GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTENToday (Saturday, November 21, 2009) is the 29th anniversary of the Frisco-BN merger. Compared to some dates in history, it's not a day of mourning, but it is a day to remember when the Frisco stretched from central Kansas to the Gulf of Mexico, hosted such passenger trains as the Meteor, Texas Special, the Firefly and the Will Rogers, served as a vital interchange partner with Santa Fe and the railroads in Birmingham moving freight east & west, and ran with pride. Even the railroad it merged into (the Burlington Northern) is now history, itself a part of BNSF Railway, Inc. Some lines were abandoned, others spun off to form shortlines. The shops at Springfield are gone, as are a lot of depots, shops, freight houses and other RR-related buildings throughout the system. No longer do freights tackle the grades of the Winding Stairs, or roll through the lonely praries of the Texas panhandle or the plains of Kansas northwest of Wichita. But thanks to this and other sites, as well as a group of hard-working folks, the memory of the Frisco is alive and well. In pictures, books, film and even on model railroads, the St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. rolls on. As Richard Napper would say, "Remember the FRISCO!"
At least a small part of it lives on, albeit in N scale, on my hollow-core-door layout. PS- and a special THANK YOU to Doug Hughes, for helping to keep the Frisco fire lit by starting the FMIG. Bigtime kudos to the folks who are no longer with us for documenting the Frisco in word and picture, and those still around doing the same thing.
Yes, remember the FRISCO, and especially the men who toiled long and hard in the roundhouses and engine shops to help keep the trains rolling.
Even though I was a (very) little boy when the merger happened, I can't remember Frisco locomotives & cabooses. However, I vividly remember the abundance of FRISCO rolling stock coming through on BN trains (with BN cabooses...No stinkin' FRED's). Ocasionally, I still catch some old rolling stock with Frisco logos still there in all their (faded) glory...mostly rusty, warped & dented gondolas on work trains. I'm glad I can at least remember the aquired FRISCO rolling stock. (Heck...now days, I'm glad to see old BN items roll through!) And...If anyone responsible, in any way, for the restoration of the 1522 and her run to Atlanta in '94 reads this...you will never know how much it meant to me (being too young to remember the days of steam) to see FRISCO steam roar through my little home town once again. (VIDEO):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j03m-bYv5fo
I was only 3 when it happened, but I do have recollections of riding on the back of my parents bicycle, or in the car and hearing them talk of a caboose or engine going by still in the Frisco colors. It usually happened on the way to church or the swimming pool, as we had to cross or duck under both the MoPac and Frisco lines in Kirkwood to get to either place. Though I didn't get to see them myself, I still remember the occasional comment. I do remember, however, the MP merger and the engines painted in UP yellow with MoPac lettering, as briefly as that lasted.
The change in colors from bright orange and white did not happen right away, thankfully. A personal outcome was that my nephews in Denver could imagine the green and black locomotives rolling along US 85 might have passed by their uncle's house and they would see them when they visited St. Louis.
I remember becoming acquainted with the Frisco in my highschool days, in Lenexa. I may have seen the black and yellow scheme, on a very rare occasion, however they were usually orange and white. Thankfully, I snapped a lot of 35 mm pictures that I still have. One particular evening, when I was early-grade school age, I can still vividly recall watching a movie at a drive-in theater, not far from the Frisco tracks in Lenexa (east side of what is now 87th & I-35). If you've been in this area, you probably know that there is a pretty decent grade going south toward the Lenexa station. Well, I heard the most mezmorizing sound: the chant of the EMD 567's pulling a train south - up the hill. At first, the chorus was faint - then a little louder. By the time they were right accross the highway, they were really talking it up. At a young age, I was bit by the railfanning bug! As I see some posts from some folks who wither vaguely remember, or are too young to remember at all, we're all in the same boat. As we remember a railroad that had a unique flavor - like no other, we are also reminded that what's here today will likely be gone tomorrow. We are blessed by the foresight of so many photographers, historians, and authorities about the Frisco, who decided to capture the "here and now" that would disappear via the constant of change. Long live the Frisco, this wonderful group of knowledgable people, and those who have gone before us and shared their passion! Bob McKeighan Lenexa, KS
Great thread! The Frisco lives... and not just in our hearts! As for me, not only are models of it surfacing in S scale... but also in V scale. Below is a pic of one of my projects. What you're looking at is the tracks of Ft. Smith, Akransas... in Microsoft's Train Simulator, circa 1908! At this point, Ft. Smith contains the core trackage of the Frisco, the Iron Mountain & Southern, the Midland Valley, along with enough track to support interchange with the KCS and Ft. Smith & Western. Track already completed includes the south line past Maney Jct, including the track/towns along the way. At Jenson the Mansfield Branch peels off and has been laid all the way to Mansfield. In addition, the Midland Valley's track/towns are in place from Maney Jct to Hackett, Excelsior, and down to Hartford! Enough Rock Island track at Hartford and Mansfield is in the process of being modeled to allow interchange at those points too! The FRISCO LIVES!!! Andre Ming
I wrote this on the wall of the Roadway Equipment Shop on 21 Nov 1990. A lot had changed in the last ten years. The car shop,wheel shop and roadway products shop were gone. I had spent a fourth of the 80th layed off, The diesel and equipment shops were going strong, I was working daylight with sat&sun off. I took the photo in may 07 just before they tore down the equipment shop.
Hey Andre, where is the western end of your Midland Valley going to be? I will be starting the Pawhuska to Muskogee sub at the beginning of the year. Codeman
Hi Codeman: At this point, I only intend to model enough Midland Valley west of Maney Jct to support AI traffic. The MV operations I percieve will be mine runs along with Ft. Smith and Hartford turns out of Excelsior. IF I ever get this project finished enough to cast an eye at expansion, then my most likely candidate will be to extend the Frisco to Poteau, OK. There it can connect with the KCS as well as have some nice local switching, along with some more mines to work. In addition, it can connect with the little Poteau & Cavanal Mountain that worked mines that are just a short hike from my house. I would love to model the miniscule Poteau & Cavanal Mountain, too! THEN there's expansion of the Frisco to the north to captilize on the mountain railroading up that way... and the neat stuff around Fayetteville... and then off to Springdale... and Rogers... and...
Somewhat related... On Thanksgiving Day, my family, along with my dad and niece/nephew went to "Frisco Park" in Chaffee where Dad is now taking care of park maintenance. He said some time ago that he was going to make the "Men" and "Women" signs for the ballpark restrooms in the shape of the Frisco coonskin! I neither verified nor asked him about it. Things look much differently that even the immediate post-merger days that I remember. There was a southbound BNSF lashup in orange/green (I have no idea what type of locomotives) in the hole...my son was more interested in launching his model rocket! Best Regards,
