The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (reporting mark SLSF), also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970 it operated 4,547 miles (7,318 km) of road on 6,574 miles (10,580 km) miles of track, not including subsidiaries Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway or the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad; that year it reported 12,795 million ton-miles of revenue freight and no passengers. It was purchased and absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1980.
The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway was incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. It was formed from the Missouri Division and Central Division of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. This land grant line was one of two railroads (the other being the M-K-T) authorized to build across Indian Territory. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, interested in the A&P right of way across the Mojave Desert to California, took the road over until the larger road went bankrupt in 1893; the receivers retained the western right of way but divested the ATSF of the St. Louis-San Francisco mileage on the great plains. After bankruptcy the Frisco emerged as the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, incorporated on June 29, 1896, which also went bankrupt. On August 24, 1916 the company was reorganized as the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, though the line never went west of Texas, terminating more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from San Francisco.
The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway had two main lines: St. Louis–Tulsa–Oklahoma City and Kansas City–Memphis–Birmingham. The junction of the two lines was in Springfield, Missouri, home to the company's main shop facility and headquarters. Other lines included:
Springfield–Kansas City (via Clinton, Missouri)
Monett, Missouri (Pierce City)–Wichita, Kansas
Monett, Missouri–Hugo, Oklahoma–Paris, Texas
St. Louis–River Junction, Arkansas (Memphis, Tennessee)
Tulsa, Oklahoma–Dallas, Texas
Tulsa, Oklahoma–Avard, Oklahoma
Lakeside, Oklahoma–Hugo, Oklahoma–Hope, Arkansas.
From March, 1917, through January, 1959, the Frisco, in a joint venture with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad, operated the Texas Special. This luxurious train, a streamliner from 1947, ran from St. Louis to Dallas, Texas, Ft. Worth, Texas and San Antonio, Texas.
It was the last passenger railroad to end Jim Crow or segregation of passengers by race.
The Frisco merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad on November 21, 1980.
The city of Frisco, Texas was named after the railroad and uses the former railroad's logo as its own logo. The logo is modeled after a stretched-out raccoon skin (giving rise to Frisco High School's mascot, the Fighting Raccoons).
While the Texas Special was the most famous passenger train the Frisco ever operated, it also rostered an entire fleet of named trains. These included:
Black Gold (Tulsa–Dallas/Fort Worth overnight)
Firefly (Kansas City–Tulsa)
Kansas City–Florida Special (Kansas City–Jacksonville)
Memphian (St. Louis–Memphis)
Meteor (St. Louis–Oklahoma City by night with connecting train Monett-Fort Smith, AR)
Oil Fields Special (Tulsa–Dallas/Ft. Worth by day)
Oklahoman (Once connected Kansas City–Tulsa but was later rerouted between St. Louis–Oklahoma City.)
Southland (Kansas City–Birmingham)
Sunnyland (Kansas City/St. Louis–Atlanta/Pensacola)
Texas Flash (Tulsa-Sherman-Dallas by day)
Will Rogers (St. Louis–Oklahoma City/Wichita by day)
The core of the former Frisco system continues to be operated by BNSF Railway as high-density mainlines. Other secondary and branchlines have been sold to shortline operators or have been abandoned altogether.
Kansas City – Springfield – Memphis – Birmingham: Operated by BNSF
St. Louis – Springfield – Tulsa – Dallas: Operated by BNSF
Fort Scott, Kansas to Afton, Oklahoma: Operated by BNSF
St. Louis to Memphis, Tennessee: Operated by BNSF
Tulsa, Oklahoma to Avard, Oklahoma: Operated by BNSF
Fredonia, Kansas to Cherryvale, Kansas to Columbus, Kansas: Operated by South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
Cherokee, Kansas to Pittsburg, Kansas: Operated by South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
Fredonia, Kansas to Ellsworth, Kansas: Abandoned
Cherokee, Kansas to Cherryvale, Kansas: Abandoned
Monett, Missouri to Fort Smith, Arkansas: Operated by Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
Lakeside, Oklahoma to Hope, Arkansas: Operated by Kiamichi Railroad (Genesee & Wyoming Inc.)
Tulsa, Oklahoma (Sapulpa) to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Operated by Stillwater Central RR
Oklahoma City to Snyder, Oklahoma: Operated by Stillwater Central RR
Snyder, Oklahoma (Long Siding) to Quanah, Texas: Operated by BNSF
Enid, Oklahoma to Frederick, Oklahoma: Operated by Grainbelt/Farmrail
Amory, Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida: Operated by Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway (RailAmerica)
Springfield to Kansas City (via Clinton)(two routes): Abandoned
Monett (Pierce City) to Carthage, Missouri: Out of service
Carthage, Missouri to Wichita, Kansas: Mostly abandoned
Chaffee, Missouri to Poplar Bluff, Missouri to Hoxie, Arkansas (Hoxie Sub): Abandoned
Frisco 19, a 2-8-0 Consolidation-type built in 1910 and on static display on in Frisco, Texas (Note: This locomotive is lettered Frisco, but it did not actually operate on the SLSF. It is the former Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad 19. It was purchased by the City of Frisco, Texas, as a static display, and is representative of a typical Frisco locomotive. Frisco operated a number of Consolidations as Frisco-series 1306 engines.)
Frisco 1351, built in 1912 as a 2-8-0 Consolidation (Frisco 1313), and converted by Frisco to a 2-8-2 Mikado in November 1943. Now on static display in Collierville, Tennessee.
Frisco 1352, built by Alco in 1912 as a 2-8-0 Consolidation, and converted by Frisco in the WWII timeframe to a 2-8-2 Mikado. Disassembled in Taylorsville, Illinois; awaiting restoration to operating condition.
Frisco 1355, 2-8-2 Mikado, displayed on Garden Street, Pensacola, Florida, near the site of the SLSF passenger depot demolished in 1967.
Frisco 1501, 4-8-2 Mountain-type, built in 1926. Static display in Schuman Park, Rolla MO since 1955. Several parts from Frisco 1501 were donated to Frisco 1522 to make/keep 1522 operational. Video
Frisco 1522, 4-8-2 Mountain-type, built in 1926. It was at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri until 1988, when it began pulling excursions. In 2002, it was returned to the Museum of Transportation
Frisco 1527, 4-8-2 Mountain-type, built by Baldwin in 1926. Static display in Langan Park, Mobile, AL since 1964.
Frisco 1529, 4-8-2 Mountain-type, built by Baldwin in 1926. The train hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934, and was eventually the last steam engine to make a passenger run for Frisco. Now on static display in Frisco Park in Amory, Mississippi.
Frisco 1621, a 2-10-0, being a Russian Class Ye ("Russian Decapod"), built in 1918 and on static display at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri.
Frisco 1625, another 2-10-0 Russian Decapod, also built in 1918. After intermediate service with the Eagle-Picher Mining Co., now on static display at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas.
Frisco 1630, another 2-10-0 Russian Decapod, also built in 1918, and in excursion service at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois
Frisco 4003, a 2-8-2 Mikado built in 1919 by Lima and on static display at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Frisco 4018, a 2-8-2 Mikado built in 1919 and is on static display at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama
Frisco 4500, a 4-8-4 Northern-type built in 1942 on static display in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and 4501, a 4-8-4 on static display at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas, both being locomotives which pulled the Frisco's crack Meteor train.
Frisco 4524, another wartime 4500-series 4-8-4 Northern-type on static display at Grant Beach Park in Springfield, Missouri, wearing the "Frisco Fast Freight" paint scheme. It was the last steam locomotive built for the Frisco.
The following companies were predecessors of the Frisco:
Pacific Railroad, charter granted by Missouri on March 3, 1849
Southwest Pacific Railroad, John C. Frémont reorganized in August 1866
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, incorporated on July 27, 1866
See also List of predecessors of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway
The following railroads were acquired or merged into the Frisco:
Missouri and Western Railway: 1879
St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway: 1882
Springfield and Southern Railroad: 1885
Kansas City and Southwestern Railroad: 1886
Fayetteville and Little Rock Railroad: 1887
Fort Smith and Southern Railway: 1887
Kansas City, Osceola and Southern Railway: 1900
Arkansas and Oklahoma Railroad: 1901
St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway: 1901
Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway: 1901
Arkansas Valley and Western Railway: 1907
Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway: 1903
Red River, Texas and Southern Railway: 1904
Oklahoma City and Texas Railroad: December 19, 1904
Crawford County Midland and Railroad: May 20, 1905
Oklahoma City and Western Railroad: 1907 – December 19, 1910
Sapulpa and Oil Field Railroad: 1917
West Tulsa Belt Railway: 1922
Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern Railroad:1924
Pittsburg and Columbus Railway (Pittsburg, Kansas): 1925–1926
Springfield Connecting Railway: May 11, 1926
Kansas City and Memphis Railway and Bridge Company: 1928
Paris and Great Northern Railroad: July 21, 1928
Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway: September 1, 1928
Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad: December 28, 1948
Central of Georgia Railway: 1956. The Interstate Commerce Commission did not approve the purchase, so the Frisco sold it to Southern Railway in 1961.
Northeast Oklahoma Railroad: December 27, 1963 (Division dissolved February 27, 1967; Roads involved include: NEO RR, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Interurban Railroad, Joplin and Pittsburg Railway and Oklahoma Traction Company)
The following is a list of partial or full asset absorptions, many times through bankruptcy courts or creditors. In some cases the Frisco was a creditor. Assets can include mineral rights, property, track and right of way, trains, bonds, mortgages, etc.
St. Louis, Wichita and Western Railway: 1882
St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad: 1898
Kansas Midland Railroad: October 23, 1900
Oklahoma City Terminal Railroad: 1900–1903
Fort Smith and Van Buren Bridge Company: 1907
Ozark and Cherokee Central Railway: 1907
St. Louis, Memphis and Southern Railroad: 1907
Sulphur Springs Railway: 1907
Joplin Railway: 1910
Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway: 1919–1937
Fayetteville and Little Rock Railroad: 1926
Little Rock and Texas Railway: 1926
Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad: September 1, 1928
Muscle Shoals, Birmingham and Pensacola Railroad: 1928–1947
Miami Mineral Belt Railroad: 1950
St. Louis, Kennett and Southeastern Railroad: 1950
St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway: 1963–1964
Birmingham Belt Railroad: 1967 (liquidation of BB RR and distribution of assets)
