Cape Girardeau, MO

Discussion in 'St Louis Subdivision' started by chris, Mar 10, 2002.

  1. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Old Hwy 61 Overpass - Cape Girardeau MO

    According to my track chart, it is precisely Bridge #135.8.
     
  2. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Keith, thanks for clarifying on the old 61 overpass location!

    That also helps to clarify what "Rock Creek" likely was on the old timetable; looks like there is a trestle/bridge that the railroad crosses just a smidgen east of the overpass.

    Best Regards,
     
  3. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    A friend of mine, Ken Steinhoff, formerly from Cape Girardeau, is a retired photo-journalist. He is running a blog about Cape Girardeau in the 60's; www.capecentralhigh.com and has featured a number of things (besides aerial photos) of interest to Frisco and railroad people. In two different postings he talked about the two steam switch engines that used to serve the cement plant in Cape. Take a look at them and read about them here:
    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-girardeau-parks-are-well-trained/

    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/parks/hooligans-deface-train/

    He documented the Frisco bridge across Cape La Croix Creek:
    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/1929-railroad-bridge/

    He posted a video of kids catching the train in Cape for a ride to Chaffee:
    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/train-trip-to-chaffee/
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2011
  4. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Folks -
    There's an interesting audio slide show on the Southeast Missourian site today: a 1983 interview with longtime photographer G.D. Fronabarger talking about flood coverages.

    http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/flynch/entry/40445/

    There are several photos of interest to modelers. To wit:
    -a boiler-equipped GP-7 #559 with a southbound passenger haul in front of the depot,
    -a view looking north up the line toward the depot (I'm guessing around the current depot at the foot of William St. - Keith or others, perhaps you can clarify)
    -aerial view of Marquette Cement, Hely Crushed Stone and the tank farm near the old Leming Lumber Mill,
    -Central Packing
    -several downtown storefronts and some of the long-vanished building signs that used to reside below the still-in-existence Coca-Cola sign at Water & Themis Sts.

    Enjoy!

    Best
     
  5. trains1504

    trains1504 Member

    Mr. McElreath,

    Have always been interested in the Frisco and am starting a preliminary plan for a model railroad that has some of the industries that you have either modeled or have mentioned. I have become very interested in the river Division since my first job was across the river in Anna Illinois and now that my son is in school at Southeast Missouri State. I had a question for you. Did you have access to track plans for your layout or did you do a lot of it from memory and photographs? The reason is that even though my son is down there I am not able to get down that way as often as I would like and I am looking for a little advice on which route to take as far as track planning and industries to choose to model. Because you have modeled some of the industries that I am interested in I thought you might be a good resource. Thanks for the great photos of your layout and I am hoping that you can provide a little information to get me started.

    Thank You,

    Mark Haun
    trains1504
     
  6. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

  7. timothy_cannon

    timothy_cannon Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Love it!

    riverpass.jpg

    Note: the picture here was taken during the 1951 flood.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2011
  8. timothy_cannon

    timothy_cannon Member Frisco.org Supporter

    BTW the 45 tonner is gone from Lone Star or whatever it's called these days. They now have what appears to be 2 SW's of some sort. Have not had a chance to get a good look. 45 tonner might have went to Ste. Gen.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 11, 2012
  9. trains1504

    trains1504 Member

    Thanks so much for the track chart and industry guide. That is perfect.
     
  10. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Thanks to Tim Cannon for the copy of the Specification Order Sheet that Marquette filled out when ordering the original GE 45 Ton Switch Engine #4. The sheet confirms to me that the engine was definitely a 45 tonner vs a 44 tonner. Builders number was #32388, with two Cummins HBI-600 diesels.

    When Marquette decided to dispose of the Davenport and Porter steam switch engines they had, they leased a Frisco GE 44 ton switcher, #4, for a brief period of time before finally purchasing their own GE 45 ton switcher (*1). I have a copy of the original order specifications that Marquette submitted to GE for the puchase. It was originally painted in a scheme to match the black and yellow Frisco 44 tonner. When the plant was purchased by Lone Star Cement, it was repainted in a blue and white scheme with red trim and yellow handrails. That 45 tonner survived on plant property at least to July 17, 2011, when I took pictures of the switcher that supplanted it, an EMD SW1500; WPIX #330. On that date, the 45 tonner was still sitting on the plant property, but it looked like it was no longer in service.

    Attached are copies of the documents and pictures I took of the 45 tonner in 8/09 and the SW1500 in 7/11.

    (*1) Louis Marre; Frisco Diesel Power p32

    scan0003.jpg scan0002.jpg scan0001.jpg IMG_5211.jpg IMG_2342.JPG IMG_2340.JPG
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 5, 2014
  11. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    The area where the Roberts, Johnson, & Rand (International Shoe) Shoe Factory and Misssouri Utilities Power Plant were located north of downtown Cape has radically changed recently.

    Ken Steinhoff documents the change with aerial photos in his blog, www.capecentralhigh.com;
    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-downtown/isle-casino-cape-girardeau-clearing-starts/

    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-downtown/shoe-factory-to-cape-casino/

    and you can see more old photos at the Southeast Missourian Newspaper website using their search of old copies;

    http://www.semissourian.com/story/1688267.html


    http://www.semissourian.com/gallery/6570
     
  12. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 24, 2011
    FriscoCharlie likes this.
  13. renapper (Richard Napper RIP 3/8/2013)

    renapper (Richard Napper RIP 3/8/2013) Passed away March 8, 2013

    Keith, I think you mean 300 Pounds of explosives.
     
  14. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    No, I did not err. They used 300 TONS of explosives. The Southeast Missourian article at the hyperlink in my post confirms my memory of the event.
     
  15. wmrx

    wmrx MP Trainmaster

    That had to be one heck of an explosion.
     
  16. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    It really wasn't that loud. As you can see I was realitively close. I have heard louder reports from the aerial barrage explosions on the Fourth of July. Most of the energy was confined below ground - I think the sound from the mass of rock moved was greater than that of the explosives detonating. It was an impressive display of raw power.
     
  17. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Keith, somehow I missed these pictures while we were on vacation. I remember adults in Chaffee saying that they felt the blast when it happened, although maybe they were in Cape or Illmo-Scott City at the time.

    I also recall KFVS using video footage of this as part of a video montage that opened their newscasts for quite sometime afterward.

    Thanks very much for posting!

    Best Regards,
     
  18. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Since posting the pix, I found out through a source that the surface area on top of the blast zone was about six acres and about 250 feet deep.
     
  19. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Recently, another structure that housed a business served by the Frisco was razed on North Main Street as part of the new casino construction. The building was the former Morrison Ice and Fuel Company, later the Riverside Fuel Company. It was still standing in April but was gone as of Tuesday 8/16/2011. It was just south of the International Shoe Factory (formerly Roberts, Johnson, and Rand) and appeared on Sanborn Maps beginning in 1908. The founder, F.M. Morrison, also had a sand company at the location. I have no pictures of the building, but my friend, Ken Steinhoff, has a feature post in his blog, www.capecentralhigh.com , including aerials and ground level photos of the building. Here is a link to the two articles about the area:
    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape...le-casino-cape-girardeau-construction-update/

    http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-downtown/morrison-ice-and-fuel-falls-to-casino/

    Cape Girardeau 1915 #16.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 15, 2011
  20. Rick McClellan

    Rick McClellan 2009 Engineer of the Year

    Re: "Shops" area of Cape Girardeau

    This concrete ramp bears a strong resemblence to the concrete ramps at Springfield North Yard.
     

Share This Page