My wife and I journeyed over to Olathe last week, Thursday through Saturday, to take care of our two granddaughters while Kurt and Jennifer had some functions to attend. In addition to having great fun with the girls, Kurt and I got to watch Games 6 and 7 of the World Series together, which was really nice for us. Needless to say, we greatly enjoyed the outcome ..... Cardinals, #11 in '11. Woooeee! OK, I know, this posting is supposed to be about the Frisco. While in Olathe, Kurt presented me with a book about the railroad scene in KC around the mid-1940's, authored by William Luse. In it, Mr. Luse presents art paintings he has done of various railroad scenes in the KC area during that time. Quite nice! Kurt picked up the book for next to nothing at a used book store. Two or three of the ~30 paintings show the Frisco in action, all steam power, in fact the entire book is shows only steam power. See the attached pic of the book cover. I had never seen this book before. Can any of you Frisco folks in the KC area tell me about it? Is it fairly common or is it hard to find? Kurt found it buried in the children's book section of the store! Ken
Ken...the book was published in 1988 and contains annotations by the late and great Charles E Winters who probably possessed a negative of EVERYTHING that ever rode on flanged wheels. Charlie was not only the #1 switchman in seniority in the US when he retired, but an avid photographer, collector, and all around good guy. You could "peruse" his stuff by agreeing to partake in a glass of scotch and a dose of Italian opera. He was very well rounded, and as a native of Ft Smith, Arkansas was probably also the #1 authority on the true "35th Parallel" road...the Ft. Smith & Western. You can find used ones with little trouble still. Buck
Buck - Thanks. I met Charlie once at a train meet somewhere years ago, I think here in St Louis. I sent him an order for some pictures - mainly Frisco rolling stock - which he finally filled several months later as I recall, but he sent along several others he had that I did not even order. Great guy. Kurt got a good deal on the book - 99 cents in the kiddie section of the used book store! Frisco steam depicted in the artwork: SLSF 4001, SLSF 3748, SLSF 1013. Must have been a lot of good train watching in KC back in the day! Ken
Well spoken Buck! Bill White and I would hang around for hours, looking at his vast collection of pictures and negatives. Indeed, fond memories of enlightening discussions, partaking in a scotch and cigar. Charlie was always, ready and eager, to send us home with pics that he'd process from his negatives. He enlightened me about steam. As Bill would say: "Charlie has forgotten more about steam, than I'll ever know". Thanks for sharing your memories. Ken - I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for the book. Bob McKeighan Lenexa, KS
Shades of yesterday - I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Winters not too long after I came on the scene in KC. Someone at the Shawnee Mission club told me that he had photos of Frisco locomotives so I gave him a call and was invited for a visit. My wife and I went over to his house one evening and I was totally "blown away" by all the file drawers full of negatives and photos. Needless to say, I came away with quite a few purchases and freebies too. I could have stayed all night, but after a while, the wife said that we better go. A very nice gentleman and a memory to stay with me a lifetime.
It was my pleasure to meet and spend an evening with Charles Winters some years ago. I purchased a ton of contacts from him. His knowledge and resources are missed. What happened to his extensive negative collection? Andre
I used a inter-library loan from Thomas Jefferson Library at University of Missouri- St. Louis to look at this book. It is a outstanding depiction of KC in the steam days.
To answer Andre, much of Charlie's collection went to the Fort Smith Trolley Museum so is close to you now. They are currently processing it. John Chambers
