Amory is a railroad town. It was the first planned city in Mississippi. The Kansas City, Memphis, & Birmingham Railroad needed a stop between Memphis and Birmingham. In 1887, they chose a spot right in the middle of the two cities and called it Amory. Amory celebrates its railroad history in many ways, including the annual Railroad Festival, a weekend long festival right here in Frisco Park. During the festival, which features food, games, crafts, and live entertainment, Hobos from the railroads migrate into the park, camping out in the shade of the huge steam locomotive in the park, entertaining passers-by with tales of the wandering lifestyle.
The locomotive on display was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of 30 purchased by SLSF, Engine 1529 had the distinction of being the very last 4-8-2 "Mountain" locomotive built for the Frisco Railroad. As diesel engines began to take over in the '40s, 1529 also held the honor of being the last steam engine to carry passenger cars on the Frisco line. By the time 1529 was retired in 1952, it had traveled 1,663,014 miles.
On November 18, 1934 the Frisco 1529 pulled into Amory, MS carrying then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt on a trip from Washington D.C. to Tupelo. The president spoke briefly from the train platform to the many in attendance. 18 years later, 1529 took a trip to Amory for the last time, coming to rest where it sits today.
