Frisco originally operated from a passenger station at the foot of Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith. When Fort Smith Union Station opened circa May 1912, Frisco joined the Kansas City Southern (KCS) in the new station. KCS ended train service to Fort Smith in 1941, in favor of shuttle bus service to their mainline in Oklahoma. At some point between June 1947 and August 1948, Frisco moved out of Fort Smith Union Station and back into their original passenger station on Garrison Avenue. Can anyone provide the date of that change, either from passenger circular, general order, or other railroad documentation? Bill ============ Update: Trains Magazine in September 1948, on page 8, mentions that Frisco moved back into their own Fort Smith passenger station on July 1, 1948. This was after it not having been used as a passenger station for 36 years.
Can't help you with getting more specific with the return to the Garrison depot. However, this caught my eye: "Frisco originally operated from a passenger station at the foot of Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith." It's my understanding that the original depot was a brick two story depot not located on Garrison. However, I'm unsure as to where it was located. The Garrison depot replaced the brick one. Here's the only picture I have of of the original brick depot:
You are correct, and my wording of "original" depot is misleading. The Garrison Avenue depot was constructed circa 1903, I believe, and Frisco was obviously serving Fort Smith well before that date. Your photo of the brick depot is most interesting, and the first that I have seen of any predecessor structures to the Garrison Avenue depot.
Hi again arkrail: Like you, I wish I knew more about the Frisco Ft. Smith depot pictured. In the above picture, one can discern the river in the background. The passenger coach sets the mainline/siding(s) location. It appears to be a trolley track heading toward the camera. I have a 1903 map that is fuzzy, but it depicts the Frisco depot being on the southwest corner of North "A" Street. I have attached the map below. Once the map is downloaded and expanded, one is somewhat able to discern the ornately scribed words "Frisco Station" on what appears to be North "A" Street. Andre
Andre A drawing of the original Fort Smith Frisco depot is now posted on Mike Condren's website. It is NOT in the new area where he has recently posted all the Frisco depot floorplans. To find the 1918 version of the original depot look underneath the heading Fort Smith/Van Buren Frisco Operations for a link labeled Ft. Smith/Van Buren Railroad Pages. Click on it and then on the link labeled ICC valuation reports. The depot was still standing in 1918, in secondary use by Frisco. John
I'm starting some track plans for my layout and I had some questions. I've seen pictures taken in the late 1950's of the KCS Dodger switching freight cars at the Union Station. Why were freight cars being switched at the passenger terminal that the KCS didn't even use it at that time? So after Frisco moved back to the Garrison Avenue depot, was any other railroad using the Fort Smith Union Station? I know Missouri Pacific had there own depot across the tracks from the Frisco Garrison Avenue depot, but where did Midland Valley (MV) Railroad passengers, if there were any in the early 1950's, board?
Here is the notice about the return to the Fort Smith passenger depot that appeared in the June 1948 issue of the All Aboard.
So much to think about on the 1903 map. Looking at Andre's 2011 post, the assumed trolley line does look like part of a loop from the line in Garrison Avenue. Does it look like the Missouri Pacific (MP) Railroad accessed the tracks behind the buildings on Garrison Avenue that are Zone 3 on the Frisco track chart industry schematics? Regarding the structure on the corner of C Street, north of the depot, could that be Miss Laura's?
