I just read a January, 1988 article by the late Lloyd Stagner discussing how the Santa Fe (AT&SF) pioneered longer steam runs well before the age of the diesel. The Santa Fe needed to do this not just to save fuel, crew or maintenance costs, but because of severe water problems resulting from the many miles of main line runs they had (still have) through the hot, desolate southwest desert country with scarce and very poor quality water supply. This effort by the Santa Fe started in the World War I era. Lloyd notes an interesting fact in his article. I quote: "At the Master Mechanics' Association Meeting in 1916, the St. Louis-San Francisco reported fuel savings of 10.7 percent and a reduction in forces that resulted in annual savings of $23,226 due to the operation of Consolidation type freight locomotives through Newburg, Mo, the intermediate terminal between St. Louis and Springfield, Mo., 239 miles. At this time, the Frisco was pioneering the elimination of engine changes, and was operating passenger locomotives - mostly oil burners - on 11 runs ranging from 204 to 318 miles." Interesting - even back then, our favorite railroad was on the leading edge of improvement. Frisco First! Ken
After the arrival of the 1500s, they went into service from KC-Birmingham and St Louis-OKC which at that time were some really long runs.
My grandfather gave me the book "The Locomotives that Baldwin Built" a few years before he died. Without having the book in front me at this moment, I know that the 1500's were mentioned in it and it was stated that they turned in excellent performance and could cover their assigned routes without changing crews. I believe that it specifically mentioned St. Louis to Tulsa, but Don said Oklahoma City, and I'm sure that he's right in any case. I've always been impressed with how innovative and efficient the Frisco was. It always had top quality motive power, and was one of the first to have auto racks and computer controlled hump yards. I'm proud to have a connection to it. Frisco First and Forever! Pat Moreland, Union Mo.
"Other important orders placed during the Fall of 1922 included one from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway for 59 locomotives of four different types, and one from the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway for 50 locomotives of the Mikado and Mountain types. The last named were intended for passenger service and a number of them were placed on the run between St. Louis and Oklahoma City, covering the 542 miles each way without changing engines." With regard to the 4500's, "Following the Louisville and Nashville Berkshires came fifteen 4-8-4 type locomotives numbered 4500 to 4514, for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. These were dual service locomotives with comparitively large drivers enabling them to work in passenger and fast freight service on the Frisco. The new engines built in 1942 operated on the Eastern Division from St. Louis to Monett Missouri, and over the Southwestern Division to Tulsa Oklahoma. In this service they joined heavy Mountain type locomotives and permitted the release of a number of Mikado and medium weight Mountain type locomotives for service on other divisions." Statistics (Northern type): Cylinders, 28"x31" Drivers, 74" Boiler Diameter, Front 88"; Back 100" Weight, total engine, 462,500 lbs. Source: "The Locomotives That Baldwin Built", Frederick Westing, Bonanza Books, NY This is a really good book. I bet I've read it a thousand times since 1986. Pat Moreland, Union Mo.
While I'm not sure when the AT&SF pioneered their long steam locomotive runs, the summer of 1927 ranks as an important time for the Frisco and longer steam locomtoive runs. In summary: June 29, 1927: 4-8-2 #1500 was "run through" on the KC-Florida Special from Kansas City to Birmingham, AL (735 miles) without an engine change. Details are provided in the August, 1927 Frisco Employees Magazine (go to http://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/magazines/fem_1927_08/fem_1927_08.cfm; look in the Pages 16-20 section). As Ken Wulfert has noted above, this "experiment" followed previous, shorter run-through situations. Furthermore, the 1927 article notes other run-through passenger motive power on the "Meteor" and between KC and OKC. Ken McElreath has also documented run-through locomotives on "Sunnyland" (807/808) between St. Louis and Memphis around 1930, eliminating the locomotive swap at Chaffee (http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?1633-The-Sunnyland-(807-808)&highlight=Sunnyland+(807/808)) July 25 - August 4, 1927: 2-8-2 #4100 operated continuously in freight service for nearly 3,000 miles "without knocking the locomotive fires" when it left Kansas City on July 25 and returned for servicing and having its fire knocked on August 4. The full operational details are chronicled in the Frisco Employee's Magazine from September, 1927 (see http://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/magazines/fem_1927_09/fem_1927_09.cfm; go to the Pages 6-10 section). Best Regards,
The Frisco was a very progressive railroad I think this has been largely overlooked over the years since it's not a large a road as some of the others. The PRR liked to think of themselves as the standard bearer of the industry but I would say the Frisco was every bit as cutting edge. Take train 33, aka the Texas Special their hot pig train of the 70's would typically use four GP-40-2's. I recall reading an article many years ago that they equipped the GP-40-2's with special controls that allowed the engineer to bring the fourth unit down to idle when not needed while not effecting the remaining three thus reducing the fuel consumption. Brad
Brad - Neat! I hadn't heard that. Tom - Now you will need to rig your GP40-2/GP50 consists such that you can idle the trailing unit! Ken
