Train Restoration – 2005 in Review
Through generous donations and sponsorships in 2005, we were able to make significant progress on the restoration of our 1910 2-8-0 Steam Locomotive. Nearly complete with phase one of the restoration process, the Heritage team was able to completely remove all the old paint and grime from the engine, repair and replace (rebuild) a number of parts and completely transform the engine to look as if it did for the ‘Frisco’ when it first rolled off the assembly line.
We would like to thank our sponsors for 2005, Cisco Systems, the Stonebriar Centre, the Frisco Roughriders baseball team, and First National Bank. Their generous donations made most of this effort possible.
We would also like to recognize the special gifts of time, energy and creativity given by the machine shop crew at the Exide Corporation under the direction of Randy Mitchell, whose countless hours have helped to construct parts and pieces for most every part of the engine. In addition, we want to thank David Barnes for the great paint work he and his son completed during the year. Last, we give a special thanks to Dan Mergen and his son for the great work done on the cow catcher!
While #19 may never move under its own power again, its whistle does blow, its bell rings, and headlight points the way as a living part of Frisco’s heritage. Take a moment to stop by on a Saturday morning around 9:30 and you may get the chance to hear that ole whistle blow!
The History
In the spring of 2004 the Heritage Association of Frisco embarked on a quest to find a center piece for the new Heritage Park being constructed between the railroad tracks and the North Dallas Tollway just south of Main Street near downtown. Spearheaded by the association’s President Dr. Erwin Pink and Ken Creager the Railroad Restoration Project’s co-lead, the team identified a number of suitable engines for inclusion in the park. A number of investigative trips were taken to review the engines that met a basic set of criteria before a final decision was made. Once the final candidate was selected and presented to the City Council, it was unanimous decision to make the purchase of number “19” as a center piece for Heritage Park.
Number 19 was built in a 2-8-0 configuration, part of the nomenclature for the number of wheels a steam engine has on its leading edge or pilot truck at the front, the eight large driving wheels in the center, and in this case for the lack of supporting wheels under the firebox at the rear of the engine. The 2-8-0 configuration was the most common steam locomotive for North American railroads and was often referred to as a “Consolidation”, named after a locomotive series chartered by the Lehigh Valley Railroad after consolidating a series of smaller railroads through acquisition. Operating at a boiler pressure of 200 lbs #19 like its sister engines, was powered by coal which was in abundant supply in the 1900’s. Weighing in at 185,000 lbs the engine produced over 42,000 lbs of tractive effort or pulling power when in operation. Standing over 15 feet tall, 10 feet wide and over 64 feet in length with its tender in tow, the engine with its 50 inch driving wheels is a fantastic monument to nineteenth century American innovation and manufacturing.
#19 while belonging to a number of other railroads in its nearly 100 year history, it is very similar to the “Consolidations” that ran on the Frisco at that time. The “Frisco” had 310 such Consolidations in 25 classes or styles from late 1882 until the early 1950’s. Number 19 is now undergoing restoration in Heritage Park, next to the BNSF main line. Once the first two phases of the restoration are completed (Scheduled for Summer to Fall of 2006) a number of other railroad artifacts including a pair of Railway Express carts and #1144, our 1946 wood-sided caboose currently located next to the library and police headquarters will be relocated to the site.
The restoration and preservation efforts are being lead by the Heritage Association under the direction of Ken Creager and John Hoxie, co-project leads, both Frisco residents. The restoration efforts are being funded through private donations and corporate sponsorships along with some support from the city, and will take a number of years to complete with volunteers representing the bulk of the work effort.
Heritage Park will be a living monument to Frisco’s past with an active museum of restored structures from the area, and most importantly, a replica of the original Frisco Railroad Depot near the railroad tracks. As Frisco is the namesake of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, it is only fitting for the city to display some railroad memorabilia as part of this living museum.
