St. Louis–San Francisco 4003

St. Louis–San Francisco 4003 is a 2-8-2, Mikado type, standard gauge steam railway locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in 1919 as a standard USRA Light Mikado for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The PRR, for unknown reasons, rejected 33 of 38 locomotives in the order. The United States Railroad Administration reassigned 23 of them (road numbers 4000-4007 and 4017-4031) to the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (SLSF), also known as the "Frisco". The Frisco also received 10 sisters from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (road numbers 4008-4016 and 4032), making 33 in all. The locomotive is now on display at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

St. Louis–San Francisco 4003
Frisco 4003 in 2008.
Type and origin References: Power type Steam Builder ALCO Serial number 60946 Model USRA Light Mikado Build date August–October 1919
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm) Driver dia. 63 in (1,600 mm) Trailing dia. 44 in (1,118 mm) Wheelbase 36.9 ft (11 m) Width 10.0 ft (3.0 m) Height 15.1 ft (4.6 m) Axle load 60,100 lb (27 t) Adhesive weight 228,400 lb (104 t) Loco weight 305,424 lb (139 t) Tender weight 189,400 lb (86 t) Total weight 494,824 lb (224 t) Fuel type Coal Water cap. 10,000 US gal (37,854 L) Tender cap. 18 short tons (16 t) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 67 sq ft (6 m2) Boiler 90 in (2,286 mm) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 380 sq ft (35 m2)  • Flues 3,441 sq ft (320 m2)  • Tubes and flues 3,821 sq ft (355 m2)  • Total surface 4,714 sq ft (438 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Schmidt  • Heating area 882 sq ft (82 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 26 in × 30 in (660 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston Loco brake Air Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 54,700 lbf (243 kN) Factor of adh. 4.17
Career Operators Frisco Number in class Lima Locomotive Works: 30 ALCO 3 (#4002, 4003, 4005) Numbers 4000-4032 Axle load class 51 Retired 1952 Preserved 1954 Current owner Fort Smith Trolley Museum Disposition On static display, based in Fort Smith, Arkansas St. Louis San Francisco (Frisco) Railway Steam Locomotive #4003 U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location 100 S 4th St., Fort Smith, Arkansas Coordinates 35°23′7″N 94°25′47″W Area less than one acre Built 1919 Architect American Locomotive Company NRHP reference No. 04000500 Added to NRHP July 12, 2004

The USRA Designs

The railroads of the United States were nationalized during World War I, from December, 1917 to March, 1920. As part of this, locomotives built during the period were one of the twelve USRA standard designs, which included the Light Mikado. 4003 was one of 625 built by the USRA; another 641 were built after the USRA era, making it one of the most numerous single locomotive designs of all time. After Frisco received the Mikados, it modified them with boosters on the trailing trucks and raised cab roofs for more headroom.

4003

4003 was one of three of the class built by ALCO at its Schenectady Locomotive Works in late summer 1919. The balance of the class was built by Lima. It cost $53,619.

The Frisco put it into service hauling freight between Fort Smith, Arkansas and Monett, Missouri, which included a stretch through the Boston Mountains that was relatively steep. Two major sources of carloads were berries, a million quarts shipped in 1941, and zinc, which was smelted in Fort Smith.

Like all the other US railroads, the Frisco actively began converting to diesel power in the late forties. 4003 was retired in early 1952, shortly before the last steam powered train on the Frisco, between Birmingham and Bessemer, Alabama in February. Frisco kept the locomotive until 1954 when it donated it to the City of Fort Smith. The city placed it on display in Kay Rodgers Park where it remained for almost 50 years. Early in this century, the city transferred the locomotive to the Fort Smith Trolley Museum with the provision that the museum pay for the moving. It now sits outside at the museum. While it could probably be restored to operating condition, the museum has no track on which to run it and the restoration cost would be considerable.

The locomotive was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as 'St. Louis San Francisco (Frisco) Railway Steam Locomotive #4003'.

See also

Frisco 4003 in May of 2019

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sebastian County, Arkansas