Steam & Excursion > Eagle Picher Decapods 1957

Eagle Picher #1615 & #1621 at Commerce OK (pic 1&3 on 3/8/57, pic 2 on 3/9/57) all 3 by Bruce Black. (p.s. a comment from 'center field': Did Mickey Mantle's Dad work at this mine?)

Info below from locomotive.fandom.com

Frisco No. 1615 is a 2-10-0 "Decapod" type steam locomotive. It was built by Alco in 1917 as #58829 for use in Russia, but was diverted as USRA #1015 because of the Russian Revolution. It was converted to Standard Gauge, and given to the Pennsylvania Railroad, before being purchased by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. It was originally used as a mixed traffic engine until the end of steam on the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway in the early 1950s.After its withdrawal it was sold to Eagle-Picher in November of 1951, who used it to haul lead ore to a smelting plant.It is now on static display at the South City Park, in Altus, OK.

"Frisco No. 1621 is a type of 2-10-0 Decapod steam locomotive. It was built in 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Russian Government as a broad gauge (5 foot gauge) engine, but due to the Russian Revolution it was kept in the USA. It was converted to standard gauge, and given to the Pennsylvania Railroad, before being purchased by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. It was assigned as a mixed traffic engine when it was owned by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway until the end of the steam in the 1950's. After its withdrawal it was sold to Eagle-Picher who used it to haul lead ore to a smelting plant.Today, this steam locomotive is on static display at The Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/19 12:48 by valmont.

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Awesome photos.  The only thing you can't appreciate is the amount of YELLOW paint that E-P edorned these locomotives with.  

CPengineer Wrote:
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> Awesome photos.  The only thing you can't
> appreciate is the amount of YELLOW paint that E-P
> edorned these locomotives with. 

If you are referring to the yellow paint currently (or at least in Feb 2007 when I took this photo) seen on 1615, I think at least some of it is the work of the town of Altus, not E-P.  I only took b&w photos the times I visited E-P and don't really remember yellow, though BB's photos make it appear that perhaps the cylinder heads and running board steps were.  Incidentally, 1621, which had briefly been Fort Smith, Subiaco & Rock Island 101 before becoming SLSF 1621 (traded for a 4-6-0 as it was too heavy), had (and may still have) identical Baldwin builder's plates in English and in Russian .mounted side-by-side on the smokebox.

Gordon



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/19 12:58 by gbmott.

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How were these regauged for American use? Extra-wide tires?

davew833 Wrote:
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> How were these regauged for American use?
> Extra-wide tires?

Yes.

HotWater Wrote:
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> davew833 Wrote:
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> > How were these regauged for American use?
> > Extra-wide tires?
>
> Yes.

Might have trouble with self guarded frogs.............

engine3420 Wrote:
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> HotWater Wrote:
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> > davew833 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > How were these regauged for American use?
> > > Extra-wide tires?
> >
> > Yes.
>
> Might have trouble with self guarded
> frogs.............

And that they did!

What a hideous paint job.  But at least it has some paint on it.

The Illinois Railway Museum 1630 was also an Eagle Picher locomotive.  6 of the former Russian locomotives are still around today.

Steve

I use to think that the yellow paint was also somthing that the city of Altus had cooked up when 1615 was put on display.  However, after doing some research a few years ago, I discovered that the yellow is historically accurate to Eagle-Pitcher.  Here's 1615 right after it was retired.  If you look closely, there is even MORE yellow on it at that time. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/19 07:17 by CPengineer.

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Clearly you are correct.  I think I was probably so thrilled to once again see live Frisco steam that they could have been painted red and I wouldn't have cared!  The one indignity imposed by Altus was to paint the coonskin front number plate yellow -- even E-P didn't stoop to that.  :-)

Gordon