St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) 200

About St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) 200

Built in 1941 for the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, this VO-1000 was the very first diesel locomotive ever acquired by that company. The 200 originally was dressed in a blue, white, and aluminum scheme; and was powered by a six-cylinder De La Vergne prime mover and Westinghouse electrical gear, developing an [at the time] impressive 1,000 horsepower. Due to the vertical inline set-up, the engine was classified VO-1000. Ultimately, the St. Louis & San Francisco would take delivery of 37 additional VO-1000s, numbered 201-237. By the 1950s, the blue scheme had given way to plain black, but new paint could not solve some of the mechanical issues the “FRISCO” saw with the Baldwin VOs. This led to a repowering program, which saw the original Baldwin-Westinghouse machinery removed, and replaced with EMD SW1200 machinery including a 567C block and hood.

The 200 was repowered with an EMD 567C prime mover around 1957 and reclassified as a VO-1000RP, indicating it as a repowered unit. By the early 1970s a new appearance came, as the black and yellow were replaced by “Mandarin” and white, which 200 received around 1972. The unit continued to serve the railway in switching service until the end of 1979, when it was retired and ultimately sold to the U.S. Navy as USN 65-00624, who placed it into service after a “remanufacture” by Chrome Crankshaft.  The switcher continued to operate for the Navy, in later years at Crane, Indiana as NAD Crane No. 8, until it was acquired by TVRM in 2015, alongside former Milwaukee Road SW1200 606, later USN 65-00629.

Ultimately the unit would see some restoration work, and then be stored in the queue for restoration, which finally began in 2025.

Today, former FRISCO 206, later USN 65-00625, is in the collection of the Oklahoma Railway Museum, and the Navy still operates former FRISCO 201, today USN 65-00367; and FRISCO 205, today UNS 65-00368; both at Naval Station Earle as of 2025.