Kansas Section Gang Locations - Section Gang Tools And Supplies

Discussion in 'Operations' started by rich57, Jun 9, 2013.

  1. rich57

    rich57 Member

    I am looking for the locations of section gangs along the subdivisions in Kansas.

    I am looking for Section Gang Numbers and what town they were in. I am trying to do research for a book and any help would be appreciated. Is there somewhere I can go to get this information or does someone have track maps showing the division points between sections?

    Thank you for any help on this topic.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2023
  2. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Kansas City Subdivision And Ash Grove Subdivision (in Kansas) - Section Gangs

    Here's the Kansas City Subdivision. More later.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 15, 2024
  3. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Parsons Subdivision And Parsons Subdivision - Coal Branch - Section Gangs

    The Parsons Subdivision Section Gangs
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 15, 2024
  4. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Karl, neat stuff, I was just wondering if you knew what the time frame on these are.

    Kinda hoping you have the Wichita and Burton Subdivisions.

    William Jackson
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2023
  5. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter


    The time frame is 1929-1930....the Wichita and Burton Sub are next...
     
  6. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Carthage Subdivision, Wichita Subdivision, Burrton Subdivision - Kansas Division (KD) Line - Section Gangs

    Attached is a sheet that lists the Section Gangs found on the KD Line.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 15, 2024
  7. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Afton Subdivision, Afton Subdivision - Girard Branch and Carthage Subdivision, Joplin And Galina Branch - Section Gangs

    This is the last of it.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 15, 2024
  8. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    I’d like to add a footnote to this thread with a few observations. The relatively large number of section gangs and the small length of the territory for which they were responsible shows just what a hard, manual, and dirty job railroading was.

    The Frisco utilized Section Gangs of three different sizes, i.e., 10 men, 5 men, or 3 men. A Section Foreman, who reported to the Roadmaster, supervised the section men. The gang’s size was determined by the size of its territory and the maintenance level that territory required.

    The Section Foreman and his men were responsible for the roadbed, drainage, ballast, ties, tie plates, rail anchors, rail, angle bars, line, surface, elevation, gauge, tamping, turnouts, patrolling the right-of-way, road crossings, fences, cattle guards, track cars, and tools. The foreman and his gang served as good-will ambassadors between the local landowner and the railroad. The gang was never “off” the clock, and the gang’s duties required that it be out in all sorts of weather conditions.

    The rules prohibited any mode of dress that included the colors red, yellow, or green. The railroad gave the foreman the gang’s only switch key, which was not to leave his possession at any time except for when he was on leave. If the key became lost, the railroad docked the foreman’s salary $0.50.

    In order to carry out its duties, the well-equipped gang had a book of rules, signal flags (red, yellow & green), lanterns (white, red, yellow & green), extra globes of the aforementioned colors, torpedoes, hand car/track car, push car, 50 foot tape, track gauge, track levels, spike mauls, spike pullers, track jacks, claw bar, lining bars, side tamping bars, tamping picks, ballast forks, rakes and brooms.

    Additional tools included wheelbarrow, torches, track punch, track chisels, drill, drill bits, track shovels, scoop shovels, clay picks, pike pole, scythes, brush hook, post hole diggers, wire stretchers, wire pliers, telegraph wire, adzes, axes, hand axe, extra handles, monkey wrenches, hand saws, files, grindstone set, whetstones, several varieties of oil cans, funnels, water keg and tin cups.

    These were the men who kept Frisco Faster Freight wheel’n’ safely on time.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2023
  9. rich57

    rich57 Member

    Thank you Karl for your response to my question. You provided valuable information!
     
  10. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    I think I'd overlooked this thread while on vacation a couple of years ago. For Karl or others, I'm wondering if anyone knows if there was a section house for Gang C6, C7 and C7 1/2 that were headquartered in Olathe? If so, any ideas on where it would have been located?

    I'm hoping for just north of the depot on the "east" side of the tracks. For my modeling purposes, a section house at this location would nicely screen the backdrop opening where Olathe turns into the area around the 29th Street Interlocking.

    Operationally, how in the world did a section gang get its hands on the multitudinous tools and supplies they needed? Presumably they would have to submit some sort of requisition to the division stores. Would these items have been supplied via a regular local, or did the Frisco operate any sort of dedicated supply trains?

    I have an old Espee promotional film on VHS which includes a segment on one of their supply trains providing everything from brooms and dustpans to the local agent, to lenses for the signal maintainer. The thought of being able to model a "supply extra" is intriguing to me.

    Best Regards,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2023
  11. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    There was one section house at Olathe.

    Built in 1871, it was a two story affair with over all dimensions of 28'-6" x 36'-5". I suspect that Olathe Section House looked much like the Anna, KS house which may be seen in Don Barnwart's book on page 475.

    There was an outdoor privy , whose dimensions were 4'-3" x 6'-0. There was a North Section Car House, 12'-3" x 16'-2", and a South Section Car House, 8'-2" x 12'-2". Both were built in 1888. Neither the Sanborn Maps, nor my 1917 Valuation Sheet shows any of the section gang related structures. The valuation sheet covers the Frisco from Park Street to the KCCS Crossings and wyes.

    I have attached the section headquarter layout from the Frisco 1906 standard plans. Using that as a guide, we might assume that if we can locate the tool house, the section house may have been nearby. Of course, the Olathe section house was not a "Frisco" structure, but a Gulf Road building.

    Section_hdqtr_plan.jpg

    Every 6 months the Frisco published a Materials and Supplies Price List. The book contains 134 pages of everything that the section gang needed to do its job. The "catalogue" lists the cost per unit, the point of origin, and the unit weight. Most of the supplies originated in St Louis, but for example bricks came from Ft Scott.

    The sample pages come from the July 1930 list. The page that I selected covers the section foreman's choice in hand cars, motorcars, and push cars. I suspect that in most cases the materials were delivered LCL.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2023

Share This Page