Frisco 1522 in the Mid ’90s

Come along to a look back at St. Louis & San Francisco 4-8-2 #1522 during the heyday of her excursion career between 1992 and 1996.

Trips include the following:
Kirkwood, Missouri, area: May 2, 1992
Springfield to St. Louis, Missouri: May 16, 1992
St. Louis to Coffeen, Illinois: June, 1992
St. Louis to Galesburg, Illinois: June 9, 1993
St. Louis to Brookfield, Missouri: May 2, 1995
Galesburg, Illinois, to St. Louis: June 26, 1995
St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri: July 5, 1996

The 1992 Coffeen trips were the only steam excursions on this line, which has since been abandoned and converted into a bike trail. The run from Springfield the month before was a deadhead move on freight.

During the 1995 runs, the locomotive was sporting a Nathan 5-chime whistle from a Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Mikado. The two runs shown here were deadhead moves with the locomotive pulling freight consists.

The runs opening and closing the show find the locomotive sporting an Illinois Central whistle, which was co-owned by 1522 fireman Don Morice.

It’s a fond look back at the Midwest’s own excursion locomotive, and what was the only operating 4-8-2 in the U.S.