Towns and Nature: Springfield, MO: Depot and BNSF/Frisco Backshops & Railyards

Monday, December 12, 2016

Springfield, MO: Depot and BNSF/Frisco Backshops & Railyards

Depot: (Satellite, the foundation is still visible.)

West Shops: (Satellite)

Engine Servicing: (Satellite, repurposed. The roundhouse was close to Chase Street.)

Freight Yard: (Satellite)

Passenger Yard: (Satellite, mostly gone. The roundhouse was on the west side.)

Raymond Storey posted, cropped
SPRINGIELD MO
Karl Brand: Mill Street… the former Memphis Road depot.
Jim Kelling shared
Springfield Missouri (Frisco Lines)

Kenneth Bird posted

Richard Crabtree posted
This is very rare view (circa1905) of the first Frisco Station just of off Historic C-Street that was built after the A&P railroad came to Springfield in 1870. We are standing on the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge (built in 1902) Looking East to Frisco (North) Yards and Shops. The Station was located at Benton and Commercial Street just North of The Ozark Hotel where the Frisco kept their offices. (see comments for picture and Sanborn Map) in the distance we see the Frisco Roundhouse - water towers - and other shop buildings. (see comments for picture and Sanborn Map) in the foreground besides the Frisco boxcars, we see a couple of other lines to help date the photo. One is O.&C.C. (Ozark & Cherokee Central) started in 1903 and eventually became part of the Frisco in 1907. And the M.L.& T. (Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad) 1879-1911. The old north station was removed by 1910 as passenger operations were moved the station at Mill & Main.

Richard Crabtree commented on his post
1884 Sanborn Map of Frisco Station and Hotel Ozark

Richard Crabtree commented on his post
By 1902 you can see the station had been altered and expanded - 1902 Sanborn Map

Richard Crabtree commented on his post
The Frisco (North Shops) 1884 Sanborn Map

Raymond Storey posted, cropped
SPRINGFIELD MO

Richard Crabtree shared his photo

It is 1912 and the Frisco West Shops ~ now BNSF Springfield Yards were still fairly new. Several new subdivision were built to accommodate all the newly hired workers. But if you did not live close by you could take the Nichols Street Line - up Park ending at Division Street. This is the view North from Park and Division at the end of the line. Then you would walk to work.

Except for the tracks, all of this is gone today.

This is the view today
https://www.google.com/…/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBLpBi98MWpTv62…

Photo courtesy - http://digitalcollections.missouristate.edu

Richard Crabtree commented on the above posting
An over head view facing west - Powerhouse and shops are in the middle of the photo.

Tim Starr posted
The St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) shops in Springfield, MO (West Shops) in 1920. They also had North and South shops in Springfield.

Bud Kula posted
A pair of BN switchers do their thing at the former SLSF Springfield Yard as seen from the North Kansas Expressway. (Ektachrome 200, 27 Jun 1981)

Raymond Storey posted
SPRINGFIELD MO
[I could not find this roundhouse in the above aerial. But Frisco is the only railroad that I can find in Springfield that had big yards. In fact, it was about the only railroad. (May 2023 Update: I found it. See below.)]

Richard Crabtree posted

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ILLRRHISTORYBUFFS/posts/4575988689293928/Inside the Frisco West Shops in Springfield Missouri on June 14 1909 about a month before the July 4th Grand Opening.

As per usual, this too is gone.

Tom Schwegel: Originally the steam engine shops years later turned into the car shops had a transfer table on the South side.

Mitch Teel: Had 200 Ton Overhead Crane/30 Ton Aux. 100 Ton/? Ton Aux.& 2 more, Operated um all. What a Structure, Big Time Railroad Work, Car Shop CFCS

Lyndel Morrow commented on Tom's comment

Lyndel Morrow commented on Tom's comment
This is the knob from the control panel on the transfer table that I got when they were in the process of cutting the transfer table up for scrap, I worked in the CMS Shop at that time. Lots of good memories back in the Frisco days.

Lyndel Morrow commented on Tom's comment

William Hayslip posted
Charcoal of Frisco's first F3 #5000 leaving Springfield Mo on its maiden trip.

Richard Crabtree posted

Here we see the Frisco's modern diesel freight power.

Having just completed its maiden freight run to Springfield.

Frisco Freight Diesel F3A & F3B No. 5000, 5100, 5101 & 5001 built by EMD in January of 1948.

The A-B-B-A consist has been serviced, and will depart for St Louis with Extra 5000 East.

You can see the Commercial Street Footbridge in the background. Next to the train is the old coaling tower for the steam locomotives, It would fall on November 10th 1953

A Johnson Frisco Company Photo

Richard Crabtree posted

A Busy Day at the Springfield Depot in late 1950s

Here we see four trains at the Frisco Depot in Springfield, Missouri at Mill & Main.

We see Frisco No. 2019 "Cavalcade" and 2015 "Twent Grand" EMD E-8A (1950) with two other trains ready to go.

Unknown Photographer

I so seldom see a coaling tower photo with the skip hoist still intact that I zoomed in on the tower. I'm so glad that the photographer framed the photo with the tower rather than "skunked" the tower with the diesels.

Digitally Zoomed

This topo map taught me that the yard pictured in Richard's comment above that has the aerial photo was the West Shops Yard. The engine servicing yard was east of that yard.

1935 Springfield Quad @ 24,000

To be done with steam by 1953 was a fast conversion. I have the dilemma that the photo that would have the tower, 1950, is low resolution. But I think the white spots that are a half-block west of Washington Avenue is the tower.

EarthExplorer: Feb 19, 1950 @ 70,000; ARA000700151152

This is the comparable area in a 1959 high-resolution photo. The roundhouse foundation is easily identified. But I could not identify a foundation for the coal tower. Note that this service yard appears to have some backshops as well as the roundhouse.