1925 Passenger Train Consists

[arkrail]

Here are sample passenger train consists, trains 5-6, from a conductor trip book.

#6 8-11-1925 (Paris to Monett)
locomotive 1407 Paris to Fort Smith
locomotive 1048 Fort Smith to Monett
369
102
1060
1288
1639-diner (Fort Smith-Monett)
Langley
Muskegon (wood)
Defiance (wood)

#5 9-24-25 (Monett to Paris)
locomotive 1048 Monett to Fort Smith
locomotive 1409 Fort Smith to Paris
329
1102
1067
1249
1636-diner (Monett-Fort Smith)
Carrow
Defiance
Muskegon

Trains 5-6 at this time were the Texas Limited, St. Louis to Dallas via Monett, Fort Smith and Paris, with a through St. Louis-Galveston sleeper (via GC&SF connection Dallas-Galveston). The train also carried sleepers between St. Louis and Fort Smith (perhaps the two wooden cars ??) and Fred Harvey dining car service between Fort Smith and Monett. South of Fort Smith, meal stops were made at Hugo and Dallas, and north of Monett, the run was overnight to and from St. Louis with no food service required.

Bill Pollard

[tomd6]

The Fred Harvey service on the Frisco lasted until 1930 when the new stands and dining car service ended. I have often wondered if the Fred Harvey service dated from the period 1890-1896 when the Santa Fe controlled the Frisco briefly creating what then was the largest railroad in the US.

[slsf580]

This is great information Bill! Thanks for sharing.
In my timetable analysis of the Central Division (thanks to Bob Oswald's compilation of Frisco timetables) I discovered that the peak of Frisco passenger train activity through Rogers, Arkansas was in 1906 (9 trains). By May 1918, the frequency had been reduced to six. In July 1928, through service from St. Louis to Paris, TX ended. By May 1932, the Frisco passenger train frequency was down to four, and then in January 1933 only two trains, which would be the case until September 1965.
For a brief time in history, the Frisco's Central Division was a major route from St. Louis to Dallas and Galveston. It must have been a sight to behold!
Also, for the record, in 1898 the Frisco built a Fred Harvey Dining Hall in Rogers. It was destroyed by fire in May 1910.
There were some interesting train names on the Central Division - including "St. Louis Kansas City Mail", "Eastern Express", "St. Louis Limited", "Ft. Smith Joplin Accomodation", "Texan", "Little Rock Express", "Ozark Limited", and "Red Raven".

[yardmaster]

Anyone know what type of sleepers these cars would have been, in terms of sections?

It's interesting, too, to see the 1400-class ten wheelers assigned to these trains. #1409 was apparently a regular; the "Locomotive Fuel Performance" regulars in the Frisco Employee's Magazines showed #1409 assigned to Train #5 between Ft. Smith and Paris on 1/26/1926.

Best Regards,

[tomd6]

The Frisco's main passenger route to Texas was the Central Division until March 1917 when the joint Frisco-MKT Texas Special entered service followed by a similar joint Frisco-MKT Blue Bonnet that operated from 1928 to 1948. The Texas Special was four hours faster than the Central Division trains and avoided helper districts at Chester (Northbound ) and Talahina ( Both north and south). The Frisco did operate passenger trains to Texas when the Red River route opened in 1901 but for some reason it never became the dominant passenger route between St Louis and Texas.
Trains 707/712 (Monett-Paris) were discontinued March 13, 1933, not January 1, 1933.

[Karl]

Anyone know what type of sleepers these cars would have been, in terms of sections?

It's interesting, too, to see the 1400-class ten wheelers assigned to these trains. #1409 was apparently a regular; the "Locomotive Fuel Performance" regulars in the Frisco Employee's Magazines showed #1409 assigned to Train #5 between Ft. Smith and Paris on 1/26/1926.

Best Regards,

I don't have any ante-1907 Pullman data, which no doubt included the wooden Pullmans. On the other hand, the Carrow and Langley were new cars in 1925.

Langley, 12-1, Plan 2410F, Lot 4625 (25 cars), Blt Jan-Feb 1922. Converted to Tourist Car 1672, 1/41; Sold to the MP 10/53

Carrow, 12-1, Plan 2410F, Lot 4665 (100 cars), Blt Mar-Jun 1920. Converted to Tourist Car 1145, 9/41; Sold to the T&NO, 10/47, work car 211

[yardmaster]

Thanks very much, Karl. I think that rules them out for me, unless I am bitten by the back-dating bug.

Best Regards,

[Jim James]

C'mon Chris, turn back that clock. Join the dark side. (read this in Darth Vader's voice)