Hello Frisco Folks. Here are some photographs of Frisco 4-8-2 1500 Series Mountain Class Engines SLSF 1500, 1502, and 1503. Enjoy, Rich Ship it on the Frisco!
4-8-2 SLSF 1502 Here is a nice shot of the 4-8-2 SLSF 1502 sitting in the evening sun at St. Louis Union Station depot ready to leave with No. 1, The Texas Special, back in 1929. Note the striping on the tender, a little different and more elaborate rendition that what the passenger engines eventually had. Also note the Volatone air horns on the cab roof, right over the engineer's head. Wonder whose idea that was? Nice fish belly Frisco 30' RPO, express and baggage combination car behind of the engine.
Speaking of Volatone Whistles Several months ago while perusing the Springfield - Greene County Library's digital collection of the Frisco Employee's Magazines, I happened across this article (2/28) about the Volitone Horn. Apparently the placement of choice for this horn was on the cab roof, because several subsequent articles about locomotive rebuilding projects specifically state that the Volatones were moved to the "smoke arch". For example, see page 16 of the September 1931 issue which discusses the rebuilding of the 4-6-2 SLSF 1061. As a side note, the Springfield North Side Jazz Band called itself the Volatones. I do not why the application of the Volatones was discontinued or why they were ultimately removed. No doubt the higher cost of the Volatone verses a steam whistle played a part. My father never had nice comments about the horn.
Nice photograph of the 4-8-2 SLSF 1502. Interesting to note a passenger engine with a rear sand delivery pipe on the #2 driver. Seems odd to me for a passenger steam engine to have this feature unless it was considered a dual service engine. Were these engines designated "dual service" freight and passenger? Bob Campbell Naperville, IL
The Mighty Have Fallen Although she still retains the gold Doric striping, albeit slightly less fancy than 1929, for which the Frisco is well known, we see the SLSF 1502 in an entirely different setting than Don's image depicts. The negative jacket tells us that we have a shot of the SLSF 1502 taken on 5/2/1936 in Hoxie, AR. However, details on the image do not square with that date and place. Behind the tender we can see a turntable. The Frisco did not have one in Hoxie, AR. The tender sports, of all things, a doghouse. In 1936, this was heresy. There is also a subtle clue; the bell is grimy, and the boiler jacket needs to be wiped. The Frisco would not let her pull The Texas Special, The Kansas City-Florida Special, or The Meteor in such a state. Finally, the clue that sheds the most light on the date and place of this picture are the train indicator boards, which are mounted behind the stack. During the summer of 1948, the Texas and New Orleans (T&NO) Railroad leased the SLAF 1501, 1502, 1514, and the 1521. No doubt, this view depicts the SLSF 1502 on foreign rails during the summer of 1948. We see her here as she awaits her next freight call for her temporary master. Knowing Texas summers as I do, it must have been a hot, muggy day. She is many miles away and many days away from 1929, St. Louis, and the Texas Special.
You nailed it, the SLSF 1502 is indeed on lease to the T&NO. Several years ago I stopped at the Georgetown Loop Railroad and was talking with the engineer on the train. He was retired from Denison, TX on the T&NO and he brought up the subject of the leased engines. He commented on how much they liked the shotgun exhaust of the 1500s and how you could hear them all over town when they started a train. He said they were very well liked there.
A photograph of the Horns that Karl was speaking of from the Frisco Employee's Magazine from 1928. FM
I had never seen that location for the horns before. The photographs I have seen show them either mounted on the cab roof, ugh, or all 4 mounted on the right side of the smokebox. Perhaps this was another experimental location. I just know the cab roof mounting right over the engineer's head was popular with the engine crew. 4-8-2 SLSF 1510 shows what seemed to be the preferable location.
I found this shot of 4=8-2 SLSF 1502 among some of my Dad's "stack of stuff". There was no date or location given. Most likely, it was taken during the late 1930s There is not enough background scenery to fix a location. The photographer must have been wearing sun glasses. Does not the 1502 dazzle the eye in the sunlight
Karl, Thanks for posting. Every time I look at a nice pic of a Frisco 1500 class Mountain, they get better looking! To my eye, the first group, 1500-1514, are the best looking, but they are all great. Ken
You are so right! Great shot of the 1502. I may have been wrong on another post about SLSF 1520's tender looking better than the original version. Love the 1500s.
This is also a 1502 "centerfold!" It's one of those shots with the extra tender striping: http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2772&d=1143033744 Tom
At some point between the two photographs I see SLSF 1502 picked up a coonskin number plate and unfortunately also an airhorn, making her, to my eye, the perfect 1500, First group, small smokebox door and coonskin plate. As for the photographer, whether it is or is not, the composition is classic R. J. Foster. Nice photograph, both of them. Gordon
A suggestion - what say we all look through out photograph files and collectively post a reference gallery of roster shots, not action photographs, of each of the 1500s. Any interest in that? Can we do that even if we did not take the photographs ourselves? Ken
4-8-2 SLSF 1508 I am sort of partial to this one. I still have one unmolested PFM Toby 4-8-2 and when time permits will do this one, chicken coop and all. Cannot decide between the big and small smokebox door though. The shot of the SLSF 1502 at Union Station posted before was taken by a man named Moneypenny according to Joe Collias. I have the negative. I cannot believe someone in the Motive Power department chose to mount those air horns right over the engineer's head. I have seen shots of the SLSF 182-187 with them up there also. I just know the engineer loved that!
Okay Don, I will give you SLSF 1508 as even more perfect first order, small smokebox door, coonskin number plate and chicken coop pilot! The shot at Lindenwood certainly appears to be classic Foster, was it? The shot of SLSF 1508 double headed with the 4500 has it with a large smokebox door. Was that a later shot than the other two? Merry Christmas everyone. Gordon
I think the first two at Lindenwood were in the late 1930s. I know the broadside is a Foster negative, but I am not sure who shot the other one. The negative does not have a Foster look to it . The doubleheader shot was later, at least 1942 or 1943 since there is a 4500 in it. I need to scan some more negatives I guess.
4-8-2 SLSF 1505 and 1506 Time to move this thread up to the top again with a shot of the 4-8-2 SLSF 1505. SLSF 1506 was taken at Springfield. For some reason the 1506 had the headlight mounted higher than the rest of them and looked strange from head on. So did the 4-8-2 SLSF 1510.
Don, Interesting auxiliary water tender behind the SLSF 1505. I did not realize they where used behind the 1500 class. Brad
