Joplin, MO, Carthage Subdivision, Joplin Branch, Galena Branch, Tuckahoe Branch, MP 331.5

Discussion in 'Depots G-P' started by xy47402, Jan 14, 2014.

  1. xy47402

    xy47402 Member

    Hey, everyone.

    I am doing self-directed research on railroads that paralleled Route 66, including the Frisco between Saint Louis, MO and Joplin, MO.

    I have been to Joplin three times and have made good pictures of the Frisco building on Main Street.

    I was rather surprised to discover a photograph of an alleged SECOND Frisco depot in Joplin, as indicated above by the PDF filenames MO.Joplin.pdf and MO.Joplin2.pdf.

    Does anyone know where this depot was located?

    What was this depot called?

    Was it a commuter depot?

    Street address or intersection?

    Is the building perchance still standing?

    And what is the large IGA warehouse in the background with the Milwaukee Road logo in the lower right?

    Thanks!

    Edit 3/17/2024: Responses to the questions in this post are outlined below.

    a) The freight house and after September 1, 1955 "new" depot was located at 1015 South Main Street, Joplin, MO 64801.

    Note the passenger waiting room addition on the north side to the original freight house office. Photograph view looking southeast.

    This was the fourth (4th) Frisco depot in Joplin, MO.

    The original Frisco depot and its two successors, depots 1, 2 and 3, were located to the north in the downtown central business district core.

    Depot 3 and its 8-story office tower still stand at 601 South Main Street, Joplin, MO 64801. The building has been converted into the Frisco Station Lofts.

    b) The structure was called the Frisco freight house and, after 9/1/1955 the Frisco freight house and depot.

    c) No, Frisco commuter service in Joplin ended in the early 1920s.

    That service was provided at the Frisco stub end depot and office tower in the downtown central business core to the north at 601 South Main Street.

    The downtown central business core depot and office tower has been converted into the Frisco Station Lofts.

    d) Both Frisco depot location addresses are noted in the responses above.

    e) No, the freight house and "new" depot were torn down on the mid 1990s.

    However, the downtown depot and office tower still stands to the north on the southeast corner of South Main Street and East 6th Street.

    f) Adjacent to the IGA warehouse is a Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific (CMSP&P) or Milwaukee Road 50' boxcar.
    MKD
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 19, 2024
  2. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Not really an answer to the questions.

    But I believe that the neon sign found a home in Lee Chronister's back yard in Chaffee, MO from the late 1970s up until approximately 1995 or 1996 when they had his estate sale.

    The section below the coonskin, as I recall, said "FREIGHT - PASSENGER." Tim Cannon might be able to confirm or deny that this is the same sign?

    I would guess that this may have been a freight house, judging by the left side of the photo?

    But, I will defer to others more knowledgeable.

    Best Regards,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  3. Steamnut

    Steamnut cinder sniffer

    Do a Google street view of 1027 South Main Street, Joplin, MO.

    The large building in the background is the old Interstate Grocery Association building.

    The site for the Frisco freight house depot looks like it is a parking lot now.

    One block west is a clean Santa Fe caboose all by its lonesome.

    I would bet that the Milwaukee Road logo is on the side of a boxcar.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  4. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Chris is correct.

    This is the Frisco's Joplin freight house, and passenger depot.

    The structure was 340'-4" long x 40'-5" wide at the street. There was a shed platform on the east end that was 1201'-0" x 22'-5". The two-story section was 39'-6" x 40'-5” and served as the freight house offices.

    The Frisco shifted operation to its new, brick Joplin depot on September 1, 1955.

    A portion of the two-story office section adjoined the freight house was converted to a waiting room, ticket office, telegraph office, and an office for the general agent.

    Among other reasons, the new depot location improved operations by eliminating a reverse move, which was required at the old depot at East 6th Street and South Main Street.

    The Frisco web site has a bug the precludes me from posting the B&B diagram, and the Joplin track arrangement.

    Darren is correct with the location and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific (CMSP&P) or Milwaukee Road boxcar that is spotted by the warehouse.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  5. xy47402

    xy47402 Member

    The Frisco freight depot office!

    Yes, of course, now it makes sense. Now I see things in the picture that I missed before and that is why the PDF floor plans do not match the appearance of the building. They belong to a different structure!

    That other website lied to me! Thanks to everyone for helping me clarify this.

    Just one more trivia question for Darren, is the location of the Santa Fe caboose the former location of the Missouri Pacific (MP) stone passenger depot?

    That building was moved to Rangeline Road to become the Timberline Steakhouse and now the Pacific Rim Asian Fusion joint.

    Edit 3/17/2024: The former Missouri Pacific stone depot was relocated to 2850 East 29th Street, Joplin, MO 64804. As of today it is currently occupied by the restaurant Maria's Mexican Grill and Cantina.

    The building has been occupied by multiple tenants, mostly restaurants including several not listed, since being relocated. The structure was just south of the path of the category 5 tornado that devastated a large swath of southern Joplin on 5/22/ 2011.

    The former depot sits to the west, adjacent to the south inclined approach to the South Rangeline Road overpass over the Kansas City Southern (KCS) main line.
    MKD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  6. xy47402

    xy47402 Member

    If you link to the Springfield Greene County Public Library in Springfield, MO website and click on the photograph for identifier p01171, you get the picture that I posted above.

    http://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/depots/jasper.cfm

    Associated with this image is a PDF file that you view by clicking the link "View Floor Plan". The PDF file, 2 pages, contains the floorplans as posted in this (Frisco) thread.

    MO.Joplin.pdf

    MO.Joplin2.pdf

    Edit 3/29/2024: https://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/depots/floorplans/MO.Joplin.pdf

    Added current link to the downtown depot office tower floor plan.
    MKD

    To my seeing, the floorplans belong to Frisco passenger station downtown, while the picture is of the freight house depot station further south.

    I wrote to the librarian in Springfield, asking if he was SURE that this is correct.

    I stated my reasons why I thought there had been a mix-up.

    He insists that the picture is the passenger depot and that the floorplans belong to the building as show.

    Go figure.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  7. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    In the Springfield-Greene County Library digital collection there are numerous errors.

    Like you, I have have sent my corrections, but they have have gone unheeded.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  8. Where the Santa Fe Caboose sits is where the Missouri Pacific (MP or MoP) depot was once located.

    Also a couple blocks down the line is the former MP roundhouse.

    It is now occupied and used as a private business though.

    Edit 3/17/2024: The former MP depot before it was moved was located at 1001 South Main Street, Joplin, MO 64801.

    The former MP roundhouse is located at 1070 South Missouri Avenue, Joplin, MO 64801. It is currently occupied by Trojan Heat Treating, Inc..
    MKD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  9. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Those are some serious dimensions, in the heyday of less than carload (LCL) shipments!

    Best Regards,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  10. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Chris,

    I did a double take when I saw the platform dimensions. That is a lot of real estate.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  11. fdegraff

    fdegraff Member

    I have seen two conflicting dates as to when Frisco passenger service ended in Joplin.

    I have read two articles concerning the history of the Joplin Frisco passenger station that state that passenger service ended there in 1955.

    I have read from other sources on the internet that the last Frisco passenger train left Joplin in October 1960.

    Does anyone out there have any knowledge of this?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  12. tomd6 (Tom Duggan RIP 2/11/2018)

    tomd6 (Tom Duggan RIP 2/11/2018) Passed Away February 11, 2018

    Mike Condren's web site lists the last Joplin passenger service as October 15, 1960.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  13. fdegraff

    fdegraff Member

  14. slsfrr (Jerome Lutzenberger RIP 9/1/2018)

    slsfrr (Jerome Lutzenberger RIP 9/1/2018) Engineer Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    The Frisco freight house doubled as a passenger station several years before passenger service in Joplin ended.

    There was even a Pullman car set out on the westbound trip and picked up on the eastbound trip of the passenger train from Springfield, MO to Wichita, KS which I believe was pulled off 1960.

    That could be the reason for some of the confusion.

    Jerome
    Oklahoma City, OK

    Edit 3/17/2024: The last passenger trains were westbound No 309, the Kansas Mail and eastbound No 310, the St. Louis Special.
    MKD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2024
  15. fdegraff

    fdegraff Member

    I suspected that may had been the case.

    Thanks for confirming it.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  16. Friscotony

    Friscotony Member

    On July 2nd of 1960, The Kansas Supreme court allowed Frisco to stop service of it trains from Monett, MO to Wichita, KS.

    On September 30th, the announcement was made that the last run would be October 12th of 1960. Trains Eastbound No 310 and Westbound No 309.

    They consisted of a locomotive, a baggage car, a combination mail and baggage and a 60 seat air-conditioned chair car.

    On Wednesday, October 12th, it was reported that the last run would be Saturday, which would have been the 15th.

    The source of these reports was the Wichita Eagle daily paper.

    Tony LaLumia
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  17. Rancho Bob

    Rancho Bob Member

    A couple of things, because I was there.

    Somebody mentioned the Interstate Grocer's Association, bur actually it is the Independent Grocers Association (IGA). My grandfather, a Joplin grocer for 50 years, was a member and an officer at one time.

    Secondly, the Frisco Building housed other businesses. One I remember vividly was the Frisco Pharmacy. All my grandfathers scripts came from there and I used to ride down in the mornings with him when he picked them up. I still have a number of empty prescription bottles of his because of the name.

    Third, sadly, the train came off almost at the same time we had his funeral in the fall of 1960.

    The era of my youth in Joplin was over.

    BD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  18. tomd6 (Tom Duggan RIP 2/11/2018)

    tomd6 (Tom Duggan RIP 2/11/2018) Passed Away February 11, 2018

    The Frisco Joplin depot was also home to doctors and dentists for many years according to a local railroad history expert.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  19. arkrail

    arkrail Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Frisco Passenger Traffic Department Bulletin 2315 advises that trains No 309 and No 310 would be discontinued effective October 16, 1960.

    Last runs operated from both Monett, MO and Wichita, KS on Saturday, October 15, 1960.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024
  20. Friscotony

    Friscotony Member

    If you study a timetable from that era, you will see that the westbound train No 309 came from Monett, MO to Wichita, Ks, then it was turned and returned to Monett, actually Springfield, MO.

    Usually about a 2:30 arrival and a 4:30 departure.

    Tony L.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 18, 2024

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