Frisco No. 1501 is a class T-54 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotive. It was built by the Baldwin locomotive works in 1923 for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.
The 1501 was built for passenger trains and runs without an engine change, including the 542 mile St Louis-Oklahoma City Will Rogers and the 737 mile Kansas City-Birmingham Southland.
The locomotive was retired, and it was donated to the City of Rolla by the Frisco in 1955 and is on public display in Schuman Park where it remains today.
In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of Rolla citizens used funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to cosmetically restore 1501 and the 140-year-old passenger car displayed behind it.
Documentary of the Restoration Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhknDBG1psQ
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