Nostalgia & History > SLSF SW from OKC

The Friso line heading southwest of Oklahoma City seams to have ended in the middle of nowhere in Texas. I understand this  line was originally part of grand plans to reach the pacific. What kept this line busy and intact as it seamed to only served rural areas?

For many years, that SLSF track was the route of up to four through freight trains daily, including the QLA, sometimes called the fastest freight train in the U.S.  Frisco brought freight out of the Southeast and St. Louis to the Red River (Texas border), where it delivered trains to the Quanah, Acme & Pacific.  QA&P in turn interchanged to the Santa Fe at Floydada in the Texas Panhandle for runs to the West.  (And vice versa.)  This arrangement lasted until the faster Avard Gateway was developed.  

During the time I worked at the Rock Island's Harter Yard in Oklahoma City (now UP), the hottest traffic we handled was autoracks off the QLA.  As soon as the QLA hit OKC, Frisco pulled the autos off the head end and brought them over to the interchange track, where a Rock Island switcher usually was waiting.  Rock Island then rushed the racks back to Harter for pickup by our fastest freight, No. 25, for the trip to Tucumcari and eventually Phoenix, on the SP.  At least that's the way I recall it.  That interchange was an exciting part of every morning.  Rock Island would sometimes hold No. 25 for a late QLA's autos.  



 

This sounds like the Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway that was a subsidiary of the St Louis-San Francisco (Frisco). It got merged into BN about 6 months after Frisco became part of BN. There's a Don Hofsommer book that might be a good read. Mostly a granger railroad.
Dave in Missoula

Thanks Everyone, I figured there had to be more to the story for this line but couldn't find much on it.