St. Louis – San Francisco Railway
| St. Louis – San Francisco Railway |
Frisco system as of 1918; the Fort Worth and Rio Grande in central Texas would be sold to the Santa Fe in 1937
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| Reporting mark |
SLSF |
| Locale |
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas |
| Dates of operation |
1876–1980 |
| Successor |
Burlington Northern |
| Track gauge |
4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters |
Springfield, Missouri[1] |
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 also went bankrupt. On August 24, 1916, the company was reorganized as the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, although the line never went west of Texas.
The St. Louis – San Francisco Railway had two main lines: St. Louis – Tulsa – Oklahoma City and Kansas City – Memphis – Birmingham. The junction of the two lines was in Springfield, Missouri, home to the company's main shop facility. Other lines included:
- Springfield – Kansas City (via Clinton, Missouri)
- Monett, Missouri (Pierce City) – Wichita, Kansas
- Monett, Missouri – Paris, Texas
- St. Louis – River Junction, Arkansas (Memphis, Tennessee)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma – Dallas, Texas
- Tulsa, Oklahoma – Avard, Oklahoma
- Lakeside, Oklahoma – Hugo, Oklahoma – Hope, Arkansas.
From March, 1917, through January, 1959, the Frisco, in a joint venture with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (MKT or the Katy), operated the Texas Special. This luxurious streamliner ran from St. Louis to Dallas, Texas, Ft. Worth, Texas and San Antonio, Texas. The Texas Special is a popular prototype in model railroading.
The Frisco merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad on November 21, 1980.
The city of Frisco, Texas was named after the railroad and currently uses the former railroad's logo as its own logo.
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 included:
- 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 – 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 (RailAmerica)
- 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, Missouri to Hoxie, Arkansas (Hoxie Sub): Abandoned
Predecessors
The following companies were predecessors of the Frisco:
Acquisitions
The following railroads were acquired or merged into the Frisco:
- Missouri and Western Railway: 1879
- St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway: 1882
- Springfield and Southern Railroad: 1885
- Kansas City and Southwestern Railroad: 1886
- Fayetteville and Little Rock Railroad: 1887
- Fort Smith and Southern Railway: 1887
- Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway: 1899
- Kansas City, Osceola and Southern Railway: 1900
- Arkansas and Oklahoma Railroad: 1901
- St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway: 1901
- Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway: 1901
- Arkansas Valley and Western Railway: 1907
- Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway: 1903
- Red River, Texas and Southern Railway: 1904
- Oklahoma City and Texas Railroad: December 19, 1904
- Crawford County Midland and Railroad: May 20, 1905
- Oklahoma City and Western Railroad: 1907 – December 19, 1910
- Sapulpa and Oil Field Railroad: 1917
- West Tulsa Belt Railway: 1922
- Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern Railroad:1924
- Pittsburg and Columbus Railway (Pittsburg, Kansas): 1925–1926
- Springfield Connecting Railway: May 11, 1926
- Kansas City and Memphis Railway and Bridge Company: 1928
- Paris and Great Northern Railroad: July 21, 1928
- Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway: September 1, 1928
- Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad: December 28, 1948
- Northeast Oklahoma Railroad: December 27, 1963 (Division dissolved February 27, 1967; Roads involved include: NEO RR, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Interurban Railroad, Joplin and Pittsburg Railway and Oklahoma Traction Company)
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.
- St. Louis, Wichita and Western Railway: 1882
- St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad: 1898
- Kansas Midland Railroad: October 23, 1900
- Oklahoma City Terminal Railroad: 1900–1903
- Fort Smith and Van Buren Bridge Company: 1907
- Ozark and Cherokee Central Railway: 1907
- St. Louis, Memphis and Southern Railroad: 1907
- Sulphur Springs Railway: 1907
- Joplin Railway: 1910
- Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway: 1919–1937
- Fayetteville and Little Rock Railroad: 1926
- Little Rock and Texas Railway: 1926
- Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad: September 1, 1928
- Muscle Shoals, Birmingham and Pensacola Railroad: 1928–1947
- Miami Mineral Belt Railroad: 1950
- St. Louis, Kennett and Southeastern Railroad: 1950
- St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway: 1963–1964
- Birmingham Belt Railroad: 1967 (liquidation of BB RR and distribution of assets)
References
- ^ Patrick Hiatte, Springfield, Missouri: The Heart of the Frisco, 1955, Trains magazine, December 2003
See also
External links
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