Nostalgia & History > WAG Wednesday: Frisco varnish revisited

We posted this shot 5 years ago for WAG Wednesday. In the interim I’ve acquired much better scanning AND photo-editing technology. So here’s another look at some Frisco passenger train history in Tulsa ala 1958.

1. SL&SF 5049 leads train #117 in Tulsa, OK on June 22, 1958.
Photo by William A. Gibson (WAG) Sr

Thanks for looking back (again)!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/22 20:05 by santafe199.

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Nice!
I like the Frisco paint scheme.
Gary

That is a good-looking small passenger train. I like the scene not only because of the train but the tower in the background.
Bob

Handsome train and a great subject for a small pike sized train.

Where does the term "varnish" come from. I always thought it was something primarily used on wood but it's a metal passenger train.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

I really appreciate all the vintage photos we get to see on TO. We seem to focus so much on the famous name trains that we forget most of the everyday people rode these for their local travel.

Not to make anyone feel old, but when this was taken I was 3. Now I am almost 62.

Mark
Salem, Oregon

Thanks, neat photo.

http://www.railroadheritage.org/r1669/the_friscos_firefly

"The southbound Frisco Firefly was an all-coach, daylight passenger train from Kansas City, Kansas to Tulsa, Oklahoma. "

Looking at Wiki Firefly seemed to have different routes and consists, but this would seem to be consistent with this photo.

Bob

If you have any more Tulsa stuff, post it up!

SPDRGWfan Wrote: > ... Where does the term "varnish" come from...

In my 4+ decades of railfanning the term "varnish" has always been generic slang for passenger train. I can appreciate the the difference between olden day varnish and modern stainless steel passenger car trains. But I'm not about to use a thread title that reads "Frisco modern stainless steel passenger car train revisited"...

Posted from Android

Touche, Lance !

I think the term "varnish" goes back to the days when the wood cars were finished with a coat of varnish. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I've always liked this paint combination way more than the Mandarin Orange/White later scheme. Of course I don't like diesels to begin with.................

Very cool photo! This is probably the first time I've seen the interlocking tower in a color shot. I tend to shoot at that location quite often, looking east from Elgin Ave. If only that was in my viewfinder these days!

PQM

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/17 07:19 by BNSF-6432.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the term "varnish" goes back to the days
> when the wood cars were finished with a coat of
> varnish. Correct me if I'm wrong.
> I've always liked this paint combination way more
> than the Mandarin Orange/White later scheme. Of
> course I don't like diesels to begin
> with.................

Thanks, that makes sense. Sometimes origins of commonly used terms are interesting.

BNSF-6432 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Very cool photo! This is probably the first time
> I've seen the interlocking tower in a color shot.
> I tend to shoot at that location quite often,
> looking east from Elgin Ave. If only that was in
> my viewfinder these days!
>
> PQM

What he said. :-)

Bill Gillfillan
Tulsa, OK

The term "varnish" did come from he days of wooden passenger cars.
The railroads applied colored varnish and gold leaf lettering to the
wood cars and kept them in pristine condition....they realized that
to the general public, appearance was used to judge a company (a far
cry from that today!). After steel cars appeared and varnish became
enamel paint, the term stuck .... varnish for passenger trains. Sure
beats telling someone you took the 'afternoon enamel'!

You have an awesome "way back" machine...

YY

5049 was one of 12 FP7s at SLSF. I assume that they were all black-and-gold instead of red-and-gold like their E units.

Such a better time! Thanks Lance!

Nice shot!! Old Frisco RR passenger train crews based out of Kansas City and worked between KC and Tulsa. Fort Scott, KS engine crews worked to and from Tulsa.

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SPDRGWfan Wrote: > ... Where does the term
> "varnish" come from...
>
> In my 4+ decades of railfanning the term "varnish"
> has always been generic slang for passenger train.
> I can appreciate the the difference between olden
> day varnish and modern stainless steel passenger
> car trains. But I'm not about to use a thread
> title that reads "Frisco modern stainless steel
> passenger car train revisited"...
>
> Posted from Android

It is not unheard of for, those posting photos on TO, to differentiate between heavyweight and streamlined consists. That said, I always did appreciate the charm and utility of the term "varnish".

Thanks for another winning image.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

And on the wooden passenger cars, they painted many coats of varnish and worked each coat by hand btw layers.

Victor B.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/22 15:23 by wabash2800.