Frisco 1351

Steam locomotive 1351, originally numbered Frisco 1313, was constructed by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York in September 1912. It hauled freight for the Saint Louis - San Francisco Railway, also known as “The Frisco.” Frisco 1313 was classified in the Whyte Wheel System as a 2-8-0 (two leading wheels, eight driving wheels, zero trailing wheels).

In November 1943 Frisco modified the locomotive by adding extra wheels under the cab and an expanded boiler to increase its horsepower. The updated engine carried the number 1351 (2-8-2), as seen today. These changes were necessary for pulling extra freight and troops during WWII.

In the decade following WWII, most steam locomotives were either converted to diesel for greater efficiency or taken out of service. The updated engine carried the number 1351, as seen today.

After Frisco 1351 was retired in 1952, it spent many years at the Memphis Fairground and the Defense Depot before coming to Collierville in 1992. Although Frisco 1351 never rolled through Collierville, steam locomotives like it hauled freight and passengers on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad (later Southern and Norfolk Southern) for over 100 years.

Business Car

This green car was a wood and steel passenger coach with clerestory roof on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. In the 1940s, the railroad rebuilt it into a modern business car with thermal windows, smooth siding, and air-conditioning. There are three bedrooms, a shower, dining room, kitchen and a cook’s quarters. After the car was retired, it served as the game day clubhouse for the Florida State University Seminole Boosters in Tallahassee and placed near the stadium.

The business car was purchased by the Town of Collierville and repainted with a Southern Railroad motif, since Southern trains passed through Collierville. In 1982, Southern Railroad merged with Norfolk & Western to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Caboose

The caboose NKP 749 was built by Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway (W&LE) in 1949, which was leased in Nickle Plate Road (NKP) railroad the same year. The all-steel cab was part of the brand new 700 series made by Wheeling. In 1964, the Nickel Plate Road and several other mid-western railroads merged into the larger Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). The caboose in Collierville was renumbered N&W 557749. The number is still visible under the paint, as well as the N&W logo.