Back in about 1965 my friend, noted rail photographer George Strombeck, who has been a contributor to several of the books I have written for both White River Productions and Morning Sun Books, rode the Sunnyland from Kansas City to Springfield and return. This was something of a mission for him, as he set out in the mid-1960s to ride trains soon to be discontinued, as this one certainly was. These are some of the photos he took, including several of Frisco passenger trains meeting in Springfield. George was kind enough to allow me to make dupes of his slides and to share them herein. Hope you enjoy, as these are photos seldom seen. Thanks also to Mike for walking me through the process of posting this item. Greg Stout
Very nice!! Especially enjoyed the two shots at Fort Scott. I remember this scene vividly. My grandmother would cart me down to the depot in her '59 Chevy to catch the morning southbounds/southbound. I remember sitting on the baggage wagon waiting, getting to go up in the cab, the smell of all that is railroad, and wondering what was in that Freight House. Thanks for posting these wonderful shots!! Jeff Cooney, Lindsay, TX
Thanks for posting those. Does anyone know what the purpose of the lantern in the last photo is? Was it just a spare, or was it used for signalling? It appears to be on a fixed bracket on the pole. Paul
There was a signal lamp at each end of the the umbrella sheds. When lamp on the west end displayed white, it indicated that the A-block just west of the Kansas Ave overpass displayed a proceed indication. On the east end of the Springfield depot, a white lamp indicated that a train could proceed to Pine Street Junction or to MK Junction.
The dispatcher controlled the lamps on the east side, and the ones on the west side were "linked" to the westbound/northbound absolute signal.
Karl--Know anything about the tall (Probably 15' above the ground) signals resembling grade crossing blinkers, but with white lights? They were between the main tracks and the tracks where the diners and business cars were parked. The twin lights were for east bounds and I always figured they were for the two main tracks to the east of the station. This signal is visible in some of the Springfield depot photos that have been posted. Tom Edit: Here's a photo with that signal http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2918&d=1143376576
Thanks for posting these, Greg. I missed out on the passenger era, so photos posted of these beautiful Frisco trains are the only way that people of my generation can enjoy them. Thanks again. Pat Moreland Union Mo.
Tom, Those are the two white lamps controlled by the dispatcher for eastward/southward movements beyond Pine Street Junction/MK Junction Thanks for jogging my memory.
Re: Springfield Depot Signal Indications After poking around, I found this in the Central District ETT #45, August 9, 1964. The operation of the white lamps is described.
Thanks Karl--We sometimes forget what a goldmine employee timetables and their special instructions are. Tom
Just taking another look at these nice photos. I'd not intially noticed the standing water in Picture #6. Wouldn't this make for an interesting detail to model? I'm still debating if I want a portion of our springtime c. 1943 layout to include a "rain scene," where a detail like this would really stand out. Best Regards,