The Frisco heavyweight baggage car that remained in Springdale, AR after the BN merger, and formerly owned by the A&M is being cut up for scrap. See article here - http://www.neoshodailynews.com/newsnow/x55985058/Landmark-to-be-sold-for-scrap?photo=0 After losing the two cars in Jenks, OK recently, it is sad to see another historic car meet the same fate. Does anyone remember the SLSF MW or original car number of this car? If my memory serves me right, I believe it was a 400 series car. |-|Mike Sypult MP 333, Central Division
Right at the end of BN ownership of the Central Division there was a former 430-series baggage car sitting near the passenger station in Fort Smith. It had been painted silver and put in work train service, but the paint was wearing thin and you could clearly read the REA and other lettering that had been on the car when it was in passenger service. I don't remember what the original number of the car was, nor whatever happened to it, but I wonder whether it might be the car now being cut up in Neosho. Too bad. Gordon
What ever the case may be, this is a travesty. Our national heritage was built on the rails and items like this should be preserved. I'm a firm believer that every steam engine, old varnish and caboose should be returned to operating order, using modern technology. These icons are too precious to lose and we as a nation should recognize their importance to our history.
I am saddened any time I hear of a passenger car's demise, especially so the heavyweight variety. That is why it is so important to document what we have left, heavyweight, lightweight, whatever, in photos or slides so that there can be historical references available for the future. I know on my Passenger Car Photo Index that there are some of the only references to many passenger cars that use to run on the web, which is why I work so hard in finding links to photos. While it seems like every year I hear about cars that are lost I also am blessed in being able to find new sites that help to document what was in the past... and I hope that the trend will yet continue. I am grateful to the members here for their help in documenting Frisco equipment. A lot of roads don't have nearly the coverage that the Frisco does and it is appreciated!!!
You are correct Gordon...I will try to locate my slides of this car from the early A&M days - seems like it may have been the SLSF 434. I'll keep looking... Mike Sypult MP 333 Central Division|-|
Wonder if their would be anything you could pull outta the scrap piles. I'd like the trucks to build some sort of passenger car of my own. Makes me mad that cars like these dissappear for no reason.
There's probably not much usable material left on this one. If there's not an immediate market for salvaged parts, it all goes straight to the furnace in small pieces. Non-railroad oriented salvagers don't usually try to save any of it.
109142 was ex-baggage car 360. Originally built by Pullman in 1908, remodeled with a turtleback roof by the Frisco in 1938. Renumbered to m/w 109142 in 1970. Tom
Tom, Do you have a compiled list of SLSF MW equipment and their previous numbers (before going into MW service)? Mike Sypult
I don't have an actual list. I have a few individual passenger cars' numbers I can look up to see if they were given m/w numbers. Tom
Here's a snapshot pic of SLSF 109122, mow, location unknown. The date on the back of the pic is November, 1971. I don't remember where this was taken ..... Lindenwood, Valley Park, Eureka, Pacific, St Clair, Cuba, Rolla, Newburg? It was likely one of those locations - those were my usual spots. Do we know what the original number of 109122 was? Ken
