Wabash, Frisco, & Pacific Railroad

The Wabash, Frisco, & Pacific Railroad (WF&P) is a miniature (12 inch gauge) steam railroad is located in Glencoe, MO & operated by volunteer members of the WF&P Association which is a non-profit, educational organization. The WF&P was originally formed in 1939 when a group of railroad enthusiasts obtained a 12 inch gauge steam locomotive. The railroad was was originally located at the corner of Brown Road & Natural Bridge, (close to St Louis Lambert International Airport) on a 30 acre plot of land. In 1961 the WF&P moved to its current location in Glencoe which is close to Wildwood & Eureka. The railroad was continually improved to the point that when it relocated, there was a mile of track, four steam locomotives, a telegraph/telephone communications system between stations, & an electropneumatic signal system.

When we were living in the UK, we were fairly close to the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch (RHD) miniature railway. To give you an idea of scale, with the RHD you are able to sit in miniature carriages whereas with the WF&P you sit on small 'carriages' (that are really more just like wooden benches on wheels). The railroad runs through a park & travels (for part of the journey) parallel to & above the Meramec River at the base of the adjacent river bluffs (cliffs). The majority of the line is within woodland, although there are a few locations where the railroad travels through the park & crosses some of the cyclepaths/walkways. There are also a couple of bridges where the tracks cross over creeks (although in the summer these are just dry beds). We were pulled by a diesel locomotive for the 30 minute journey, however the WF&P has a variety of engines (the locomotive pulling the train before us was steam) which are housed at the terminus. The current site now exceeds the length of track form the original location (but is still being increased) & the WF&P has built a number of buildings (including the car barn & roundhouse) & a turntable for the engines. While we were waiting for our train we were chatting to one of the volunteers & were apparently quite lucky to be riding the railroad since the floods from earlier on in the year had completely inundated the station & most of the track. The engines were moved off-site but silt from the river covered the site completely. Apparently, even the signal control boxes were full of silt, but after a hosing the electrics down with a jet-washer (crazy!) the signals were all OK!