Building the Railroad to Fort Leonard Wood & General Wood Frisco Passenger Train

Discussion in 'Rolla-Lebanon Subdivision' started by mountaincreekar, May 17, 2019.

  1. Building the Railroad to Fort Leonard Wood & Frisco General Wood passenger train

    p.50 Old Settler Gazette

    http://www.oldstagecoachstop.org/webgeezer/Gazette92/flwrr.pdf

    1. Frisco Railroad 's General Wood passenger train's changing routes and services

    2. Building the Railroad to Fort Leonard Wood design, construction, naming of,
    construction ad statics, fast overlapping project schedules, Bundy Junction, route details & turning of the row, bridges & trestles, employment, skills, local legal resources.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 10, 2023
    Ozarktraveler likes this.
  2. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    That's a good article and describes what an engineering marvel that was. The Branch was also built to handle the biggest power the Frisco had then, which would have been the 4400s. Two of the "Spot" engines, the 19 and the 40, 2-10-2s were also put in service on the Branch, but I suspect their longer wheelbase was problematic.

    I always wish we could have run the 1522 up to the post. I would think of that whenever we wyed the train at Bundy. What if I just kept going up the branch? Would have been quite the trip.
    I can remember passing tracks and semaphores on the line.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 10, 2023
  3. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    It's really a beautiful trip, I used to patrol that track a couple of times. The bridges and scenery was really worth the trip. If only those rails could talk, the things that has passed their. My grandfather was a boilermaker and used to trouble shoot engines on the Newburg line. If only I knew whether he had worked on that branch. WOW
     
  4. palallin

    palallin Member

    In answer to the question about the red lines, I wonder if it shows the proposed ROW for the mainline surveyed prior to the war (the Civil War, that is). We know there were two tunnels there. I can't make the image big enough to check the locations.
     
  5. Steve,
    Yes!
    Yesterday I did www search on google about construction of and dates when done (our Eastern Division). Searches reminded me that construction was by Pacific, Southern Pacific, South Pacific, Atlanta and Pacific before Frisco.

    One source stated that west of Fort Wood had tunnel work and surveys by Chinese & other immigrant workers. Not much else was given why or who paid for those. West of Fort Wood an odd location being so remote. It stated that work on tunneling was too hard, long and expensive. I found all that confusing why it even happened. Who paid for that exploring? Pacific RR?, Chartering Law State of Missouri? or Chartering US Congress land grants?

    Also my searches led to many stories about all what went at the job sites ~1850's to ~ 1879 to Springfield, the track gauge changing, no pay at changes of RR names, strikes, other extra costs for selling Broad gauge locomotives and reordering Standard gauge new locomotives, all adding to rework and the confusions.

    At different periods labors got up to 2000 to 3000 construction workers with temporary shanty shacks and tents. Water had to be hauled in since most work was on ridgelines. The labor forces were constantly changing.

    Thank you all for your replies and Likes,

    Charles
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 10, 2023

Share This Page