020 Frisco.org Supporter

    Thanks William for the details.

    Tom G.
     
  8. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    WoW SP&S, that is really neat. I had a bunch of SP&S guys working for me in Vancouver. Really a great bunch. I think I still have some agreement books from there. I also had the Astoria line. It had a couple of short tunnels on it. I remember getting called one night for a tree down on that line. No trains was scheduled, so I took off, Saturday morning for my normal hi-rail trip grabbing my chain saw. I started out of Will bridge and came around a curve. There was an old growth fir tree, that came down off the side of the mountain, hit the track and pushed the track about 5 ft out of line into the Columbia river. Needless to say my chainsaw was of no use, the tree was close to 7 ft. round. In any event taller than me and I am 5-11. I hired a professional tree guy. We took the derrick out there and loaded it, on a flat. We took it to a lumber place on the line, I think around Rainier and sold it for 3K. I took on a new attitude about tree's that day.
    William Jackson
     
  9. Sirfoldalot

    Sirfoldalot Frisco.org Supporter Frisco.org Supporter

    Neat story, William.
    Thanks for posting it.
     
  10. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Here is a shot of the Hi-Rail, which the Frisco assigned to my father. It was taken during the late 70's

    ceb_hirail_ed.jpg

    I found several shots that he took while hi-railing around the Frisco.

    I believe the first pair were taken on the Columbus Sub on Bridge R728.9, which was a vertical-lift span that carried the Frisco over the Warrior River. The bridge was 3277 feet long, and the lift section was 188 feet long. The view is to the South(RR).

    warrior_river_brdg_2_ed.jpg warrior_river_brdg_ed.jpg


    The second pair of images are easy to locate. They were taken on the Chickasha Sub's crossing of the Red River at MP G716.0. Bridge G716.0 was 1242 feet long. Between the Red River and Quanah the line was owned by the Frisco, but Leased to the QAP. The view is to the north(compass) or east(RR).

    hirail_III_ed.jpg red_river.jpg
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 12, 2013
  11. Thank you Karl and William for sharing your photos. I like the look of the older trucks compaired to today's stuff. Plus they were made of real American metal back then(didn't matter in a collission with a train though)!!!
     
  12. pbender

    pbender Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I love how there are basically no markings on most of the Frisco trucks I've seen photos of, just some standard commercial vehicle text and no logo.

    This makes modeling those trucks easy, if you can find an appropriate vehicle to start with.

    Paul
     
  13. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Thanks Karl, this is great stuff,
    Trident makes the Chevy truck and Suburban in HO scale (good luck getting some, always back ordered at Walthers). DW makes a reasonable representation of the hi-rail stuff, minus the narrow highway wheels.
    I still have some video of the Red River flooding and a steam pile driver in action, I would love to up-load if I ever learn how to do it from video. I will try again.
    Do you think the vehicles were painted with the elusive GM Red/Orange?
    Thanks to everyone, a great thread with lots of interesting stuff.
     
  14. pbender

    pbender Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Does anyone know if the Frisco had any crew cab hi-rail trucks?

    GHQ used to make a crew ab Chevy Hi-Rail. I have a kit in my collection, and it would be a pretty quick build if I only have to paint it orange with black running gear.

    Paul
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2017
  15. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Paul, some of the Surfacing Gangs had Chevy Crew Cabs. They was White though. Most of the Hy-rails on the Frisco, were unmarked, because, they did not want, prospect business to know, the rail line was planing a line or extended line. You would be surprised how much the price for land will escalate once someone knows the RR is interested. Not to mention a competitive business. Some small, sections (3 Man) had Hy-rail crew cabs.
    William Jackson
     
  16. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Karl
    Do have any info on the lettering on the side just behind the cab? It is PUC info?
    Would like to be able to duplicate the info in a decal.
    Thanks

     
  17. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Tom, I am sure Karl will add more, but at least one of the numbers was the total weight allowed on the hyrails. We had a lot of problems you know, throw in a couple keg of spikes and 4 or 5 pr of angle bars with a keg of bolts and the truck was overloaded. Fairmont had a liability issue along with the railroad. I am thinking the number was 6500 loaded.
    Any way that is what they was for.
    Bill Jackson
    Tom I will add this, I can't make it out but it went something like this:
    LD LMT
    LT WT
    CAPTY
    Kinda like the stenciling on boxcars, except no one really cared to fill in the numbers, with the exception of the total weight on the Hirails. 6500 or something like that.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 13, 2013
  18. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    SL.SF.RWY.CO.
    H.T. 0000
    LW. 0,000
    GW. 00,000 BL.
     
  19. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Thanks William And Karl
    I got something I can work with now. Looks like a Roman type font to me?
    I have the Trident Truck in the "stash" and managed to break, heavily modify, re-glue a set of DW Hi-Rail wheels and bumpers. Not so sure if sometimes it wouldn't be better, to just starting with a blank piece of metal sometimes. Was it the painted the same Red/Orange as the locos? I hope so cause its already painted.. :):) Have a set of offset wheels and rims from a River Point HI-Rail vehicle that's been on a peg board for 5 years, to try and use too.
    Lets see what we can do here...
    Thanks guys for helping the project along here.
    And thanks Bill, they never expected more out of anything than was designed did they?? Anyway, now I know what to put in the truck bed too, it is always a pleasure to be able to tap into the base of knowledge here.
     

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