LEASED ENGINES AT FT. SMITH
By H. E. Huber

Wartime traffic on the KCS had increased so much that it caused a motive power shortage, and they leased all the spare locomotives that were available. The Ft. Smith-Spiro branch line had seen quite a few of these locomotives between the years of 1941 and May of 1943.

Sometime during the year 1942, engine 85 was sent to Heavener, OK for new flues and when the work was completed, was assigned to the Spiro-McCurtain branch for a number of months. It was when 85 was on the McCurtain branch that the parade of leased engines in Ft. Smith started.

First to appear was Monon 37, a monstrous 0-6-0. I did not get to see this engine at all. It happened during the winter when I was having my usual bout of the flu and sore throat. It did not stay long. It was so heavy, it broke several rails in the yards and the KCS hustled her out of town in a hurry, never to come back. No pictures of Monon 37 in Ft. Smith exist but a picture of sister engine 39 shows just how big a 0-6-0 it was.

Next was C&EI 3639, also a 0-6-0. It stayed around for several months and, apparently, was a very good engine. Engineer Jack Foster liked it because it had a power reverse, something 85 lacked. It was a coal burner and easy to fire. I can recall the firemen liked it.

When 3639 left, Kansas City Terminal 23 was assigned to the job, again, a coal burning 0-6-0. It had a very high and narrow coalbunker on the tender. This caused engine watchman Charlie Washburn much more work when heaving a scoop full of coal into the bunker from the floor of the adjacent coal car. He did not care for the 23 at all. Mr. Foster was so-so with it; the only feature he liked was the power reverse.

The last engines to appear were Frisco 3653 and 3654, identical engines, both 0-6-0's and oil burning. Since refueling facilities at Ft. Smith were geared for coal burning locomotives, this posed some new and different problems refueling them. These engines sat in the dead line in the Frisco yards at Ft. Smith for a number of years until they were leased to the KCS. Neither engine had power reverses but Mr. Foster liked them because of their pulling ability. Of course the firemen liked them because they were oil burners.

In the spring of 1943 engine 85 returned to Ft. Smith and no more foreign engines were ever on the Ft. Smith-Spiro branch. During the years of 1941, 1942 and part of 1943 you never knew what would show up. It all made for interesting train watching and 50 years later, lots of good memories.

FC: KCS.103