Frank Barto

Frank "Doc Fixit" Barto was a live steamer that was active in the early 1950's. He lived in Junction City, Oregon.

1/4 Scale SP
From National Registry of History Places:


 * Another experiment in attracting visitors to Petersen Rock Gargen was undertaken in 1955. Frank "Doc" Barto and William Thrall of Junction City, Oregon built a miniature railroad in 1952 and at first tried to rent it out.  Thrall, a theater owner and operator in Junction City, financed the project while Barto, who was a machinist and ran a repair shop, provided the know-how.  The railroad - which had five cars and held 50 children or 36 adults - was an exact quarter-scale replica of the Southern Pacific type 4-6-2 steam locomotive, specifically the Shasta Daylight luxury train that ran between San Francisco and Portland.  They built the train from plans and specifications that were furnished by the Southern Pacific and other sources to make it as authentic as possible.  In 1955 they installed the railroad on 1,700 feet of track just east of the parking lot on Petersen's land.  It operated at the rock garden for three years, until 1953, and was thereafter re-located (with Barto) to Tempe, Arizona.

Meet Activity
Doc attended the following meets:


 * Redwood Park Golden Spike ceremony, 2 September 1950
 * 19th Annual Brotherhood of Live Steamers Meet, 1 September 1951