WF&P History

The WF&P Railway organization was originally formed in 1939, when a group of railway enthusiasts acquired a 12 inch gauge steam locomotive (Engine #171) and the use of a 30 acre estate located on the southeast corner of Brown Road and Natural Bridge. The railway developed to the point, where it had a mile of track, four steam locomotives, a telegraph and a telephone communications system between stations, and an electropneumatic signal system. Trains were operated by regulation timetables, and train orders governed them just as our standard gauge counterparts.

Because of rising land values adjacent to Lambert St. Louis Airport, the railway was forced to move, its last run was conducted on July 19, 1959. After being in storage for two years, we relocated in Glencoe MO in 1961. (Directions) Since that time, we have laid more than a mile of track, built numerous buildings, including the car barn in 1976, and the roundhouse in 1992. We are constantly in the process of rebuilding locomotives, cars, expanding track length and maintaining all of the facilities necessary for the operation of the railroad.

In 2000 Nick Wantiez wrote an article titled "The Wabash, Frisco & Pacific America's National Treasure" for "Live Steam Magazine". You can download Nick's article, complete with pictures, here on our Web site. It is in an Adobe Acrobat format, just click the link.

"The Wabash, Frisco & Pacific America's National Treasure"
by Nick Wantiez

The Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Association, Incorporated is a Missouri not-for-profit educational corporation.