St. Louis–San Francisco Railway

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St. Louis–San Francisco Railway
Frisco system as of 1918; the Fort Worth and Rio Grande into central Texas would be sold to the Santa Fe in 1937
Overview
HeadquartersSpringfield, Missouri[1]
Reporting markSLSF
LocaleAlabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
Dates of operation1876–1980
SuccessorBurlington Northern

The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (reporting mark SLSF), also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to 1980.

History

The St. Louis and San Francisco Railway was incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. It was formed from the Missouri Division and Central Division of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. After bankruptcy, the Frisco emerged as the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, which was incorporated on June 29, 1896. This company, too, went bankrupt; on August 24, 1916, the company was reorganized as the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.

The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway had two main lines: St. LouisTulsaOklahoma City and Kansas CityMemphisBirmingham. The junction of the two lines was in Springfield, Missouri, which also played home to the company's main shops facility. Other lines included Springfield – Kansas City (via Clinton, Missouri); Monett, Missouri (Pierce City) – Wichita, Kansas; Monett, Missouri – Paris, Texas; St. Louis – River Jct., Arkansas (Memphis, Tennessee); Tulsa, Oklahoma – Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma to Avard, Oklahoma; and Lakeside, Oklahoma – Hugo, Oklahoma – Hope, Arkansas.

From March 1917 through January 1959 the Frisco, in a joint venture with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (aka MKT or the Katy), operated the Texas Special. This luxury passenger liner ran from St. Louis to Dallas, Ft. Worth, and San Antonio. The Texas Special is a popular prototype in model railroading.

The Frisco merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad on November 21, 1980.

Passenger trains

While the Texas Special was the most famous passenger train the Frisco ever operated it also rostered an entire fleet of named trains. These include:[citation needed]

  • Black Gold (Tulsa - Fort Worth)
  • Firefly (Tulsa - Kansas City)
  • Kansas City-Florida Special (Kansas City - Jacksonville)
  • Memphian (St. Louis - Memphis)
  • Meteor (St. Louis - Oklahoma City/Fort Smith)
  • Oklahoman (Once connected Kansas City-Tulsa but was later rerouted between St. Louis and Oklahoma City.)
  • Southland (Kansas City - Birmingham)
  • Sunnyland (Kansas City/St. Louis - Atlanta/Pensacola)
  • Will Rogers (St. Louis - Oklahoma City/Wichita)

Former Frisco lines today

The core of the former Frisco system continues to be operated by BNSF as high-density mainlines. Other secondary and branchlines have been sold to shortline operators or have been abandoned altogether.

  • Kansas City-Springfield-Memphis-Birmingham: Operated by BNSF
  • St. Louis-Springfield-Tulsa-Dallas: Operated by BNSF
  • Fort Scott, Kansas to Afton, Oklahoma: Operated by BNSF
  • St. Louis to Memphis, Tennessee: Operated by BNSF
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma to Avard, Oklahoma: Operated by BNSF
  • Monett, Missouri to Fort Smith, Arkansas: Operated by Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
  • Lakeside, Oklahoma to Hope, Arkansas: Operated by Kiamichi RR (Rail America)
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma (Sapulpa) to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Operated by Stillwater Central RR
  • Oklahoma City to Snyder, Oklahoma: Operated by Stillwater Central RR
  • Snyder, Oklahoma (Long Siding) to Quanah, Texas: Operated by BNSF
  • Enid, Oklahoma to Frederick, Texas: Operated by Grainbelt/Farmrail
  • Amory, Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida: Operated by Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway (RailAmerica)
  • Springfield to Kansas City (via Clinton): Abandoned
  • Monett (Pierce City) to Carthage, Missouri: Out of service
  • Carthage, Missouri to Wichita, Kansas: Mostly Abandoned
  • Chaffee, Missouri to Poplar Bluff, Mo to Hoxie, Ar (Hoxie Sub): Abandoned

Predecessors

The following companies were predecessors of the Frisco:

Acquisitions

Frisco 1522 has been preserved and restored. In this picture the locomotive is sitting in Arkansas City, Kansas

The following railroads were acquired or merged into the Frisco:


Asset absorptions

The following is a list of partial or full asset absorptions, many times through bankruptcy courts or creditors. In some cases the SL&SF was a creditor. Assets can include mineral rights, property, track and right of way, trains, bonds, mortgages, etc.

Notes

  1. ^ Patrick Hiatte, Springfield, Missouri: The Heart of the Frisco, 1955, [[Trains (magazine)|]], December 2003

See also

References

  • Burlington System from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 26, 2005
  • Western Historical Manuscript Collection—Rolla—University of Missouri-Rolla "Guide to the Historical Records of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Company" Retrieved September 16, 2005
  • "100 Years of Service". 1960. Retrieved 2006-04-20.

External links