Firefly (train)
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The Firefly was a streamlined passenger train operated by the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (the "Frisco"). At various times, it served St Louis, Missouri, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Kansas City, Missouri, and Fort Scott, Kansas. It made its maiden run on March 29, 1940, and ended May 22, 1960. It was Frisco’s first streamliner, and the first streamliner to be built in the southwest.
The Firefly was a streamlined passenger train operated by the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (the "Frisco"). At various times, it served St Louis, Missouri, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Kansas City, Missouri, and Fort Scott, Kansas. It made its maiden run on March 29, 1940, and ended May 22, 1960. It was Frisco’s first streamliner, and the first streamliner to be built in the southwest.
Equipment
The Frisco decided to fit its steam locomotives with a cowling, described as a torpedo-type jacket giving it the appearance of a bullet-like projectile traveling down the track. The engines were converted by Frisco itself in Springfield, with the first one, No. 1026, being completed in May 1938. The engine was not new; it had originally been built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1910 as an ordinary 4-6-2 “Pacific”. Two other engines, Nos. 1018 and 1031, both also Baldwin 4-6-2’s from 1910, were later converted for the Firefly service as well. The driving wheels were enlarged from 69" to 73" by means of extremely thick driver tires, for greater speed. Frisco remanufactured the cars too, eventually collecting a fleet of eighty-nine passenger cars painted in the matching blue and gray livery. Two consists were necessary to protect the Fireflys schedule; each was composed of refurbished heavyweight cars. A standard consist included a baggage-mail coach (16 seats), coach (60 seats), and cafe-parlor car. In later years, the run was powered by various of the road's EMD E-8A locomotives named for racehorses, or by EMD FP-7 locomotives.
References
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1339228584 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.