Sedalia in Pettis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Old Smokie Frisco Engine

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 21, 2015

1. Old Smokie Frisco Engine Marker

Inscription.
Presented to the MO State Fair by Frisco Railway. Accepted by Gov. James T. Blair Jr. Aug. 20, 1956. Moved from Ft. Scott, Kan. to its present location by the MKT. Railroad.

Original cost: $194,845
Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works
Aug. 1943 - Eddystone, PA.

Weight of Engine: 479,300 lbs.
Cab Height: 15'
Weight of Drivers. 286,870 lbs.
Max curvature: 20
Northern Type: 4-8-4 wheels
Tonnage Class: 31 coil burner
Weight of Tenders: 341,000 lbs.
Height of Tender: 13' 6"
Gate Area: 88 sq. ft.
Fire Box 262 sq. ft.
Boiler Pressure: 225 lbs
Tender Capacity: 18,000 gal. of water & 24 tons of coal
Tender Equipped w/ Automatic Stoker
Total Weight. of Engine and Tenders:
820,600 pounds

"Old Smokie" operated 285,377 miles and was used during World War II.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1857.

Location. 38° 41.471′ N, 93° 15.439′ W. Marker is in Sedalia, Missouri, in Pettis County. It can be reached from West 16th Street. Marker and locomotive are on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2503 West 16th Street, Sedalia MO 65301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker: Varied Industries Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Poultry & Rabbit Building (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 4-H Building (about 500 feet away); The Merci Boxcar (about 500 feet away); Commercial Building (about 600 feet away); Missouri State Highway System (about 600 feet away); Home Economics Building (about 600 feet away); Missouri: The Show Bee State (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sedalia.

Also see . . .
1. 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotive in the USA. Steam Locomotive website entry (Submitted on July 5, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

2. St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 5, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

3. The Frisco: A Look Back. Springfield-Greene County Library website entry (Submitted on July 5, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

4. Missouri State Fair History. Fair website entry (Submitted on July 5, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Old Smokie Frisco Engine and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 21, 2015

2. Old Smokie Frisco Engine and Marker

"Old Smokie" Frisco 4-8-4 Northern-type Steam Locomotive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 21, 2015

3. "Old Smokie" Frisco 4-8-4 Northern-type Steam Locomotive

On the Missouri State Fairgrounds

Baldwin Builder's Plate on Old Smokie 4-8-4 Frisco Steam Engine image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 21, 2015

4. Baldwin Builder's Plate on Old Smokie 4-8-4 Frisco Steam Engine

Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,237 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 5, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.