Skip to main content

I was not able to see the 1522 in action, but the sound on this locomotive is really amazing. It really had a unique look. 

If Lionel made a Legacy version with ACCURATE sound and details would you purchase it? Maybe with whistle steam added for a plus.

 

I know I have too many engines now, however I would put an order in for one.

 

 

 

 

SLSF1522www

2966.1287714972

Attachments

Images (2)
  • SLSF1522www
  • 2966.1287714972
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I'd buy one in a second.Lionel has the tooling for this one and has offered it in (Southern,WP and New Haven).It's basically a modernized USRA design.Lionel could easily offer this and a MOPAC version.All they would have to do is add RR specific brass details and as they are now very good at this. Of course most of you know I'd throw the cash down on any big Frisco,Missouri Pacific,KCS and Cotton Belt steam. I'm now discovering lots of overlooked large steam for RR's in the deep south and there's a lot!

The NC and StL "Dixie" 4-8-4 and Atlanta and West Point 4-8-4 come to mind.

 

Last edited by Former Member

Yes. There are several examples of these Frisco 4-8-2's around (Mobile has one - in sad shape, though); Frisco gave several away. But, like the MoPac, the Frisco was mostly out in that Big, Anonymous Area that just generates little modeling interest. It did get as far East as Mobile and Pensacola (FL), but most of it was in the area that's not Western, not Midwestern, not Southern. Katy had the same problem.

 

So I'm not surprised about the kinda silly relative lack of interest - but I'd buy one.

=====

 

Boomer - the Frisco heavy 4-8-2's were indeed germinated from the USRA Heavy 4-8-2, but are quite different from them in many ways; they don't even have the USRA "look" - Frisco built the boilers lower, which made the domes and stack higher (almost earlier-era looking).

 

- The A&WP (and corporate sister Western of Alabama) had no 4-8-4's. They had 4-8-2's, some from the FEC, USRA Light Mountain-based, with many detail differences. They had some really big Mikados.

 

- I had hopes for a NC&StL Dixie in brass from Weaver (I've requested it more than once) one day, but that apparently is not going to happen now, for sure...and I doubt that 3rd Rail will bother with anything from this part of the country (California's perspective is...distant). I'm going to have to build one; I have the frame/running gear donor picked out.

 

The Dixie is so good-looking (but in as-built form only!) that it can stay in the same room as the N&W J 4-8-4 and even the Dreyfuss Century and Dreyfuss Empire State Hudsons.

 

Its seems this locomotive has just faded into history.

Its amazing how some locomotives plagued with the same fire box and flue issues can  come up with funds and are back on the rails in a few years (thank goodness) while others are doomed to storage for the rest of their lives as a static display.

 

 

 

The money for the refit not only existed, it is, as far as I know, still in an escrow account earning interest.
 
One problem was the aging of the crew, but the biggest headache was lack of support from the Been Nunthin' Since Frisco.  Without commitment from the RR, the SLSTA couldn't guarrantee enough sales to pay the huge insurace premiums demanded in the post-9/11, post-Traction engine explosion (Ohio?) world.
 
As to the OP:  I would figure out how to buy one if I had to sell almost every other hobby item I own to finance it.  It need NOT be VL--I don't need all the gimcrackery.  Accurate (not a USRA clone) and Excellent sound will do for me.  It is one engine I'd even consider buying from MTH.
 
And I would suggest they paint a few in the other survivors' numbers; I'd like a 1501, too, please.  The look is quite different with the air tanks under the running boards.  1501 is about 2 1/2 miles from where I work, and I swing by as often as I can to dream about winning the Lottery . . . .
 
Originally Posted by J Daddy:

Its seems this locomotive has just faded into history.

Its amazing how some locomotives plagued with the same fire box and flue issues can  come up with funds and are back on the rails in a few years (thank goodness) while others are doomed to storage for the rest of their lives as a static display.

 

 

 

 

Rob, 

Enjoyed the video, thank you. Its tough to have a dedicated steam program when you cannot make any money at it. I know when I was kid I would kill to go on a steam engine ride, however there weren't that many around.

My kids sure enjoys them, we are going to miss the Owasso steam festival not occurring this year. 

 

I missed the Texas tour by only a couple of weeks... 

 

Absolutely I would buy one, with only one caveat: if it was prototypical, i.e. the main driver being a Boxpok, air tanks on top of the boiler, prototypical coal bunker on the tender, and of course, VERY loud stack talk and a Hancock longbell 3-chime whistle with whistle steam. I very much doubt it's gonna happen, but one can hope.

Yeah I want one, Of course I interested in all Frisco products. Wow , what memories that brings back. I grew up on the Frisco property in a small town in southwest Missouri. I believe the caption to the first pic; says it was taken in Monett. That's where I lived. I spent many hours down at the tracks. Monett was a junction and service center, round house, icing station, etc.. Most gone or reduced to rubble by the time hung out down at the tracks. I seen the 1522 back in the 70's at the museum , before I was in my teens. Then read that it had been restored, finally got to see it in Springfield, Mo in the late 80's or 90's. Anything with steam railroading is very rare in this area. We had tourist steam railroad here for a few years with a coupe of moguls, but they are gone now. Most equipment still there, but in need of lots of work. There is another Frisco engine in Fort Smith, It is in very good condition. It had just been outshopped when put on display in the park; It now resides at the Trolley museum. Report was if it was restored they have no where to run it.  Here's a idea, We have a local tourist line that runs on the old Frisco right of way from Springdale to Van Burin, that's right across the river from Fort Smith. This 2-8-2 should be restored and put back to doing what she did on the very tracks it worked when she was new. The Trolley museum, The Eureka Springs Steam Rail Road , The Arkansas and Missouri, should some how work out a deal to see that these historic steam locomotives are restored. The 2-6-0 mogul in Eureka Springs, worked on the construction of the Panama Canal. I think that qualifies it for historical significance. I would like to see the A&M some how become the owners or keepers of the engines before they are beyond repair. Yes I would by #1522,#4001 2-8-2, and The #201 2-6-0 this was the Steam engine that I road ad much as I could. It was a short drive from my town to Eureka Springs. Took a lot of dates there, and road the trains there, sure miss those trains.    

Beautiful locomotive, and nice restoration.

Before you commit, consider that the Texas class will be just shy of two grand, and this one will not have as many purchasers, driving the price up.

Consider that this is very close to a USRA Mountain, and a little scratchbuilding effort could put you in the ballpark for maybe $500 ?

Many years ago when 1522 was still operating I contacted Sunset 3rd rail about making a model of it.  I spoke to Scott Mann directly.  He was very nice but he said that there wasn't enough of a market for it at that time.  Now that it doesn't run I suspect there's likely even less of a market for it.

A couple years ago Lionel did offer their 4-8-2 lettered for Frisco and numbered 1501 (I think).  It has quite a bit of differences, but it's the closest that's been offered.

@Tom D. posted:

Many years ago when 1522 was still operating I contacted Sunset 3rd rail about making a model of it.  I spoke to Scott Mann directly.  He was very nice but he said that there wasn't enough of a market for it at that time.  Now that it doesn't run I suspect there's likely even less of a market for it.

A couple years ago Lionel did offer their 4-8-2 lettered for Frisco and numbered 1501 (I think).  It has quite a bit of differences, but it's the closest that's been offered.

Please note that the Frisco #1501 is NOT the same as Frisco #1522!

@Hot Water posted:

Please note that the Frisco #1501 is NOT the same as Frisco #1522!

Well they are in the same class. 1522 was a later build and there were modifications. 1501 is hard to photograph in profile today because of fencing to compare with 1522. There are differences but still Very Similar.
(see “Frisco Power” by Joe Collias - a key Frisco reference).
Here’s what a have available for a quick reference - comparison  / 1501 in Rolla Mo and 1522 in Kirkwood Mo - both my “neighborhoods”.                                     Cheers !!! 🙂

Rolla, Mo.

BF4FCE9F-6654-49B5-B867-4569D1184FEBKirkwood Mo.

637B43E7-5E72-42B3-9E9B-CE2BE9F74946

Attachments

Images (2)
  • BF4FCE9F-6654-49B5-B867-4569D1184FEB: Rolla, Mo.
  • 637B43E7-5E72-42B3-9E9B-CE2BE9F74946: Kirkwood Mo.
Last edited by TrainBub

I doubt that. When speaking to Scott Mann a month ago about some prospective steam, it appears that brass steamers target price is $2500.00 and he doubts anyone will pay that much for small to medium size steam locomotives.

Maybe brass steam is dead - maybe not. Depends on Which Road, Which Engine. What will drive it will be number of reservations. Perhaps the key will be is the ability to offer multiple roads with differences in details from the same basic model.  Sometimes possible, sometimes not.  Let’s not give up. 😜

A subject very dear to my heart.  I longed for 1522 or, even better, 1501 (I live near Rolla).  What we got was a USRA Lt. Mike painted for a Frisco 1500, but, with all due respect to bob2, they are not close enough, not by a long shot.

I'm no rivet counter:  I collect Marx and Standard Gauge fercryinoutloud.  But, if I am going to lay out north of $1500 for a 1500-class loco, it will only be for a bona fide 1500-class.

Not one faithful replica of a Frisco engine of any kind has been produced in O 3 rail (and precious few in 2).  An unfortunate consequence of too many people demanding yet another Hudson, Big Boy, or Allegheny and too few appreciating one of the classiest and sassiest RRs in N. America, Frisco engines just won't pay.  Truly, I wish I had the time, resources, and skills to scratchbuild. . . . .



(Related:  the Lionel Frisco 1501 was a major disappointment to me, but the same engine, painted as a MoPac Mike, offered with the Sunshine special cars, was a real delight.  I just wish I could have mustered the $4500 price tag at the time.  *That* offering was a winner!)

A friend of mine worked on the 1522 restoration.  Early on they discovered the pistons were missing on 1522.  So they went to Rolla and got the ok to look at 1501 and sure enough it still had the pistons and they were able to remove them and use them on 1522. I think they used a couple other parts of it too, but I don’t remember what they were.

I bought the earlier release of the Lionel 4-8-2 and converted it to 2 rail. I still plan to make a few other cosmetic changes to it to make it look more like the 1522, but it will always have a few things wrong.  Moving the domes is beyond anything I want to try on a die cast boiler.

@feet posted:

I'd like one but in H O.

Get on board Frisco.0rg.  A few hundred of them were imported back in the '70s (I think), and Don Wirth, one of the 1522's engineers, used to do a business of modifying the imports to his exacting standards.  He doesn't do it anymore, but he is likely to know where one might be found.  They do show up on eBay, both stock and (rarely) his upgrades.

@palallin posted:

Get on board Frisco.0rg.  A few hundred of them were imported back in the '70s (I think), and Don Wirth, one of the 1522's engineers, used to do a business of modifying the imports to his exacting standards.  He doesn't do it anymore, but he is likely to know where one might be found.  They do show up on eBay, both stock and (rarely) his upgrades.

Thanks for the info, I'll check it into it.

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×