Frisco Archive

Location is Tower Grove, Missouri.

Tower Grove is mile post 3.3 (MP 3.3) on the Rolla Subdivision / St Louis Terminal Division. The tracks on the left foreground extending upward protected by upper quadrant semaphores are the Frisco’s main tracks. Note the “A” or absolute signal in the lower foreground. It protects the M.P. Crossing at MP 3.4. Further west is Lindenwood Yard, MP 7.1. The depot was just behind the photographer. The photographer is standing on the street overpass at the intersections of South Vandeventer Avenue and Tower Grove Avenue.

Crossing the Frisco is the Missouri Pacific (MP or MoP) Railroad. Their Sedalia Subdivision main line tracks between St. Louis and Kansas City are in the upper right of the photograph. Slashing diagonally through the scene is the MP’s De Soto Subdivision between St. Louis and Poplar Bluff. This main line to the southeast diverts from their westward main line at Iron Mountain Junction, MP 3.6, just to the right of the photographer. They cross the SLSF at grade at their MP 3.7. On the hillside on the northwest quadrant of the diamonds is the one story interlocking tower.

The photograph is from the Western Rail Images collection of railroad photographs by Jim and Doug Ozment. This view is from their group of photos titled “Frisco – St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad 1950s”. It is listed as their image number SLSF 106.

Date is May 9, 1958.

Photograph is looking west.

Special thanks to Mark Davidson.