There's an incorrect photo caption in Marre's "Frisco Diesel Power" page 92. Alco FA 5200 is shown supposedly at St. James, MO, 8-30-63, however the milepost shows 221.20 which is actually Northview. Northview is the second CTC siding (Nineteen miles) East of Springfield. I first saw that photo in "Extra 2200 South." It was incorrectly captioned there also--as being at "St. Robert" MO--Which isn't even on the railroad?? Tom
After Lou's book was released in 1984, a number of us got with him and went through it with a fine comb. There are about 15 or 16 errors (I could only find 12 or 13 of them). Fortunately, most are like the one Tom mentions - locations of pictures, plus the always present typos here and there. Without finding my list, one I remember was that the intended SLSF numbers for the GP50's are incorrect in the Frisco roster summary at the start of the book. They are correct in the later chapter on the GP40-2's and the GP50's. But, a great book - the Frisco diesel Bible! My copy is showing some wear. Ken
Right you are Ken about it being the "bible." If nothing else, just having all the information in one place. Tom
On page 5 of Frisco Diesel Power, John Baskin Harper writes "The authors plan to revise and enlarge this volume from time to time". Will there ever be another edition of this book? Are Dr. Marre and Mr. Harper still with us? Rich
Rich, Like you, I would like to have an expanded version of Frisco Diesel Power but I have lost hope that that would happen. I think I got my copy in 1985/86 and now here we are in 2009. If it does eventually happen, it would be great to see an all color version. Louis Marre was still in the publishing business as late as 2007 with the release of Katy Recollections by Paired Rail Publications. He also released Kansas City Southern Lines in 2005 with the same publisher. If you have not seen these books, you will be surprised at the high quality, all color formats. I have a copy of both and they are pure eye candy for us rail historians (a.k.a. train nerds). Not sure if Louis Marre is still with us today but we can sure see his most recent work. I don't have any leads on John Harper. Maybe someone else knows. Ship IT on the Frisco! Rick
Steve Priest of Paired Rail RR Productions mentioned to me several years ago his desire to publish a Frisco book after release of the Katy Recollections book, but was having some difficulty finding enough material. I really don't know where that stands right now, but may be worth pursuring with him for those of you on the loop with extensive collections of color material. I agree with Rick that his books are eye popping. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
I last saw and spoke with Dr Marre about two years ago when he came to St Louis to give a lecture at the University of Missouri at St Louis (UMSL). We talked at length about his books, but he made no mention then about an update to Frisco Diesel Power. He did say that a detailed history of the SLSF he had been working on for years was on hold, as both he and his publishers don't think it would sell well enough. Given the fact that Lou is still writing books and articles, it would seem he is doing well. Somewhere I heard he had retired from the University of Dayton. I have never met or spoken with John Baskin Harper, so I don't know what he might be doing. Given the success of the recent all-color books on SLSF, MKT, KCS and others, it would seem an all-color update to Frisco Diesel Power would be a winner. The 1984 book sold out fairly quickly at Interurban Press. The recent success of the Marre/Sommers and Molo all-color books on the Frisco, plus the frequency of Frisco models being released today, serve as added testimony that an update to "FDP" would find sufficient demand. Hope so! Ken ps - FYI to those who, like me, are also Rock Island fans, Lou authored a book titled Rock Island Diesel Locomotives several years before he did "FDP". It is long out of print, but I have seen it available on eBay now and then. The Rock Island was my first railroad interest. As a little kid, I lived in University City, a St Louis suburb. The RI was three blocks away from our house, running west from "Rock Island Junction" with the TRRA, a small yard - still there, all the way to Kansas City. I used to pedal up to the tracks on my bike when I heard them coming west out of the yard. Lots of red, white and black RI geeps, plus TRRA gray switchers. There was, until several years ago, a classic Rock Island wooden station at Lackland, a few miles west of where we lived. Plus, my grandfather had a farm out in Missouri west of Gerald, MO. The RI ran right through the middle of it, next to his fishing pond. The RI would come by and always blow their horn for us at "Gramp's" farm road, running from US 50 to the house. As a kid, I thought that was pretty neat.
An all color Frisco Diesel Power would be pretty neat. I'd certainly buy one! Many of the photos in FDP appeared again in color versions in Frisco In Color. From what you guys say, a new edition seems still possible, although I wouldn't bet on it. Rich
There is a St Robert, MO that is close to the Frisco, but I don't think it is on the line. St Robert is the location on US66/I-44 outside of Waynesville, where you get off to go to Ft Wood. Ken
