im needing to know what the feed mill name is that is on the east end of the springfield yard between comercial st and chase st there use to be a road that ran next to it over the tracks until bnsf closed it off with chain link fence
thanks im in springfield on a visit and there is a sign on the front that says something about by products but its not all there to read any idea what was stored in the big silos?
It's been a couple of years--The RR didn't want to screw with the crossing anymore (signals, flagging etc.) and they would also block the street for long periods with switching moves. And, they really wanted to stop the Commercial Street winos from climbing through or crawling under standing trains and possibly be run over. I've seen that with my own eyes. It's an inconvenience for the neighborhood--people who actually drive or walk over the street--rather than crawl. The street is Broadway Avenue. (A Springfield oddity: Neither "Broadway" Avenue or "Main" Avenue are Springfield's main streets! The honor might have to go to Glenstone, Sunshine, National or Campbell. Streets that go all the way through town. Tom
thanks, also another question was the old diesel shop located right down off of kansas bridge? by going north on kansas to atlantic turning left and driving down the access road to the tracks where the some engines sit sometimes? thanks for all the help oh and did A/B ever have signage at the mill? it going to be part of my layout again thanks
AB has had signs in the past, but I can't remember exactly what they looked like?? I think they were small and they were around on the North side visible from Chase St. RE shops: I think they still park engines where they used to in front of the doors where the shop was. The diesel shop was to the West of the North one third segment of the bridge (you kinda have to think about that description). Closer to the North rather than the South part of the bridge. It's about due West of the engine servicing shed that's partly under the bridge. It was south of the large fuel storage tank (One tank now--there used to be two). All these directions are general and relative--I'm visualizing the directions as if the bridge ran true North and South and the tracks East and West. Turning off Atlantic is the right place to get there as you mentioned. I have a story about that Broadway St. crossing--About 1966, when the Frisco and Santa Fe were pooling through cross country frieights (Not sure at this time if this train was called the QLA yet) I was stopped at that crossing about midnight for the red signal. I looked down the track to the East and saw the headlight. There was plenty of time to cross, but I waited for the train to pass. There were SIX perfectly matched shiny, washed blue and yellow Santa Fe F-7's in an A-B-B-B-B-A lash up with LOUDEST and most melodic air horns I think I ever heard! It was almost a religious experience. Tom
Please see the links below for satellite views, centered on the Kansas Avenue overpass, of the diesel shop (to west) and service track (to east) areas. http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=15&X=2361&Y=20601&W=3&qs=|springfield|MO| http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...9859,-93.313698&spn=0.004784,0.01236&t=h&z=17 The street level link below is a view to the west. Just beyond where the tracks end the shop building once stood. Between tracks 1 and 2 (left to right or south to north) the load test box is visible. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...pbUM0hj59w_1rw&cbp=12,274.78121686474174,,0,5 You can "drive" up and down the street and rotate the direction of the view. If you change the view to look east, you can see the service track area. There are also posts on this site that include photographs that show the diesel shop area prior and subsequent to it being torn down. Recommend using the search option above and key words to help find additional information. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
This has nothing to do with the A-B feed mill, but relates to Tom's story about the A-B-B-B-B-A set of ATSF F-units he saw. A whole gaggle of F-units running together certainly was impressive! It seemed the Santa Fe, often, tried to put them together in the "proper" order as they were on that day. Neat when they ran that way! Tom's story reminded me of this: In the early spring of 1964, while at MSM in Rolla, I was walking to my eating club - The Prospectors (Doug - ever eat there? Ecchh!, but it was cheap and they kept us fed!), from campus for lunch when I heard the obvious growl of the Frisco climbing up Rolla Hill from Newburg. It was loud - they were close, so I took the two block detour to walk by the Rolla Depot to have a look. After a few minutes, here they came around the bend - a mixed set of Frisco F's. But they kept coming! I don't recall all the details of all the types, but the first four or five units, which were the usual mix of F-types, including one FA1 I do remember, were running - and running hard. Wonderful sound! Behind them were six or seven more mixed F3's, both A's and B's, that were dead and just along for the ride. Following that was a reasonably long mixed freight - I was hungry so I left. Naturally, I had no camera along! I think the Frisco traded in some F3's in 1964, so my bet is the dead units were on their way to Lindenwood to be decommissioned and sent to EMD for, probably, more GP35's. In any event, it was quite impressive to see a gaggle of SLSF F's some ten or twelve units long, even though they all weren't running, and they weren't all in the "proper" order. It was a very long string of black & yellow for sure! Ken
One can get some really nice photos of this on Microsoft Live Earth. You can even have views of it from all 4 sides. Microsoft Live Earth is really a great resource for modelers. Bob Wintle
Anheuser Bush, Inc. owned a grain elevator complex located at 935 West Commercial Street in Springfield, MO. Due to its location at the grade crossing with the tracks this elevator was also known as (aka) the "Broadway Avenue elevator". The structure formed an inverted T-shape across the Frisco's main tracks at the east end of the Springfield / Kansas Avenue Yard. The complex was constructed using the slip form technique, with poured in place concrete. This resulted in a substantial, durable or fire resistive construction building that is considered an area landmark. It was built over a 24 year period, in 3 major phases. Phase 1 is south of and parallel to the main tracks on a generally east / west axis. Built in 1913, it consisted of 8 circular silos, arranged in two rows of 4 silos. These stand 65' high with a storage capacity of 200,000 bushels. The west two silos are 150' tall. They are topped with a horizontal conveyor gallery an additional 10' high. The head or work house stands 85' high and is on the east end. The truck dump is on the south (Commercial Street) side and is 18' high. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...bp=12,28.749368885302577,,0,5.000000000000001 Phase 2 added 18 additional circular silos in 1934. This increased the storage capacity by 300,000 bushels. These silos are arranged in two rows of 5 circular silos, interlocked with 4 intermediate silos, north of, at a right angle to and across the tracks from the original silos. This formed the distinctive inverted T arrangement. At the south end of the silos is a head / work house that stands 125'. Phase 3 added an additional 10 silos in 1937. This further increased the storage capacity by 200,000 bushels. These silos were arranged in 2 rows, also on a north south axis, north of the 1934 addition. The silos consisted of 3 circular, interlocked with 2 additional intermediate silos. All of the north silos are 96' tall. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...p=12,65.76272084320479,,0,-19.598445595854923 The silos were topped with a horizontal conveyor gallery 10' high. The north silos were connected to the original elevator by a metal sheathed enclosed bridge, horizontal conveyor located 75' above the tracks. To the east of the original elevator is a stand alone office building. The office was built when the original elevator was constructed in 1913. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...yZRTssHJNA&cbp=12,125.87982890997085,,0,-17.5 The grand total storage capacity of the entire complex is 700,000 bushels. I do not believe the complex had milling capabilities on site. Therefore, it is a storage elevator verses a feed or other mill operation. The information above was derived from Sanborn Fire Insurnance Maps from my local library. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
thanks for all the info i knew it was a storage facility but wasnt sure who operated it, i took this photo today from the street it says something about southwest by products? thanks for all the help
Southwest By-Products must have acquired the elevator. They're a rendering plant that makes some products from slaughtered animals--pet food maybe?? Tom
