Preservation of Steam Locomotive & Passenger Car
In January of 2020, a coronavirus made it from China to the United States and by mid-March had spread across the entire world. Named COVID-19, it was considered so deadly that the government forced many businesses to temporarily close and most governors issued stay-at-home orders for all non-essential workers. Schools were ordered closed as learning went online. A formerly bustling economy was now doomed.
In an effort to keep businesses from permanently closing, the federal government established the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) providing money to businesses to keep their people employed even if there was no work. Many Rolla businesses were able to obtain the PPP grant money due to the exceptional efforts of local bankers to get in before the money ran out. After a week of doing odd jobs around the office and the shop, employees of three local businesses (which had received the grant) needed "something useful" to do.
After discussions with city officials about potential collaborative projects, it was agreed that there was enough energy, time and talent among the employees to restore the train at Schuman Park in the eight weeks of wages provided by the grant. It had been 25 years since the outside of the train had been painted and the interior of the passenger car had not
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The project consumed over 2,500 man-hours of labor, half of which was spent on the passenger car. The east wall of the car and a portion of the roof was so deterioriated that the roof was caving in. The floor was so weak in some areas that one of the workers fell through. The seat covers were rotted but the hog hair cushions were still usable after 130 years. All of the windows had to be replaced, as well as the curtains, but the spring loaded brass window catches and curtain restraints worked just fine after being cleaned. This is a testimonial to the skills of workers in an era before computers and mass production.
The most difficult portion of the passenger car restoration was the re-creation of the etched glass clerestory windows which had been removed in the early 1900s. Just one of these etched glass vent windows was discovered in the car. Fortunately, there was enough skill and expertise among the group, as well as the desire, to bring the passenger car back to life as it was when it was in daily service over 100 years ago.
A Salute to the Many People who Participated in the Restoration and Preservation of the Frisco 1501 Engine, Oil Tender and Passenger Car
Employees of CSE Enterprises, LLC
Lee Collins Norman Plasse Mark Windmiller Denise Cameron
Employees of USA Express, 
Roy Jacobs Winnie Carroll Rachel Guth Kenny Baker Gary Holcomb
Employees of USA Tours, Inc.
Steve Halinar Jerry Humphrey Barry Dunnigan Rex Tennyson Jody Segraves
Mavis Baker Ronda Guth Maria Irigoyen Katelyn Sowers Saul Leon
Other Participants
Frank Snelson - Paint Specialist Kent Bagnall - Graphic Artist
Terry Barner - Videographer Coby Ellison - Historian
Bradley Lambeth Amanda Barner Dane Crutcher
Wanda Lucian Kevin Bainey Mike Arnold
[Bottom left photo caption reads]
The interior of the passenger car was completely removed and each piece restored or replaced. There were over 600 individual pieces.
[All other photos do not have captions but show the restoration effort]
Erected 2020 by City of Rolla Parks & Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is January 2020.
Location. 37° 57.372′ N, 91° 45.954′ W. Marker is in Rolla, Missouri, in Phelps County. Marker is on Bardsley Road south of Arkansas Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Locomotive, passenger coach, and marker are in Schuman Park. Touch for map
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Engine 1501 and Passenger Car (a few steps from this marker); Frisco 1501 Steam Locomotive (a few steps from this marker); Barney & Smith Passenger Car 563 (a few steps from this marker); Pine Street and Downtown Rolla (approx. 0.4 miles away); "Black" USO (approx. half a mile away); Pennington-Gilbert Shoe Company (approx. half a mile away); "White" USO (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Pine Street and Downtown Rolla (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rolla.
Also see . . .
1. 1501 Restoration Photos - 2020. (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Coronavirus Shutdown Led To Restoration Of A Train In Rolla (St. Louis Public Radio, 2020). (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
