The St. Louis and San Francisco "Frisco" is a 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotive, the most prevalent steamer on the rails for the Frisco. It started life in 1912 as a Consolidation-type 2-8-0 in 1912, but was converted in the 1940s to a Mikado.
From the rgusrail.com website: (
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". . . This locomotive was built by Alco as SLSF Consolidation type (2-8-0) Class 1306 #1318 in 1912, but was converted to a Mikado type (2-8-2) at the Frisco's main Shops in West Springfield, MO, in 1945. It was one of seven SLSF Consolidations converted to Mikados by the railroad between 1943 and 1946.
It is hard to fathom but, despite an almost 30% increase in overall weight (from 414,100 lbs to 530,100 lbs), the new Mikado delivered the same tractive effort (53,355 lbs) as the original Consolidation and, like #1318, this coal burner has a 50.3 sq ft grate, 26" x 30" cylinders and 63" drivers. It also operated at a boiler pressure of 195 psi.
The original 1300s were assigned to freight runs on Frisco's Eastern Division, from Springfield to Monett, MO, as well as the Southern Division, Springfield to Thayer, MO. The rebuilt 1300s worked on the River Division between St. Louis, MO, and Memphis, TN, as well as the Southern Division from Amory, MS, to Pensacola. The Frisco donated #1355 to the City of Pensacola in 1957."
More history of this locomotive, including how it came to be at this spot, is found on the Independent News website: (
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"The Public Record
by Maxwell Chase
Dear Maxwell,
What is the history behind the fenced-in train on Garden Street?
Will K.
........................
The train-turned-statue that rests in the median of West Garden Street is Engine No. 1355, also called the Pride of Pensacola. It is an 84-foot long steam locomotive and tender (fuel carrying car).
The engine was built in 1912 by the American Locomotive Company. It stayed in service for the Saint Louis - San Francisco Railway Company (nicknamed The Frisco) until it was retired in 1956.
After more than 40 years of service, the mileage on the antique odometer reads 1,148,534 -- the equivalent of traveling around the world 46 times.
In 1957, Frisco Lines donated the engine to the city of Pensacola to stand as a monument to local port and railway history.
Following decommission, Engine No. 1355 was brought from Memphis to Pensacola. Once it arrived, placing the 300-ton locomotive in its current location proved to be difficult. The train's engine was disabled, and the tracks that once ran along Garden Street no longer existed. To solve the problem, engineers used compressed air for power while crews leapfrogged panels of track in front of the train until it was in place.
Why is the train in the middle of Garden Street? The train's final resting site was chosen because it was close to another rail icon, the Frisco Railroad Passenger Depot, formerly located adjacent to the train on the corner of Garden and Coyle Streets.
The depot was constructed in 1932 in a Spanish-Mission style, with a bell tower and a flower garden fronting the street. Inside, the walls of the waiting room were painted in murals.
In 1956, the Frisco discontinued its passenger service out of Pensacola because of decreased patronage. The Frisco Depot was left abandoned for several years and fell into disrepair. The building was eventually demolished in 1966 after the city gave Frisco a 90-day ultimatum to either rebuild the structure or tear it down.
But still, the train remains as a reminder of a booming industry.
In the first half of the 20th century, Frisco Lines ran a transportation empire and Pensacola was the port of call. Frisco called Pensacola its port to the seven seas. With a natural landlocked harbor and seven miles of deepwater coastline, the local geography was perfect for overseas trade.
In addition to the large port operation, Frisco Lines operated its 5,000-mile rail system, a shipping truck line, and a steamship line from Pensacola to Havana, Cuba called the Empress de Naviera. This collective made up the most complete transportation service available in the country at that time."