Frisco Archive

SD45 923 and 919 Memphis, TN in September 1973.

Location is Memphis, Tennessee.

The train is southbound on the Memphis Subdivision. The locomotives have just crossed over the Mississippi River on the single track Frisco Bridge. Just off the bridge, they have passed the start of Frisco’s two main tracks through the city at Shelco (Shelby County), mile post 483.1 (MP 483.1), but are North (geographic West) of Union Railway Crossing, MP 483.6. This later point was known as Kentucky Street on the railroads to the immediate North (CRIP, MoP, SSW). In the lower portion of the photo, North of the Frisco’s tracks, are three tracks of these railroads.

At this point the train is entering the West end of “Broadway”. “Broadway” is a 2.8 mile East/West corridor of multiple tracks for various railroads extending from the two railroad river crossing bridges (Frisco and Harahan) east to KC Junction. KC Junction lies between Interstate Highway 69 (I-69) to the West and South Waldran Boulevard to the East. At KC Junction the Eastern railroads (Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis (NC&SL) – Louisville and Nashville (L&N), Southern (Sou), and Union Railway (URY (MOP)) diverge to their individual routes and yards to the Northeast, East and the Frisco to the Southeast.

The highway bridge in the distance is the four-leaf clover style junction with spokes of Interstate Highway 55 (West and South) at milepost exit 12, E.H. Crump Boulevard (East) and Riverside Drive (North). The bridge guardrail on the right of the image is over Riverside Drive. The westward bound left hand highway sign notes Interstate Highway 55, U.S. Highway 61 North, St Louis, U.S. Highways 64, 70 and 79. The right hand exit sign notes Interstate Highway 55 South, Jackson, Mississippi.

Out of view to the West (photo right edge) of this location are three parallel, through truss, major bridges crossing the Mississippi River. On the North (upstream) side is the Harahan Bridge (CRIP, MoP, SSW). It has double tracks, is 4,972 feet long and was opened on July 14, 1916. On the South side is the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge (“old highway” bridge). This is the most southern of the three bridges, is four vehicle lanes wide, 5,222 feet long and was opened on December 17, 1949.

Sandwiched in the middle between these is the Frisco Bridge. It has one track, is 4,887 feet long and opened May 12, 1892. When completed by the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis (KCFS&M) Railway it was the first bridge crossing of the Mississippi River at Memphis. The three main cantilevered through trusses include a 791′ and two 600′ spans.

The view is looking Southwest.

Special thanks to Mark Davidson.