Ideal Frisco locations to model

Paul, that would be something to see. I have made many trips from Tulsa to Madill, so I know the territory well. I like the wye turnouts used to transition from single main to two main tracks at Oma and Norris.

As for me, I only have a couple Free-mo modules, and one of them is based on the Madill-Sherman main just north of Lake Texoma. There's a pretty good climb up to Kingston from the lake and some nice rock cuts along the way. If I ever build any more modules, I'd like to focus on the Frisco between Tower 60 and Belt Junction in Fort Worth next.

 

There was a thread on here sometime past discussing modeling the area around MK Junction in Springfield (Before the new East Belt was laid). You would have all the passenger trains into Springfield; the Ozark Branch (old "Chadwick Line") locals; Main line freights on the Thayer Sub (Memphis line); downtown industry switching by both the Frisco and Missouri Pacific.

Tom G.

 

Tom, I'm with you on the QA&P. I love the name - so grandiose - but Quanah and Acme are mere miles from one another. The way I understand it, the old QA&P main is Main 1 on the BNSF Red River Valley Subdivision and runs parallel to the Fort Worth & Denver main, which is Main 2. Although it's nowhere near as bustling as it once was, it is still a pretty busy place.

I use historic aerials quite a bit in my virtual travels. I also use the different aerials available in Google Earth. I've been able to retrace most of the QA&P roadbed and a pretty fair amount of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains, which also operated in the same part of Texas.

Some of the boxcars I have represent traffic that originates at the wallboard plant there at Acme. Here are two of the five I've weathered so far (the Georgia Pacific cars):

http://www.pbase.com/mecrharris/image/140853973

 

I had a discussion with a friend the other day who models car float operations on the NYC, which brought up the idea of the Blakely Island car float that someone already mentioned, with it's 44 tonner and later SW1 and idler flatcar, as well as the dock in Pensacola Florida where the Frisco interchanged cargo with ships. I think that either of those would make a really neat layout, and to my knowledge, no one has done it before.

And of course, Cuba to Salem and/or Buick. I don't have the space to build it in it's entirety, but the interchange of traffic at Cuba would be interesting, along with switching operations at Steelville, Wesco, Floyd Charcoal at Howes, and finally Salem itself. After 1967, the line split at Lead Jct. and went to the mines at Viburnum and Buick. It was one of the first in the country to use concrete ties, so that in itself would be something unique for the time period and especially on the Frisco.

Pat

 

I've always liked the idea of Ft. Smith.
Before the Indian Territories were opened, the Frisco mainline turned south at Monett and went through Ft. Smith on to Texas.
In addition, at various times it was served by up to five RRs (SLSF, MP, KCS, MV, Ft. Smith &Western), a streetcar line, and an interurban that ran east to Paris, AR.
Ft. Smith hosted a a variety of industries through the years that would make many larger cities envious; several zinc refineries, an oil refinery, several furniture factories, a large number of coal mines (to the immediate south and east), Norge, a glass plant, and a paper cup plant. And while not an industry, Camp Chaffee was responsible for a lot of traffic.
The SLSF and The KCS shared the Union Station for a number of years. a larger union station was proposed and while never constructed, would have served most, if not all RRs in Ft. Smith.
The SLSF had a nice sized yard a nd a roundhouse there and the MP had the same just across the river in Van Buren.
Even today, the area is served by a class one RR, the UP, and two shortlines, the A&M and the Ft. Smith RR.
Ft. Smith seems to have many of the elements that a modeler needs.

 

Thanks, Tom. Yes, they are the DW cars. I have a similar Atlas car in the green GP scheme that's a little bit longer. I'm not sure if they're both attempts at the same prototype or if they are two different models, but they both look good.