U30B 835 at Lindenwood Yard St. Louis, Mo (date unknown).
The locomotives are sitting on the ready track at the southwest corner of the diesel shop at Lindenwood Yard. Interesting to note on SLSF 835 is the temporary all white nose and electrical cabinet on the walkway behind the fireman’s side of the cab. The all white nose is the result of the locomotive being rushed back into service after the repair of collision damage. Time was not taken to mask and paint the Mandarin orange lower stripe. On a later visit to the shop this would be corrected.
Also visible in the image is the front half of U30B 839. Note the contrast in how the nose of this unit is painted compared to the temporary all white nose of SLSF 835.
Caboose 1718, Kansas City, Missouri in August 1976.
Location is Kansas City, Missouri.
This is the Mechanical Department’s caboose track in 19th Street Yard, mile post 0.0 (MP 0.0). In later years this caboose track was the former coach yard track 5 ½. It was located near the southeast end of the yard, just south of the diesel shop. It sat adjacent to the company’s four diesel fuel tank car unloading spots. In this view note the four dipping fuel unloading standpipes. To unload a tank car the flexible upper inverted V-shaped section was extended over the track centerline and lowered through the car expansion dome to suck out the fuel load.
The overhead horizontal pipe is a steam line for heating the pump house and storage building on the right. It is also used during cold weather to warm and improve the flow characteristics of fuel and lubricants. The pipe extends southward from the boiler room in the southwest corner of the diesel shop. The red building on the left houses firefighting equipment. Typical equipment inside included a large capacity wheeled foam fire extinguisher and a wheeled hose cart with at least 100’ of 2 ½ inch firehose.
Originally there were 11 tracks in the 19th Street coach yard. The tracks numbers increased to the east toward the bluff. The Frisco was one of two Kansas City railroads that operated their own coach yard facilities. The other was the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF). All other area railroads relied on the KCT’s coach yard facilities and services near their roundhouse on Southwest Trafficway. On the adjacent track, NP 8962 is a 40’ general service (XM class) boxcar sitting on the Frisco’s former coach yard track 6.
Additional cabooses visible in the image include SLSF 1342, 12?5, 1708, 1213 and 1339. Cabooses in the 1200 series (SLSF 1200-1292) and 1700 series (SLSF 1700-1725 and 1776) are road / pool service cabooses. The cabooses in the 1300 series (SLSF 1300-1345) are terminal / transfer service cabooses.
Frisco’s 19 Street Yard is located in the West Bottoms or Central Industrial District. This area is located below downtown Kansas City which sits high on a bluff to the east. To the west is the Kansas River near its confluence with the Missouri River at Kaw Point. The roadway bridge in the far distance below the horizon line and above the silver maintenance of way car is 23rd Street / Avenida Cesar E. Chavez. To the west, just across the state line and Kansas River this roadway becomes Kansas Avenue in Kansas City, KS.
Further in the distance, seen below the 23rd Street bridge and to the right of SLSF 1339, is the east approach to the Kansas City Terminal (KCT) Railway’s double deck, four track (two tracks on each deck level), hydraulic lift span bridge over the Kansas River. This bridge is located between KCT’s interlocking towers at Santa Fe Junction, Tower 3, and Adams Street Interlocking, Tower 14. Both interlocking towers are on the lower ground level. On the elevated upper deck level the bride is located between State Line Junction and Hi-Line Junction.
SD45 901, Caboose 1271 and Caboose 1268 at Rosedale Yard in Kansas City, KS (date unknown).
Train is near the south end of Rosedale Yard, mile post 3.9 (MP 3.9). In the Kansas City Terminal, the Frisco’s Rosedale Yard was its primary out-bound yard. The railroad’s primary in-bound yard was located to the northeast at 19th Street Yard, MP 0.0, in Kansas City, Missouri. The photograph appears to have been taken from the north side entrance of the Rosedale Yard Office. The yard office was adjacent to and bordered on the south and northwest by a right hand bend in Turkey Creek.
A number of interesting details appear in this image. On the far left on an adjacent track is the nose of a yellow track inspection motorcar. Moving to the right is a horizontal yellow target, switch lamp equipped, low level hand thrown switch stand. Below SLSF 1268 is a silver motorized power thrown turnout point control. Adjacent to the right hand unidentified number SD45 is a seven step stair case leading to a lighted train order hoop stand, a black two head low level signal pot and a white whistle post sign.
The roadway overpass bride above the train is Mission Road. It connects to Interstate 35 (I-35) at mile post 233 to the north (left). After crossing over Turkey Creek, the yard and Southwest Boulevard the road proceeds south as it climbs up a steep grade out of the creek valley and into adjacent communities in Johnson County. Above the cabooses on the bluff near the horizon line is Rosedale Middle School. It is located at 3600 Springfield Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66103.
Standing high above the school is the triangular shaped 1,042-foot tall broadcasting transmission tower of local CBS-affiliate KCMO-TV (KCTV 5 after 1983). The tower is located at 125 East 31st Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. This is in the Union Hill neighborhood south of the downtown business district. For a time, starting in the 1970’s until the fall of 2001, lights on the tower were flashed in different combinations to alert area residents of inclement weather in the metropolitan area. Today, newer white LED bulb lights no longer flash but do outline the three sides of the tower.
Below the bridge and above the cars in the yard can be seen the large sign painted on the side of its building for Strasser Hardware. This long time local retail hardware store dates from 1917. They moved to this location in the Rosedale neighborhood in 1926. The business is located at 910 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Kansas 66103. Since 1964 the company has been associated with the True Value brand retailer-owned cooperative.
FP7 42 and SD45 913 at 19th St Yard Diesel Facility, Kansas City, MO.
The locomotives are in the Mechanical Department’s service tracks area at 19th Street Yard. The northwest corner of the single track 19th Street diesel shop is on the east side (left). On the north end, behind the photographer, the two service tracks lead to the turntable. The building on the right, above the parked automobiles, is a locker room, office and storage warehouse.
Frisco’s 19 Street Yard is located in the West Bottoms or Central Industrial District. It is located below downtown Kansas City which sits high on a bluff to the east. To the west is the Kansas River near its confluence with the Missouri River at Kaw Point. The roadway bridge in the far distance below the horizon line and above the silver maintenance of way car is 23rd Street / Avenida Cesar E. Chavez. To the west, just across the state line and Kansas River this roadway becomes Kansas Avenue in Kansas City, KS.
The date of the photograph is between 5/1967 when SD45 913 was shipped from EMD and 2/1971 when FP7A 42 was retired.
