St. Louis–San Francisco Railway

Frisco

FALLEN FLAG
Founded1876
StatusMerged into Burlington Northern, 1980
ColorsMandarin orange & white "coonskin"; red & white
On the roster1 units · 1 models

The History

The railroad that never reached the coast

The St. Louis–San Francisco — the Frisco — was chartered to build from St. Louis to the Pacific, but never got anywhere near San Francisco. Instead it became a solid granger and bridge railroad across Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and the mid-south.

Ship it on the Frisco

The road built a strong regional identity with its raccoon-tail "coonskin" herald and mandarin-orange diesels, moving freight across the heart of the country between the southeast and the southwest.

Into Burlington Northern

In 1980 the Frisco was merged into Burlington Northern, extending BN's reach into the southeast and Texas.

On this layout

The Frisco appears as an SD40-2 in the classic orange scheme — a fallen flag of the granger heartland.

On the MODEL RR Roster

1 Frisco unit across 1 model, in HO and N scale.

HO Scale · 1:87

1 unit
ModelRoad NumbersManufacturerNotes
SD40-2 #954

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