Train No 118, Texas Flash - 4-6-2 SLSF 1036 - Ada OK - 8/30/1946 - 0klahoma Historical Society

Oklahoma Historical Society: "A photograph postcard showing the Frisco (SL&SF) 1036, 4-6-2, on No. 118, "Texas Flash", northbound, south of Ada, OK, 4 cars, 70 mph, Equipment from discontinued "Firefly" (Oklahoma City-Kansas City), now in use on fast Kansas City-Texas run."

Photograph dated 8/30/1946.

Recently added to Oklahoma Historical Society (March 21, 2024)

George, Preston. St. Louis & San Francisco (SLSF) "Frisco" 1036 on "Texas Flash", postcard, August 30, 1946; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2293963/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.

 

You keep posting the great photographs that have a connection to my past!!

My maternal grandfather worked for the Frisco as a lineman--the vast majority with the QA&P--his entire working career. His wife--my grandmother--was born and raised in Ada. Just west of there is Stratford, OK, where they lived the last 20 or so years of their lives.

This will probably be considered heresy to the Frisco steam purists, but oh well...that Pacific looks terrific (sorry) without the streamlining!!

That is one good looking train.

 

The Oklahoma Historical Society posted a number of items from Preston George.

I picked a couple that jumped out at me to generate some interest.

Bob T.

 

The Texas Flash, which made its inaugural run on May 12, 1946, was the Frisco's third attempt to operate fast, daylight, limited-stop “streamliner” passenger service. Before the Firefly, there was the Black Gold, which offered speedy Tulsa-Dallas service with through Pullmans over the Katy to Houston. During its brief existence, the Firefly underwent numerous operational changes, and with the war’s end, the Frisco seemed ready to give the Dallas-Tulsa corridor another go. The experiment was short-lived, and the Firefly went back on the time card on May 2, 1947.

Thanks to the curve book, the pole line book, and the bridge record, I think that we can be specific about the train’s location. Preston George’s photograph depicts train 118 on a short 570’-long tangent, which lies between reverse curves on the Sherman Sub.
From time table north to south:
MP E559+09 - MP E559+20 R 3*-07’ 4-1/2” 405’ Spiral 60 MPH; The 20 pole is visible in the photograph.
MP E559+23 7/8 - MP E559+31 L 4*-00’ 6” 480’ Spiral 60 MPH.
The speed limit on curves in excess of 3*-30’ may be exceeded by 3 mph per the Office of the Chief Engineer.
The location is just over a mile south (time table) of Fitzhugh. The state highway bridge is in the background; the highway number varies with the date of the map.

Passenger trains were allowed 70 mph over the Creek Sub., and they were allowed 60 mph over the Sherman Sub. The Creek Sub. was protected a mix of OBS and APB; the Sherman Sub. was dark. Trains 117/118 had no scheduled or conditional stops between Denison and Tulsa, so average speed over each subdivision bested everything else. Given the curve restrictions and the 1.00%-0.87% ascending grade, the OHS caption’s 70 mph may be a bit optimistic.