Trains No 107-108, Sunnyland, No 117-118, Firefly - Ft. Scott Passenger Operations - Circa 1956-1960

The picture of SLSF 217 30' RPO-Baggage and passenger train, which was posted on the Frisco Archive, September 3, 2018

It is another one of those gems, which helps provide some insight to Frisco passenger train operations. The image depicts train No 107 at Ft Scott sometime between October 1, 1956 and May 23, 1960.



To help understand what is occurring in the photo, a brief review of history is in order.

The Sunnyland made its inaugural run on October 7, 1925. It provided through Pullman sleeper service between Kansas City-St. Petersburg and Kansas City-Tampa. The train also handled a Kansas City-New Orleans sleeper via Memphis and the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad.

Through chair cars were handled between Kansas City-Atlanta and a Frisco diner operated between Kansas City-Birmingham. During the following years, the Frisco and connecting roads made numerous changes to the trains’ schedule, equipment, and destinations.

On April 21, 1940, the Sunnyland was restructured. Operation between Kansas City and Springfield was discontinued and replaced with locals, No 103 and No 104, which operated between Springfield and Ft. Scott. At Ft. Scott, train No 103 connected with train No 111 and train No 104 connected with No 118.

The Springfield-Memphis segment of the Sunnyland and the Memphis-Birmingham segment of the Sunnyland were now essentially separate trains due to lengthy layovers in Memphis.

On September 30, 1956 the Frisco discontinued trains No 101 and No 102, the Springfield-Memphis passenger local, and trains No 103 and No 104, the Springfield-Ft Scott passenger local. On October 1, 1956, trains No 107 and No 108, The Sunnyland, returned to Kansas City. The “new Sunnyland” was a mere shadow of its former self.

The change also affected trains No 117 and No 118, the Firefly, which from an operations standpoint no longer ran between Kansas City and Ft Scott. The March 1, 1957 Employee Timetable (ETT) shows the Firefly's absence between Kansas City Union Station (KCUS) and Ft. Scott.



At Ft. Scott, No 117’s cars were cut from No. 107’s train and coupled to an EMD E8A Redbird, which was maintained at Ft. Scott. Northbound, the process was reversed, and No 118’s cars were added to No 108’s train. The Firefly’s locomotive stayed in Ft. Scott for service and turning.

The Firefly also lost its Café-Lounge, and between Kansas City and Ft. Scott, meal service was offered by the Sunnyland’s buffet car, one of the 1600-class cars. When inaugurated, the Firefly was a “5-hour train” between Kansas City and Tulsa. By the end, it was a “7-hour train”. Frisco management had lost sight of what made this train a success. The October 1959 PTT shows the Firefly's equipment loss and lengthened schedule.



The Archive photo depicts train No 107 at Ft. Scott. The train is on the “New Main”. An unknown E-unit is on point which is followed by a Baggage, 30' RPO-Baggage, Baggage, and 30'RPO-Baggage, SLSF 217. The familiar yellow, Frisco baggage trucks are busy working these head-end cars.

To the left of No 107’s locomotive, a second passenger unit is visible on Track 1. I believe a switchman is standing by the rear of the first 30' RPO-Baggage. Once the head-end work is complete, he will cut the consist at that point, so that the Ft. Scott switcher, usually a Baldwin VO-1000, can pull the consist away from the first two cars and locomotive.

John Reed’s book about Frisco dining car service has on page 4 the same scene, but on a different date and from a different vantage point. In this image, SLSF 2011 is on No 107 and SLSF 2010 on No 117 which is waiting for its train to be assembled, are visible.

The SLSF 2019, in the foreground, hides most of No 107’s train, but the last RPO-Baggage (MB) can be seen which is followed by a Coach (PB), a Coach-Lounge-Buffet (DCL) or Buffet (DB), another Coach (PB), and perhaps another Coach (PB).

If we composite these two images, it is possible to speculate that an 8-car consist for No 107 might be typical. Of course, the number of cars will change due to seasonal traffic demands. It also appears that the consist was blocked as follows.

1. No 107 head-end

2. No 117 head-end

3. No 117 coaches

4. No 107 coaches

If that blocking is accurate, then the switcher would have pulled blocks 2, 3, and 4 back from No 107, and then shoved them southbound onto Track 1 and the waiting passenger unit. The switcher then would have pulled northward with No 107’s coaches, and the shoved them back onto No 107. Train No 117 departed 5 minutes before No 107 left town.

I have drawn a schematic, which shows the situation.



I have never seen any photos that depict the combination of No 108 and No 118 at Ft. Scott. But just for the sake of discussion, I will speculate just a bit. The northbound Firefly was due into Ft. Scott 5 minutes before No 108, and it used Track 1. There was no need to load express, baggage or mail to No 118. Upon arrival, the locomotive was cut-off, and it headed to the engine facilities for servicing and turning.

When No 108 arrived on the “New Main”, the Ft. Scott switcher coupled to No 108’s power and pulled northward with the locomotive and the head-end cars. The switcher then shoved back on to Track 1 to pick-up No 118’s train. It then pulled northward onto the “New Main”, and then shoved back onto No 108’s consist.



The Sunnyland only had 15 minutes of dwell time at Ft. Scott, so getting passengers on and off the train, handling all of the head-end stuff, and then performing the switching required precision from all involved.

Modelers can draw from this operation at Ft. Scott to add interest to their passenger operations, which can lack interest.

I 'd also be interested to hear if others might have first-hand information to refine my speculation.

 

Don Ball's book America's Colorful Railroads has a great photo of the combined seven-car train making a flag stop at Hillsdale, KS in the late 1950's.

This could be the missing link you are seeking.

Ken McElreath

 

I have an acquaintance in Chicago who models passenger operations at Chicago Union Station, circa 1990.

There is not a single freight car on his layout, which requires about 14 people to operate comfortably. My somewhat smaller layout represents operations at Kansas City Union Station in the late 1960's. I need around 8 operators to make it work smoothly, but then, I am not running 30 commuter trains during an operating session. Passenger operations need not be lacking in interest.

As the above excellent example illustrates, you just have to understand what is going on.

GS

 

The caption gets everything wrong except for the location in that image.

 

Karl,

Great job, your description of Frisco passenger train operations is very interesting and informative!!!

Joe