This is a portion of a real estate map from around 1910; I recall this hanging in the old Bank of Chaffee building when I was a kid. Jerry Stroup, retired Frisco conductor and current webmaster of the Chaffee Historical Society, was kind enough to provide a copy to me. Note that this is listed as a yard for the St. Louis, Memphis & Southeastern and Chicago and Eastern Illinois. North is roughly to the left. Most everything here jives with later Sanborn maps that I have. The only items that I don't think ever existed was the restaurant to the north (left) of the passenger depot, and the large machine shop to the north (left) of the roundhouse. Also, the area that would appear to be locomotive storage (tracks between the roundhouse and "Car Repair Shop" was in later years filled by buildings (division stores and loading dock, milling shop, lockers, foreman's office, etc.).
Thanks YardMaster, Thank you very much for your reply - it was a big help. I'm modling it in N scale due to limited space. I'm looking at the late 40's - early 60's timeframe. Is there any way I can get a better copy of the yard diagram because my printer won't print out anything larger than an 8.5 X 11. If there is, please let me know. Thanks very much for your help. Blacksmith
Chris, I also am modeling the Frisco (St. Louis Sub / Chaffee Sub) from St. Louis to Oran with staging in St. Louis in the north end and Memphis to the south end. Chaffee is my main yard and crew change point. I have a 1937 TT (29a) that I picked up off a recent posting. I would like to know what the necessity was for the passenger train #'s 873 / 874 / 875 /876 from Nash to Cape Girardeau. Was it for railroad employees? Was a motor car used for this run? Please reply to Friscorpb@gmail.com Thanks, Bob Brady
At this time Hoxie Sub trains 873,874,875 & 876 originated/terminated at Cape. Since they operated between Cape and Nash they were placed on the St Louis Sub's schedule. Take a look at the Hoxie Sub pages in ETT29A, and you will see these trains.
I tried to post this the other day but for some reason it didn't work. Here's an aerial view of Chaffee BD (Before dizmals)
Don, I just stumbled across this; it showed up when we were on vacation last summer - thanks for posting! I have a copy of the original cover on an FMIG newsletter but it's very grainy. One obvious missing link in this picture is a coaling trestle/dock. When the Chaffee facilities were first constructed c. 1905, a 14-apron gravity coal dock was located just to the north (the photo is looking to the north) of the water towers/south of the roundhouse, but it doesn't appear to be evident in this aerial photo. The concrete coaling tower was constructed in 1935 at the same time the Hayti tower was built, and it was dynamited in 1952. My understanding is that it was build adjacent to the main line for easier/faster loading of coal, but it also is not evident in the aerial photo. Here's a ground-level shot: http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2235&d=1140077391 As not noted, no diesels are evident. There do appear to be three locomotives toward the bottom (adjacent to the caboose track), possibly in storage, and one pointed north on the roundhouse leads. The roundhouse itself is still in its pre-diesel configuration. The industry track is also evident in the upper-left hand side: it looks like the old Florsheim Shoe Factory is there, with the old Ruch Hoop mill above it. I'm sure somewhere I have a date on when the shoe factory opened, which might in turn help to place the exact photo date. At any rate, I'm hoping that Karl, Tim, Ken Mc or others can chime in as to the missing coaling facility and/or a date for this photo. Best Regards,
I believe the concrete coaling tower was located just south of the passenger depot and on the east side of the mail line, according to the ground-level photo. This location was convenient for main line trains to refuel without uncoupling. The aerial photo doesn't show the area far enough south to include it. Ken
Chris, here are a few pics of the coal tower and chute. Note the one pic is a C&EI locomotive in the Chaffee yard (COOL!). I sure wish I had the plans for the chute as I would love to model it in HO. I'll look for more pics.
Tim, thanks a bunch for including these, and Ken, many thanks for the lead on the coal tower's location. The demolotion photo doesn't appear to show much of the "hill" in the background (looking southeast), so that would reasonably place it south of the depot (Yoakum Ave.) as you noted. Tim, I don't know which is more fascinating in the one photo: the C&EI power, the logs on the adjacent flat car, or the coal trestle...talk about a grade! Thanks for the replies. Best Regards,
I think you could do a good job of modeling the coal chute using a Walthers and cutting the width down. I did it for Newburg.
I was a bit off on the date the concrete coaling tower was constructed. From the FEM, January 1930 local news from the "Office of Division Accountant, Chaffee MO (Ralph Stephens, Reporter): "Work is now in progress on the new modern coal chute to be erected at this point. The new chute will be located on the main line and engines used in through service can be refueled with much less delay to trains than formerly account the old chute being located some distance from the main line."
