Frisco Archive

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.

View is looking southwest.

Special thanks to Mark Davidson.