I ran across a page on the internet tonight, which featured a number of photos of ex-Frisco 2-6-0 #73 on display in Victoria, Arkansas along with a single dome tank car, what looks like a single sheathed wood boxcar, and a red cupola caboose. The Mogul, and the other equipment, look a little bit shabby in the pictures, but overall appear to be in very good condition. Of course, I don't know just how old the photos are, so not sure what the story is today. The little Baldwin though, certainly looks like a very good candidate for restoration, although she, and the equipment, is apparently privately owned. But that is not the reason for this thread. There is a very good closeup photo of the 2-6-0's number plate which is located in the middle of the smokebox door. Although many SLSF steam locomotives had their engine number cast into the "coonskin" number plates using raised numerals, there are still a lot of them that apparently used a standard cast coonskin plate that was smooth, and then had a separate rectangular plate bolted (welded?) onto the smooth area of the coonskin plate with the number of the engine. My guess is that this was probably done at outlying spots away from the main Frisco shops in Springfield, Missouri. The number plate on number 73 is different from any that I have seen. First of all, the coonskin plate appears to be the standard size. The number "73" is on a rectangular plate bolted onto the smooth area of the plate. The numbers look like something a Frisco shop could have done. What is interesting though, is what ELSE is on the plate. To the left of the number as you look at it, is a small number 19, then a fairly large letter "M", and under that, the number 49 and in the small numbers like the 19 above, and then what looks like a fractional number after that number. I thought perhaps that entire number under the "M" might read 49 1/2. Under the bolted on numerical plate is, in very small raised letters "STL&SF" with the "T" being smaller and raised to signify Saint. OVER the bolted on number plate is a short rectangular sized bar, with no lettering. Finally, on the upper right hand side of the plate as you look at it, is a larger numeral "9", perhaps about the same size as the letter "M" on the left side of the number board. Can anyone make sense of these numbers? They all appear to be raised, and not just painted or bolted on. Hard to believe the owner of the Mogul would have put them on, though I suppose it IS possible. The engine was originally built by Baldwin in 1916 for a short line called the Jonesboro, Lake City & Eastern and was numbered 34 for that railroad, which the Frisco acquired in the mid-1920's. The engine was sold by the SLSF in 1945 to an Arkansas short line called the Delta Valley & Southern and it was from the DV&S, that the current owner apparently acquired it. Any help in solving the mystery, would be welcome.
Thanks!

Les

Les,
This was a common style on the older Frisco locomotives. Later ones just had the engine number on them.
Engine number in the center of the plate. St. L. & S.F. shows it's a Frisco engine. Some older subsidiary road numbers had their initials on them such as: KCM&B for Kansas City Memphis and Birmingham and others. The 19 is the cylinder dia, M is for Mogul, 49 is driver center dia. and the 9 is the tonnage class.
Hope this helps.
Don Wirth

Don -

Thanks very much for the info. Appears to make sense. Incidentally, I contacted the gentleman who took the photos and he said that he took them in February of 2010.

Les

Can you post a link to this photo?

Here's a picture of her when she worked for a living. Memphis, June 2, 1940 by R.J.Foster.

And here is how she looks currently. Guess she's feeling a little blue ;)
http://condrenrails.com/Frisco/Frisco%2 ... _Pixs.html