Memphis Central Station - Terminal Operations From Stationmaster's Record Book - 1957

ADMIN NOTE - These were previously posted by Ken McElreath a few years back; while moving some threads around I (gasp) somehow purged his posts.

Thankfully I had made some hard copies to keep handy at the workbench.

I will post the dates and train numbers to the subject line under the thread.--cla
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I have copies of 14 pages from the Memphis Stationmaster's record book from 1957. Each page shows the Frisco passenger train and car assignments for a single day. For some reason, each page shows the complete rolling stock consist of No 106, the northbound “Kansas City-Florida Special,” but it only shows setouts and pickups and total consist car counts for all of the other trains.

As time permits, I will submit information from these pages. However, the information is so extensive that I will need to break it up into pieces. I think I will start with the consists for No 106 for each day.

One thing that is fascinating is to see the car rotation cycles on the train. Since it ran from Kansas City to Miami, different cars had different rotation cycles, depending on how many cars it took to cover their portion of the run.

For example, the full RPO car ran between Memphis and Birmingham, so it only took two cars to protect the schedule, and each car appeared in the consist every other day. Since RPOs on other trains didn’t run on Sundays, as on No 807 and No 808, the “Sunnyland”.

Express and baggage cars would reappear every three or four days, depending on their assigned run and whether they needed an overnight stay in a terminal to be loaded. The dining cars and some coaches were on a three-day turn, because they ran from KC to Birmingham. The sleepers ran a four-day turn, because they went through to Florida.

I realize that one would have to access a Frisco passenger car roster or ORER to see the type for each car, but I will leave that exercise to the reader, since the trainmaster’s book only showed the numbers or names. Enjoy!

For your information the Memphis Frisco Stationmaster’s name was W.B. McCaffrey.

Ken McElreath

 

Sunday, August 18, 1957

Consist of No 106, arriving Memphis, 1 hour 30 minutes late with 20 cars.

SLSF 492
REX 6124 - set out, take to Georgia Street Yard when empty
SAL 701 - set out, hold in station for mail loading
SLSF 432 - set out, take to Georgia Street Yard
SLSF 2049 - set out, return on No 105 to Birmingham
SLSF 439 - place on head end of No 806 for Saint Louis
SLSF 370
SLSF 428
SLSF 189
SLSF 1092
SLSF 1060 - set out, return on No 107 to Birmingham
SLSF 761 - set out, take to Georgia Street Yard
SLSF 1053
SLSF 1208
SLSF 1250
SLSF “Birmingham” (diner-lounge)
SLSF “Drury College”
SLSF “Gasconade River”
UP ”Douglas Fir” - set out, deliver to MP at Union Station*
“Alpine Clover” - set out, deliver to MP at Union Station*

*NOTE: Arrange to have second engine on Broadway to take these two sleepers off train 106 and deliver to MP at Union Station for their train #201 tonight, for further movement.

 

Wednesday, September 18, 1957

Consist of No 106, arriving in Memphis with 13 cars.

SLSF 460
REX 1370 - set out, take to Georgia Street Yard when empty
SLSF 463 - set out, hold in station for loading tomorrow
SLSF 2045 - set out, return to Birmingham on No 105 next morning
SLSF 349 - place on heads end of No 806 for Saint Louis
SLSF 353
SOU 578
SLSF 1095
SLSF 1207
SLSF 1255
SLSF "Kansas City"
SLSF "Amherst College"
SLSF "Neosho River"

 

Monday, September 9, 1957

Consist of No 106 arriving Memphis, on time with 10 cars.

SLSF 2049 - set out, return on No 105 to Birmingham
SLSF 439 - place on head end of No 806 for Saint Louis
SLSF 353
CofG 419
SLSF 1093
SOU 1017
SOU 806
SLSF “Kansas City”
SLSF “Smith College”
SLSF ”Niangua River”

 

Sunday, September 8, 1957

Consist of No 106 arriving Memphis, on time with 15 cars.

REX 6765 - set out, following mail and express people’s instructions.
SLSF 469 - set out, following mail and express people’s instructions.
SLSF 462 - set out, following mail and express people’s instructions.
SLSF 2045
SLSF 348 - place on head end of No 806 to Saint Louis
SLSF 370
SOU 578
SLSF 1092
SLSF 1074 - set out, take to Georgia Street Yard when released
SLSF 1073
SOU 1021
SLSF 1258
SLSF “Birmingham”
SLSF ”Trinity College”
SLSF “Cimarron River”

 

Friday, August 30, 1957

Consist of No 106 arriving Memphis, on time with 16 cars.

REX 7132
REX 7323 - set out; take to Georgia Street Yard when empty
SLSF 492 - set out, in station, for loading tomorrow
SAL 704 - set out, in station for mail loading tomorrow
SLSF 2049 - set out, return on No 105 to Birmingham
SLSF 344 - place on head end of No 806 for Saint Louis
SLSF 370
CofG 419
SLSF 1092
SLSF “Okmulgee”
SLSF 1053
SLSF 1208
SLSF 1250
SLSF “Birmingham”
SLSF ”Drury College”
SLSF “Gasconade River”

 

Wednesday, August 28, 1957

Consist of No 106 arriving Memphis, on time with 14 cars.

SLSF 463
REX 4071 - set out express, take to Georgia Street Yard when empty
IC 716 - set out express, deliver to IC when empty
SLSF 2049 - set out, return on No 105 to Birmingham
SLSF 439 - place on head end of No 806 for Saint Louis
SLSF 372
ACL 1652
SLSF 1093
SOU 1026
SOU 1017
SOU 806
SLSF “Kansas City”
SLSF “Smith College”
SLSF ”Niangua River”