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Frisco Power by Joe Collias Locomotives & trains 1903-1953 Hard Cover
Frisco Power by Joe Collias
locomotives and trains of the St Louis - San Francisco Railway 1903-1953
Hard Cover
Copyright 1984 FIRST EDITION
304 Pages
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgmentsvi
Forewordix
1.Briefly, Some History1
... A Stormy Beginning
2.The 2-6-0 Mogul Types15
... Pioneers in Power
3.The 2-8-0 Consolidation Types17
... Classic Freight Power
4.The Light and Heavy 2-8-2 Types39
... The Dependables
5.The 4200 Series 2-8-2 Types57
... Unwanted Depression Babies
6.The 2-10-0 Decapods63
. Reconciled Russians
7.The 2-10-2s and 2-8-8-2s71
. Homeliest of Haulers
8.The 4-4-0 Eight Wheelers85
... An American Experiment
9.The 4-6-0 Ten-Wheelers99
... The Berry Pickers
10.The 4-6-2 Pacific Types121
... The Sporty Ones
11.The 4-6-4 Hudson Types143
... Flashiest of All
12.The 1500 Series 4-8-2 Types155
... Pride of the Stables
13.The Heavy 4-8-2 Mountain Types175
. Homebuilt and Handsome
14.The 4-8-4 Northern Types197
. The Apex of Steam
15.The 0-6-0 Switchers215
. Least in Length Only
16.The First Diesel Electric Locomotives225
... The End of Steam
17.Self-Propelled Motorcars253
... Short on Numbers, Long on Variety
18.Along the Line263
... The Fixed Plant, and Not So Fixed.
Epilogue303
The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, or as it was nicknamed, the Frisco, was never destined to achieve it's goal of San Francisco; various difficulties precluded a westward expansion. When financing caused the dream of a transcontinental line to the West Coast to dim, the company turned its attention to building an integrated rail system to service the growing South and Southwest areas of the United States. As ultimately configured, the railroad was loosely arranged as the letter "X", with one section extending southwest from St. Louis to Oklahoma and Texas, and the other leg from Kansas City southeast to Birmingham and Pensacola. Many underlying companies were purchased and absorbed and the road was in turn financially connected at various periods with other railroads. During the early years, the road was controlled by the giant Santa Fe, and, in the 1900-1913 period, by the Rock Island's B. F. Yoakum, who extended Frisco control over the Chicago & Eastern Illinois and the Gulf Coast Lines in Texas. Financial difficulties in 1913-1914 caused the road to lose control of these subsidiaries. Once again dreams of expansion were forgotten and the new Frisco embarked on an improvement program to better service the territory in which the road operated. The railway was merged into giant Burlington Northern in late 1980.
The road was noted during its formative years for accumulating a hodgepodge of motive power and for a management that condoned family employee relationships. The resulting independence from outside influence (a trait already common in the Ozark region) produced in the later days of steam a definite Frisco "look" that gave the railway a reputation for motive power aesthetics. Contributing was the roads own practice of augmentation, which included Greco-Roman decoration, a matchless locomotive "face" (which was built around a unique trademark developed from a raccoon hide) and immaculate cleanliness. The road also developed many locomotives in its own shops at Springfield, Mo., converting outmoded castoffs into the most modern examples of steam technology. Regardless of a very modern roster of steam power, the railway very early recognized the advantages of diesel power and completely converted to that form of motive power by 1952.
In common with most rail carriers of the Frisco's size photographic coverage and record maintenance could in no manner equal that of, say, the mighty New York Central or the Pennsylvania Railroad. Accordingly many false rumors as to the road's motive power practices and operations became stated fact. In FRISCO POWER for the first time many of these false beliefs are set aside and the true facts underlying the existence of much of the road's motive power are revealed.
While the main emphasis of the book is on modern steam power, other forms are not ignored, coverage is provided on the internal combustion rail cars and "first generation" diesel-electrics. Not forgotten are the trains these locomotives pulled, from the "leaky roof local" to the "Firefly", "Will Rogers", "Meteor", and "Kansas City-Florida Special". Here then, is the telling in pictures and text of the absorbing story of the Frisco's motive power and trains. It contains a treasury of information on equipment and operations in the style and format of the author's best selling MOPAC POWER. Another great new railway adventure from Joe Collias.
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