Frisco Freight Trains
The following sequence of 2 photos is from the Arkansas side of
the Mississippi River and was taken by J.
Parker Lamb in 1954.
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While the MP freight continues east on the Harahan Bridge in the background, a Frisco freight, also led by a FA1 is heading north over the Frisco bridge. This unit will not retain its ALCo 244 engine for long before an EMD 567 engine takes its place. Note how the roadway for the Harahan bridge is woven between the towers of both the Frisco and Harahan bridges. |
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| A northbound Frisco freight on the trestle at the west end of the Mississippi River bridge built in 1892 by the Kansas City Ft. Scott & Memphis Railroad and operated by the Kansas City and Memphis Railway and Bridge Company. The consist in this 1954 photo is made up of EMD F3A F9B F3B F7B F7A. The Frisco loved to mix and match their "covered wagons", adding ALCo FA1s and FB1s as available. |
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Contributed by Phil Gosney |
An eastbound Frisco freight with an A-B-B-B-A consist of F-units enters Memphis at Kansas Ave. in August 1962. |
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Photo by David Johnston |
| Frisco and Missouri Pacific freights proceed across the Illinois Central crossing in this view from the semaphore signal bridge. Note the coonskin herald on the nose of the Frisco GP38. SLSF #651 is the only GP38 with the herald on the nose. Also note the traffic light that guards this crossing, controlled from the gray switch shanty. |
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Phil Gosney Photo |
| Phil's comments continue, "The ultimate insult. The Cotton Belt crew has already waited for a westbound Frisco train to pass at Kansas Street. Now they are getting passed not by not one, but TWO trains simultanenously!! The engineer was right... 'They nevah treat us good in Memphis'" Frisco 911 an SD-45 passes the ill fated Cotton Belt crew, as a eastbound RI train does so at the same time, lead by two GP-7 units. November, 1968. |
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Mike Condren Photo |
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Mike Condren Photo |
| Frisco SD45 #933 is shown here westbound past Kentucky Street on 11/29/80. |
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Mike Condren Photo |
| Note the 7-units (3 SD45s, 1 U25B, 1 GP35, 1 GP38, and 1 GP40) in the #933 consist. |
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Mike Woodruff Photo |
| Northbound freight crossing the IC. Note the semiphore signals on bridge "A" in the foreground and "D" in the distance. |
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David Johnston Photo |
SLSF SD45 #938 is northbound at Democrat Road in Memhis,
4/20/75. |
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David Johnston Photo |
SLSF #730 leading this westbound is a GP35 riding
on tradein trucks from a retired ALCo cab unit. |
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This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren. If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu