This ad in the Holdenville Daily News (2-25-38) heralds the addition of the afternoon BLACK GOLD to the daytime TULSA TEXAN on the Tulsa-Dallas route. Note the through Houston sleeper! This double daily service was repeated for a short time after WW2 with the overnight BLACK GOLD and daytime TEXAS FLASH.
The first of the 1015-class locomotives to be streamlined was the 1026, which left the West Shops during May 1938. It was produced to power the Black Gold, which made its inaugural run on Jan 23, 1938. It was named for the 1924 Kentucky Derby winner, Black Gold. See http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index....d-stream-styled-locomotives.13553/#post-92908
Learn something new every day! Thanks, Karl! I thought the streamlined Pacifics like 1026 were modified first for the FIREFLY and only later operated on the Tulsa-Dallas trains. Also thought BLACK GOLD derived from Oklahoma and Texas oil production.
There were always pictures of the 1026 that didn't match the caption or match conventional wisdom. index.php. or see page 17 of Frisco Southwest by McCall & Schultz. After a bit of digging, I'm confident that the 1026 appeared during May 1938 for use on the Black Gold, and the 1018 and 10131 appeared during January-February 1940 for use on The Firefly. Even though named for the racehorse, the Black Gold moniker works for the Tulsa, Dallas, and Houston "awl badnesses". In hindsight, I have been critical of the Frisco's passenger operation choices, and its failure to recognize the nature of the threat to those operations. However, further research proved parts of my hypothesis to be in error. During the 1930's the Frisco management experimented with faster schedules, and better connections, air conditioned equipment, limited in-seat dining car service, "snack cars", and during the winter of 1936-1937, "auto train service" for the The Kansas City - Florida Special. In spite of these improvement to service, the basic operational model remained the same, i.e., board the train during the evening, have supper in the diner, retire to one's Pullman, and arrive the next morning. During January 1938, the Frisco changed the paradigm, when it announced The Black Gold between Tulsa and Dallas. Publicity statements claimed a desire to compete with the fledgling airline industry. During May 1938, the 1026 left the West Shops with its new look, and it was sent to Tulsa for several shake-down runs, before it took charge of The Black Gold. By November 1939, adjusted its thinking, and the road announced The Firefly. Again, a second daylight, the Frisco opts for a fast train with limited station calls. By April 1940, two additional streamlined 1015-class locomotives and two new train sets were placed into service. Between 1939 and 1946, The Firefly underwent numerous changes with regard to schedule and destination. During May 1946, Frisco management returned to the Tulsa - Dallas corridor, and it instituted The Texas Flash on a 6-month test basis. By March 1947, the train was losing $15,000 per month, and on May 1, 1947, The Firefly returned. In its heyday, The Firefly was the fastest, end to end, train on the Frisco.
