GP7 582 at Baxter Springs, Kansas in May 1979.
The caboose is an ex-Santa Fe caboose #1542 that the Frisco purchased and renumbered #1152.
GP7 582
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Location is Baxter Springs, Kansas
Baxter Springs is in Cherokee County in far southeast Kansas, 16.4 miles west of Joplin, MO. The community’s southern boundary abuts the Oklahoma state line.
On the Frisco in 1979, the routes through the community were on our Eastern Division, Carthage Subdivision, Joplin Branch – Red Plant, MO, MP 324.6, to Baxter Springs, KS, MP 347.9, and the Western Division, Afton Subdivision – Edward, KS, MP 102.7 – to Afton, OK, MP 186.7. On the Afton Subdivision Baxter Springs is MP 159.0.
A small service facility to handle traffic for the branch off the busier Afton Subdivision would make sense at this location. Era specific Employee Time Tables (ETT) indicate symbols Y- wye, star within a black circle – train order office, B – bulletin board, C – clock, O – diesel fuel and R – radiator water at Baxter Springs. ETTs also indicate auxiliary yard tracks at this station.
The General Motors (GM) Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP7 locomotive SLSF 582 was built at their plant 3 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was shipped to our railroad on 8/20/1951. It would be retired and sold shortly after the photograph was taken to Precision National Corporation (PNC) on 12/18/1979.
Frisco caboose SLSF 1152 was built as ATSF 1542 by American Car and Foundry (ACF) in 1927. It was from a group of 150 all steel radial roof cabooses that year – ATSF 1500-1649. It was acquired by the Frisco in February 1971. It was one of 28 similar cars purchased in 1969 (6 cars) and 1971 (22 cars) intended as replacements for Frisco built steel frame with wood side cars used in local service.
View looking southwest.
This is definitely not Bonner Springs, Kansas as originally posted.
Bonner Springs was not on the Frisco and we did not have car or locomotive service facilities in the community.
Bonner Springs is generally west of Kansas City, Kansas, largely north of the Kansas River. By the indicated date in 1979, railroads passing through Bonner Springs included the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) Railroad and the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad.
The ATSF route was on their Eastern Division, Leavenworth District – Wilder, MP 0.0 to Leavenworth, KS, MP 22.0. The branch diverged off of their Frist District at Wilder, MP 3.7. On their district, or branch, Bonner Springs was MP 1.5.
The UP route was on their Eastern District, Kansas Division, First Subdivision double track main line – Kansas City, MO, MP 0.0, to Marysville, KS, MP 113.3. Bonner Springs is MP 17.5.
Due to their very close proximity to Kansas City, neither the Santa Fe nor the UP railroads had mechanical service facilities in Bonner Springs.
Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Mark