Did any Frisco 1500 Class 4-8-2s ran on the River Division mainline between Saint Louis, MO to Memphis, TN in the 1930s and 1940s
Not until very late during the steam-to-diesel transition. The St Louis and Chaffee Sub passenger trains were handled by the 1040 class and The Memphian received the 1060’s after their rebuild.
Why the River Division is not 4-8-2 1500 Class Mountains territory in the steam era. why no 1500 Class on that division, If so, what steam locomotive took the troop trains to Memphis
Up until late, the 1500s and 4100s that were booster equipped were kept off the Riv Div. 1030s-1040s and low numbered 1500s on passenger and 4000s,1200s and 1300s on freight. During the war 700 and 1400s were pretty prevalent on that line. Later 40s the 1060 4-6-4s were used on the Scissorbill also.
The longest passenger train ever recorded on any American railroad was a troop train on the River Division, hauled by two locomotives. The event is recorded in the book Frisco Folks. I don't have access to it right now, or I would quote the account. Also, about 1952 there was a derailment of a troop train at Menfro, just north of Cape Girardeau. I remember my dad's taking me to see the wreckage and the cranes working. The event was reported with photographs in the Southeast Missourian. Keith Robinson or Chris Abernathy or Tim Cannon should be able to find the article. Ken McElreath
Here’s the Menfro troop train info. This pdf contains a lot of info about WWII Main Trains... it might help your search. https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-20/CMH_Pub_10-20.pdf
Will leave to others to confirm, but my suspicion is that the shorter passenger consists relative to the rest of the system and the reasonably level grade made things so that the Pacifics and the Mikados (excepting the 4200s) were adequate motive power. I have always been curious why the rebuilt Hudsons were placed on the Memphian, rather than the 1500s. I've probably heard or read somewhere but it escapes me if I did. Best Regards,
Joe Collias' book The Last of Steam has a nice pic of the Frisco Sunnyland, #807, leaving St Louis on the way to Memphis, with Mountain SLSF 1500 on the point. See page 68. Interestingly, he has a very similar pic of #807 at the same location, but behind Pacific SLSF 1044. See page 66. Both are pulling seven cars, 4 head end and 3 passenger. In each case, the last head end car is a RPO. K
