My grandfather worked at a little railroad station in South Greenfield, Missouri. (My other grandfather was a construction boss for the Frisco) I have a poster of the Firefly that pictures engine 1026. The poster has printing within the photo that says "The Firefly" and "Kansas City - Tulsa - Oklahoma City". In the lower left is a Frisco logo that also says "Frisco Lines" inside the logo and "St. Louis - San Francisco Ry." below. I found it in a cardboard tube after my grandmother passed away. It is approximately 14" by 28" and printed in a sepia tone with dark blue. I'm wondering, is this poster rare? I've never seen one before or since and haven't found a similar image on-line.
As to the rarity of these prints, its a yes and no sort of proposition. I think that nearly anybody who ever worked for the Frisco when the Firefly began its operation had one of the prints. I also recall that the prints graced the wall of many of the offices in Springfield and KC. My father has a print that he got from my grandfather. It's one of the blue-tone varieties. My wife's grandfather, who was a boiler maker in the West Shops, had one that was truly singular. It was a full color lithograph, and it was a sight to behold. To this day I have not seen another like it. Unfortunately it passed to one of my wife's cousins. I believe that Alan Schmidt, late of the Frisco Museum, produced a copy of the print. So while I have seen these prints relatively frequently, I have never seen any for sale. Frisco ephemera is quite common at the Springfield flea markets, but I've never seen one at these venues. I get the sense that these remain in families, and are passed down to the next generation. You have a treasure. Spend some money, and have it mounted and framed in an acid-free environment. BTW, do you have any photos that your grandfather that might have been taken of the Greenfield Branch operation?
Thankyou so much for your reply. Sorry that I haven't logged onto this site for months. I had the print matted and framed with archival materials when I first got it. It is a prized possession and appreciate the info. The print reminds me of the times spent with my grandad, including at the South Greenfield station. I used to play checkers with my grandad there. I think there may be a photo or two of the outside of the station at mom's. I don't remember ever seeing photos of the station inside. I'll check with my mom.
