Beaumont, KS sat atop the divide that separated Otter Creek and Little Walnut Creek. Westbound trains had nearly ten miles of 1.0% to 1.2% grades before cresting the divide. Eastbound traffic faced a gentler 0.3% to 1.0% climb. Being the northern terminal for Western Division trains, a five-stall roundhouse and 5 track yard was maintained. Known as the location of the last remaining Frisco water tank, even as late as 1967 many structures remained. The original roundhouse burned to the ground on December 19, 1919. It was rebuilt during 1920 with a wood framed, corrugated sheet-metal building. As can be seem in the photos, pieces of the structure still stood in 1967. The Frisco used a ten-pocket coaling trestle until 1947. The trestle was retired and replaced with Red Devil Coal Loader. The Frisco built a structure to house coal loader and to protect the coal-laden hopper cars, which supplied the coal. That structure remained, as well, into the late ‘60’s. Three other structure are also seen in the photographs, i.e., the tool house, the section car house, and the structure that housed the roundhouse office, storeroom, and shower. The photograph of the station sign and telephone booth is the approximate location of the depot. I received the photographs from Jim Rucker, who I believe to be deceased. I met him when I first moved to Houston, but have lost touch of him. Beaumont might fit the bill for modelers who desire a small layout.
Photographs of the 1885 water tower or water tank in Beaumont, KS. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/4308286991/sizes/l/in/set-72157623293989054/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/4309021714/sizes/l/in/set-72157623293989054/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/7225206@N06/2155252696/sizes/l/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/4308283105/sizes/l/in/set-72157623293989054/ (water tank historic sign) Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Photograph of the station sign at Beaumont, KS. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/4308283647/sizes/l/in/set-72157623293989054/ Typical of many of the railroad's right of way signs it is mounted on an iron pipe with a flattened top. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Please see the following link for additional photographs of the Beaumont water tank and historic marker. http://www.denverrails.com/db/attgallery.cfm?attr_id=1376 Click on the image on the left for a larger view. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Good to see the water tower preserved and with an organized effort. Too bad they don't restore the Frisco "coonskin" herald. Tom
ok, hate for this to be my first post, but I can't help but to notice the station site ed pic.... is that guy wizzing on the side of the building? lol I'm very interested in this old Frisco line. I caught a pic of a train overhead in a copy of CTC Board several years ago, anybody have any more pics from around Wichita?
I made a quick sketch of the Beaumont, Kansas Pump House in order to provide Jim James with an example of how a Frisco pump house might appear. Jim needed an HO-scale pump house to serve his excellent Brownwood, Missouri water tank. I fleshed-out my original sketch, and the results are attached. The known details are: Erected 1904, Size: 16’-0 x 22’-0; 12’-0 high, Shingle Roof, Pitch 1:4, 1-Door, 6’-0 x 7’-0, 2-Windows; 12 Light, 10” x 16”. The rest is pure conjecture.
Thanks, Karl. I'm going to make a new pump house based on this. I'll have to maybe scale it down a bit. I'll have traces of the yellow paint visible under the eaves. I can use my first attempt somewhere else on the layout as it's fairly generic. Roof's too steep anyway
I think that what you have now is perfect for Brownwood... The Beaumont example served a small engine facility and is bigger that what would have been found on the Hoxie Sub.
Karl, the drawing is a gem for those of us having to resort to 100% conjecture for modeling. Seems that nearly every Sanborn map I've seen of a small, medium or large engine facility or any location with water includes a "Pump House." Thanks for providing,
Attached are some pictures I took on November 31, while on a tour of the Wichita Sub with our friend Bob Hoover (friscofriend).
Just thought I'd share I'm staying in the Beaumont hotel tonight. I was headed back from a Wichita business trip fully expecting to be back in Missouri by 5:00 but found myself passing through town at this time behind schedule. What a perfect time to explore this little jewel. I just took some similar photos Keith has posted. If you're ever close by I highly recommend staying here. Has a very nice and quaint restaurant in the lobby and the rooms exceeded my expectations.
Yes sir. Some nice steaks too. There's a fair amount of local, historic, Frisco photos in the hotel. Some I don't think I've seen. Maybe I can take some pics with my phone.
Nice pics, the AT&SF caboose must be a recent add to the display, it was not there last year when I was in Leon (just up the road) moving Frisco caboose 1249.
