Ft. Leonard Wood line

[Rick Morgan]

The line from Bundy Jct to Ft. Leonard Wood was opened in May 1941. We've touched on the comments in Collias' "Frisco Power" about the pair of 2-10-2s used on the line. I have a couple of questions about the line for anyone who might know the answers-

Eastern Div employee timetable 36A (19 Sep '48) doesn't list the line and I can't find any specific mention of it in the notes- was it ever in a Frisco ETT or has anyone seen a seperate, perhaps Army, timetable for the operation?

When did the Army actually take over the operation of the line with their own power? (I've noted EMD SW8s, GE 80 tonners and, much later, GPs assigned by the service- does anyone know if they operated steam on the line?)

Did Frisco run military trains through onto the Fort (which would make sense) or turn them over to the Army at, say, Newburg? (I'm presuming "Main" trains ended sometime after Korea- or were there later runs?- airline service started on the Fort in 1961)

Thanks for any help-
Rick

[w3hodoug]

Rick, it appeared in the 1971 ETT as operated for the US Government. Old timers also reported it as a regular job out of Newburg in the days after it was built. Follow it on sattelite photos on Google Earth for an appreciation for just how many curves on on the line. Doug, Ann Arbor

[yardmaster]

Folks:
This is way out of my area of knowledge, but I recently received contact from a gentleman who wrote me the following; I think it might help to clarify matters?

I was Trainmaster-Roadmaster on the Ft. Wood Branch from 1964 to 1966. The Frisco had two different contracts with the U.S. Army. One was the operations contract to provide rail service to the post and the second contract was to provide maintenance for the physical plant,i.e.,track, bridges, buildings, and signal system.


I've requested any additional details that he can provide as it sounds very interesting, operationally.

Best Regards and Merry Christmas!

[John Mann]

I'll do an aside here...Bundy Junction was being built while I was in High School at Rolla. We were required to take turns reading Silas Marner aloud in our english class. Bundy's daughter was in the class, and her turn came. Well, the Bundys had come to Rolla from Alabama. She had the deepest southern accent I've ever heard. She started...a snicker here, then there, then so much laughter that she had to stop.

[Brad Slone]

Rick,

I might be able to shed a little light on the subject. For starters the January 1991 issue of the Frisco museums all aboard had a short article regarding the branch. In it they had a copy of a January 1956 Timetable that would appear to be specifically for the branch. It listed special instructions, speed limits/restrictions and tonnage ratings.

As far as operations, in the companies August 1973 issue of All Aboard it had a article on the last Frisco run to the Fort. The last run was on June 29, 1973 and was operated by "Ferd" Webb and was his retirement run. Apparently it was a fairly sought after run as it was regularly called Monday through Saturday at 7:30am. The article goes on to say that it was deceided by the goverment to take over the operations of the line as traffic had dwindled to nothing since 1971.

A second article in the May 1978 issue of All Aboard talks about a group of Frisco employees in the 226th Army Reserves Transportation Unit that once a month operated the line as part of their reserve duties.

Recently several years ago the Government contracted out a rehab project on the line rebuilding several of the bridges, new balllast & signage as well as the removal of the signal masts. Rumor has it that they found a treasure trove of Frisco tools and semphore blades. Today the line is operated by two rebuilt GP-7 of possible Ill Central heritage and one rebuilt GP-40. Traffic consists mainly of heavy equipment coming and going on flatcars but once and a while you will see containers as well. There was a good deal of traffic during the start of the gulf war I was able to get several shots of the 7's returning to the fort.

One more comment and I will end my rattling. Inside the welcome center at the fort where visitors sign in. There is a picture of the rail yards with a string of boxcars being unloaded at the warehouse. The interesting thing about it in the corner of the photo you can see a 47200 series stockcar. What in the world was a stockcar doing on the fort branch? The only thing that I can think of was possible a load of water mellons as they where used for such things from time to time.

Brad

[meteor910]

Rick,

What in the world was a stockcar doing on the fort branch?

Brad


:) Possibly delivering a load of fresh, new draftees to the Fort? ;) :D


Ken

[billyboy_1]

I rode a motorcar from the fort out to Bundy jct and back a few years ago. It was in the fall and was beautiful. I took alot of photos of the line including the tresle. I will try to find them to post.

[meteor910]

Billyboy - Please do! We would all love to see more pics of the Ft Wood line.

Ken

[Rick Morgan]

Brad: Thanks for the post- you shed a lot of light on this one. I follow military railroads and was puzzled in that I couldn't find any Army units assigned to the Fort until the early '70s. They picked up a series of EMD SW8s which seemed to do fine until the Geeps arrived. As for the Frisco, I assume troop ("MAIN") trains ran all the way to the Fort in the '40s and in Korea; it now appears that SLSF ran freight ops as well. I would guess (?) that there was a bus that took troops from Newburg to the Fort to/from tr 5/6, the General Wood.
If anyone can post the special employee's timetable for the line that would be greatly appreciated!

Rick Morgan

[Karl]

There's some Ft Wood Br info here.

http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?t=1847

[w3hodoug]

I presented about seven possible layout themes for my basement to Don Wirth and Ken Wulfert in Pacific, MO last month when viewing Don's HO Newburg. They both liked the Ft. Wood Branch. I spent a few hours with the three applicable 1:24,000 USGS maps to get an approximation of the elevations along the 19.55 mile line. The two here are in jpg and gif. It's not as good as a real track chart, which I don't have. It climbs and descends a serious "mountain" getting from the Little Piney at Bundy Junction to the Big Piney at Devils Elbow. It then climbs another to get up to Ft. Wood. This layout won't have much flat track, nor much straight track. I hope to spend November with 3rdPlanit and my room dimensions.

Doug

[meteor910]

Doug - Nice chart. It really shows what a severe line the Ft Wood branch is. And, like we joked at Don's Newburg the other day, all you need for the long straight runs is a few sections of nine-inch Atlas track!

Ken

[Sirfoldalot]

Nice chart ....
The decent from Hunt Siding to Devils Elbow works out to be about 1 foot in 60 feet, if I am correct? That is pretty steep?
I have forgot how to calculate grades?
Someone help me please?

[w3hodoug]

The curve is a "smoothed" version from Excel. The actual data shows almost 3% in some grades. Most are less.

[bob_wintle]

One divided by 60. .0166666 or 1.66666 percent.
Bob Wintle

[yardmaster]

Doug, it's exciting to hear that you're back in the layout planning stages. I eagerly anticipate seeing and hearing more!

Do you have an era in mind? It would be fun to see one of the spot series that were pulled from the scrap line lumbering along your branch.

Best Regards,

[Brad Slone]

Here are a few photos taken over the years of the Fort branch, the first shot was of our lady backing onto the west leg of the wye at Bundy Jct, with some cranky looking codger sitting on the right side! The second is on the same bridge different day different angle. Third photo was taken looking south at the Little Piney bridge MP 11.9. Fourth was taken with power heading back to the Fort (south) at bridge 14.3. Be advised that there is a strong chance there is going to be a good deal of trestle work coming up on the branch.

Brad

[w3hodoug]

Brad, is that third photo @ Devils Elbow? If so, that would be the Big Piney.

I still have all those slides you took for me years ago. I'm on the road in PA, but will try to scan and post many of them within the next few weeks.

I was in Dixon Friday night to Sunday morning for that big reunion. 200+ attended.

[w3hodoug]

Do you have an era in mind? It would be fun to see one of the spot series that were pulled from the scrap line lumbering along your branch.

Best Regards,

If it gets built, the era will be variable - easy since there are no on-line industries.

However, the symaphore signals will just have to remain.

[Brad Slone]

Doug,

My mistake, memory is already starting to slip, Bib Piney it is.

Brad

[Brad Slone]

Spelling correction Big Piney!

[john]

Ft Leonard Wood ETT #1, 1 Sep 1950

[WindsorSpring]

Hoping no one minds, I took the liberty of doing some "surgery" on attachments of the previous post. It was tricky switching back and forth from one to the other.

[john]

I'm sorry about that. The original was too large for me to scan both sides (at the same time) with my scanner. I also forgot to "cut" the resolution when I posted it, so while it would probably print out great it's sort of difficult to read (when enlarged) from the website.

John

[WindsorSpring]

I'm sorry about that. The original was too large for me to scan both sides (at the same time) with my scanner. I also forgot to "cut" the resolution when I posted it, so while it would probably print out great it's sort of difficult to read (when enlarged) from the website.

John

No problem. Apparently neither scanners nor basements (or wherever the layout goes) can ever be large enough!

[yardmaster]

Doug,

My mistake, memory is already starting to slip, Bib Piney it is.

Brad

Brad, I frankly like "Bib Piney" better. Sounds like a place where the trees are tall and all the good railroaders wear a good pair of overalls.

For what it's worth!

Best Regards,

[w3hodoug]

Here are scans of the line taken from the DEVILS ELBOW, KAINTUCK HOLLOW, and NEWBURG 1:24,000 US Geological Survey maps. The center line of each track is shown. Estimated (by me) mile posts are marked in pencil.

Actually, there is some straight track. All three passing sidings are on straights.

The Yahoo "Military Rails" group site has several photos taken on the Fort Wood Railroad.

Enjoy, Doug

[w3hodoug]

Here's a link to a web site showing 11 fantastic photos of Bunk House Trestle:
http://bridgehunter.com/mo/pulaski/trestle/

This guy has photographed hundreds of bridges.

FYE, Doug

[w3hodoug]

I also found a great photo of Wern Siding on Google Images.

[w3hodoug]

My .pdf versions of All Aboard for December 90-January 91 have page 18 in low resolution. I have also lost my hard copy.

Can anyone fat finger the 21 car spotting numbers and names from the track schematic at the top of p. 18 and post them here?

It looks like a fantastic LDE for a switching layout.

Thanks, Doug

[meteor910]

Doug - I have the issue. Tell me specifically what you want - the 21-item list on the left side of the diagram? It's hard to read, but under magnification I think I can do it.

Ken

[w3hodoug]

the 21-item list on the left side of the diagram?

Ken

Yes, that's it.

[meteor910]

Doug -

Here is the list:

202 - Munger Spur
204 - I.P. Gas Spots
206 - Asphalt Spots
208 - Tobin Team Track
209 - Coal Spur Team Track
211 - Fuel Oil Spots
213 - Post Engineer No. 1 Team Track
215 - Pole Racks
221 - Post Engineer ???? Doors? (poor reproduction!)
223 - Pipe Racks
225 - Gasoline Spurs
227 - Scrap Tin Bins
229 - Loading Ramp
235 - Stoker Coal Unloading (4 Spots)
237 - Range Coal Unloading (12 Spots)
302 - Ramp Tracks Nos. 1 & 2
320 - Ramp Tracks Nos. 3 & 4
322 - Boiler House
326 - Bakery
340 - Pastery Bakery (yes, that's how they spelled pastry!)
360 - Gun Spur Ramp


Let me know if you need anything else.

Ken

[WindsorSpring]

Why is there a discontinuity ("big bump up") in the numbers between 237 and 302 on the list?

"237 - Range Coal Unloading (12 Spots)
302 - Ramp Tracks Nos. 1 & 2"

[w3hodoug]

Wow! Thanks Ken. That was a lot of switching in it's prime (WWII era).

Those warehouses and ramps are still there.


Doug -

Let me know if you need anything else.

Ken

[w3hodoug]

Munger was the name of a Devil's Elbow restaurant owner family. When Rt. 66 bypassed Devil's Elbow, they rebuilt on 66 at Lebanon. Then I-44 was built and bypassed the Lebanon restaurant too.

Photographers have loved Devil's Elbow for years.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinholmes/tags/devilselbow/


Doug -

202 - Munger Spur

Ken

[meteor910]

Why is there a discontinuity ("big bump up") in the numbers between 237 and 302 on the list?


George - My mom and dad (Captain, US Army, WW2) told me many times "never, never try to explain the US Army!" :) ;) :D

Ken

[Peddling Joe]

At Arlington, the RR (going westward) crosses the river and curves northward. Just to the south of the bridge are/were some bridge abutments (?) that may go back to the 1860's? On 4-11-11 I could not see them because of the evergreen and budding hardwood trees. The original South Pacific RR was being constructed from Arlington to Waynesville enroute to Springfield. A RR tunnel bore caved in, the Civil War and military control stopped this and a new survey took the RR northward at Arlington. Can you find the tunnel, etc. on your USG Maps. It reportedly is near where the main gate to FLW was located, in 1940. Also Miner's, The St. Louis-San Francisco Transcontinental Railroad, The Thirty-Fifth Parallel Project, 1853-1890 p 53 footnotes the Nov 9, 1865 Missouri Weekly Patriot mentions "20 miles of grading, two partially cut tunnels west of Rolla"

[meteor910]

Those of you who are in the area ..... how much traffic to/from Ft Wood does the line see today? What does the switching - their own locomotive, or does the BNSF switch the Fort?

I was at a meeting at the USO here at Lambert STL airport last Tuesday and saw a bus load of new recruits assemble there before their ride down to Ft Wood. In the old days, of course, they would have a ride on the Frisco to enjoy before their Ft Wood experience started.

Ken

[Brad Slone]

Ken,

There has been very little traffic over the last year as we have been in the process of replacing some of the trestles over the line. We should wrap up the current projects by late Spring early Summer. There is some discussion and plans are in place for future projects to replace sone of the larger trestles, however funding is a concern. Current traffic is almost completely equipment on 89 foot flatcars, once in a while they will ship a container or two. When units where shipping out to the Gulf about five years ago traffic levels surged to the point they had to get assistance form BNSF, but that's a rarity. Duties are handled by DOD personnel using a pair of Army Paducah GP-7 rebuilds and a rebuilt GP-40-2.

[meteor910]

Thanks Brad! Do you have any pics of the DOD power based at Ft Wood?

Ken

[Brad Slone]

Ken,

Here is a few shots of the Fort's motive power.

Brad

[meteor910]

Thanks Brad! Good looking stuff for the Army - somehow I figured their locomotives would be either black or olive drab colored.

Does the Army take their loads clear into Newburg, or do they drop them off somewhere still on the Fort branch at Bundy Jct for the BNSF to pick up?

Ken

[WindsorSpring]

Brad Slone wrote Monday, 4/25/11: "There has been very little traffic over the last year..."
Well, you are likely to see some traffic Tuesday 4/26/11. Some TOFC (TANKS on Flat Cars!) went by westbound on the Cuba Sub around 08:30 at the head end of the merchandiser. I was unable to count and even less able to photograph. Given the state of the laws, those are good circumstances.

George Nelson

[Peddling Joe]

Further research suggests, to me, the original South Pacific RR survey may have intended the line to run through Waynesville, (county seat of Pulaski County). Due to the Civil War, Army Control and tunnel cave-in, the second survey took the alignment from Arlington Northwards.

The ""20 miles of grading, two partially cut tunnels west of Rolla" sort of coincices with the present day I-44 mile markers, Rolla exit # 182, Ft. Leonard Wood exit #163.

The "two partially cut tunnels" may have been in the general area of TWP 36N, 11W. Sections 3,4,5, and continue wesward into 12 W? These tunnels would get the RR to Roubidous Creek, into Waynewville and on to Springfield.

Any comments and/or additional information will be sincerely appreciate.
Should this be posted in the "Map" section, please do so.
Joe Felin

[Brad Slone]

Ken,

Sorry I missed answering your question way back, guess I just missed it. The Army takes cars back to Bundy and leaves them on a run around siding south of the Piney bridge. The siding has a name although I can't recall it at the moment. The BNSF then backs in on the branch and heads out on either leg of the wye depending were their destination is. We should be finished replacing the small trestles on the west leg by the end of the year, the east leg is complete. The First Iowa Division was down last weekend with their motor cars riding the branch, they have some nice photos of the run on their website.

Brad

[renapper]

Brad,
Please write an article on the Ft. Leonard Wood Line for The Meteor, thank you.