Frisco: Only The Coolest Railroad Name Ever!
FRISCO: Figurative, Responsive, Impressive, Superlative, Competitive, and a touch of “Okie” thrown in for good measure. The name FRISCO says it all and only the coolest railroad name ever!
Figurative: If a person didn’t know better, they might think for a railroad called the St. Louis-San Francisco, it’s eastern terminus was in a city that prides itself on being the gateway to the west and its western terminus was in the land of the “golden gate.” Who would have ever thought the Frisco would, literally, end up on the Florida panhandle of all places?! It did, though. Truth be told, the St. Louis-San Francisco never even reached that famed California city by the bay. Never even came close. Still, a railroad can’t be blamed for trying and for being ambitious, now can it?
Responsive: This one railroad company was so responsive to its customers’, employees’ and stockholders’ needs, particularly at a time when most railroads in the United States were much the worse for wear and way hard-pressed fiscally speaking, that is, it, and a few other success stories became the envy of the industry. Presented with the opportunity in 1980 to acquire the prized Frisco, Burlington Northern snatched it up in a heartbeat. “Responsive” would be a gross understatement of monumental proportions if there is such a thing.
Impressive: From this acquisition and because of it, Burlington Northern and even successor Burlington Northern & Santa Fe could, at one time, brag that its trackage extended farther than that of every other domestic operation. (This situation is no longer the case as the line segment from Kimbrough, Alabama to Pensacola, Florida was up for sale in 1997 and subsequently sold). The track in question tied together Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and “Sunshine State”-panhandle city, Pensacola.
Superlative: The St. Louis-San Francisco was an essential part of the American railroad tapestry. Always has been. In fact, this railroad with deep mid-America roots, was as good as they come, and it didn’t get any better than that! Apparently, the Burlington Northern in the late ’70s thought so too!
Competitive: “California here I come” or not, Frisco still gets props! The St. Louis-San Francisco meant and was all business.
Okie: BN could take the Frisco out of the country or, in other words, wipe it off the American railroad map for good, but BN for all its efforts, couldn’t take the country or, in other words, the “okie,” out of the Frisco.
Who could argue with a name like Frisco?! Exactly!
Image credit: Darrel Drumm via Wikimedia Commons
All material copyrighted 2025, Alan Kandel. All Rights Reserved.