The late Howard Fogg remains one of the most popular artisits of our modern age. The paintings that he executed of diesels for the American Locomotive Company are still sought by railfans the world over. One of the most beautiful paintings of his happens to be of a Frisco freight at night. There appears to be only one other night scene and it is on the New York Central. The Frisco painting shows a freight pounding the diamonds of another railroad at grade with the agent standing in the light under the train order stand having handed up orders to the crew of FA #5217-A. The depot is also lit while a big fat full moon is breaking through some storm clouds high up in the sky, probably around midnight. The painting reminds me of the summer of 1961 when I lived in Farmers Branch, Texas. I would ride my bike and pace the Katy´s Dallas to Denton local night freight along Denton Road up to Carrollton. Although I never encountered a Frisco freight there at night I did spend many a day there in the depot with the agent, Ken Dafft. Ken was a Cotton Belt employee and the depot was owned and maintained by the SSW. The Frisco and Katy crossed the Cotton Belt at grade there at the depot. Around 11:30 AM the northbound Frisco freight from Ft. Worth would pass through Carollton and several times Ken had to hand up orders to the train. It could still be found with ABBA sets of FAs and FBs! I turned 65 on July 4th, just past, and this scene takes me back to the summer of 1961 when I turned 15. Ken befriended a teenage railfan and this helped make me determined to hire out on the railroad after high school. I served three years with the US Army Transportation Corps and switched boxcars from 1967 until my move to Germany in 1976 with the Cotton Belt and Santa Fe in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I retired off the German Railway last year having been employed as a passenger service represenative at the Nuremberg passenger station here in Germany. I can speak German albeit with a Texas accent! The Frisco painting can be purchased as an original print from www.foggprints.com for $25.00 plus shipping in a sturdy cardboard tube. I don´t like to plug dealers as such but I want to pass along this information so no Frisco fan will end up paying too much from other vendors. These prints are new! FFF Frisco Fine Friends should stick together! Joe Toth The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer
Attached is a poor pic of the Fogg SLSF 5217 print you are referring to. A true classic. The train is not passing over another railroad, but over another line of the Frisco. The scene is at Nichols, MO, just to the railroad west of Springfield, MO. The train is heading west to Tulsa, OK. The other line is the Frisco line to Kansas City. Thanks for the price guideline. This print often appears on eBay, which is where I got mine. It was less than $25, I think it cost me around $10-$15 plus shipping. I think the pic is from the eBay posting of the print I bought. The Alco FA had classic lines, and Horard Fogg reproduced it well. I met Howard once - at a function in his honor in the mid-1980's at the St Louis Mercantile Library. He passed away a few years later. Ken
Thanks for the info on the location of the scene. This scene was repeated all over the US back when there were still real railroads. Carrollton, Texas, was unique in that three railroads crossed right at the depot. The Frisco line from Ft. Worth to Sherman and Oklahoma and points north, the Katy´s Dallas to Denton branch, and the Cotton Belt mainline from Ft. Worth to Greenville, Texarkana and on to St. Louis. Before the relocation, the SL-SF/SSW diamond was right smack dab in the middle of Denton Road! It will be interesting to watch the progress of the former Age of Steam Railroad Museum, now the Museum of the American Railroad, now that ground has been broken at Frisco, just up the line from Carrollton. With the operation of the former Cotton Belt line between Ft. Worth and Carrollton, by the Ft. Worth & Western, perhaps we will see daily passenger trains operating from Frisco to Ft. Worth over this historic trackage. Is asking for a new Texas Special asking too much? A Sam Houston Zephyr, Sunbeam, Texas Eagle (bring that T&P dome car back home boys!) or Cotton Belt Lone Star? I certainly hope that the management will opt for a historical passenger train to promote the Museum and Texas rail history and not some circus painted imitation. Thomas will take care of the kids. Let the grown-ups have their fun too! Joe Toth The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer
Fogg's last painting was an oil of a pair Espee 4400's working Tehachapi. At the time of his death, he was working on a Frisco subject. In Hill's and Chione's book, the last page has a pencil sketch of a Frisco 4100 and a 4400 working a freight somewhere in the Ozarks.
Howard also did the painting for Lloyd Stagner´s book "Steam Locomotives of the Frisco Line" too, if memory serves me well. Joe Toth The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer
To set things in the proper sequence, Howard Fogg did the painting of SLSF 4524 running east close to Valley Park, MO based on a picture that appeared in one of the earlier Lucius Beebe books. Howard did a lot of his paintings based on pictures taken prior to his painting. The Beebe pic is neat as you can see a Missouri Pacific freight train running on the parallel MP line off in the distance at the base of the hills. Later, Howard gave Lloyd Stagner permission to use the pic in his "Steam Locomotives of the Frisco Line" book. Lucius, Howard and Lloyd each did much to give the Frisco some well deserved pub in the early years before the explosion of books and other media we enjoy today. Ken
I received word that my order for the Fogg Frisco print with FA#5217 is being mailed from Fogg Prints. I had this print when I still lived in Texas. When I made the move across The Big Pond to Germany, I left my collection of railroad items with a friend in Dallas. He claimed that there was a break-in and a lot of "stuff" got stolen. My collection went "thataway" folks! I am trying to obtain the items that were of most value to me. Not in terms of cash but memories. My younger years were spent in Farmers Branch, Texas. Just up old US 77 is Carrollton. The Frisco crossed the Katy and Cotton Belt there. Fogg´s night scene reminds me of the old SSW depot there. It served as a joint agency for the Katy and Frisco, the SSW agent doing bizz for all three roads. Back in the 80s, I believe it was, Railroad Model Craftsman ran a calendar in one of their magazines with a Frisco scene. Can anyone put me on to the month and year so I can order a back issue? This didn´t get stolen but was loaned out and never came home. I recall that the print had a red-orange and white diesel and a Western Maryland (of all roads) boxcar spotted at an industry in the background. Thanks y´all! Joe Toth The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer Update: The print arrived and is one of the most beautiful Foggs in my opinion. There is so much life and drama within its borders. Any Frisco fan without one is truly missing a classic! JT
I remember Ken the agent at Carrollton. When I worked for the SLSF WE DELIVERED cars on the tranfer. One other thing Joe I will try to send you a photo on movement of my old Steam Engine #7 in this mail. Well it did not work.
I worked in the ATSF as switchman in the early days before I went to work on the Old 7 Spot at Union Terminal. I am sure you knew my cousin John Winter that was a switchman in the old ATSF yard. When I worked for the SLSF I took a train into the ATSF yard every night. Dizzy Was the night yard master. Mr Fisher was the SUPERTENDENT.
