September 2014 Railfan Trip - 11

Hi, We have reached the end of our trip. On our last day we began our tour of Kansas City on the west side of Argentine Yard in Kansas.

I had wanted to return to Morris to see what had changed since I photographed here in the 1980s.  The old grain elevator was still standing but was at least 1/2 obscured by weeds, brush and trees.  Any way, it would have been a westbound shot.  Also, a new control point, named CP Morris, has been established here.

There were all kinds of trains waiting to come east.  Finally an eastbound stack train worked its way around the waiting trains.

We then moved east, still in Morris, until we found a small yard just south of the track.  By the way the trains in the next four images are on an elevated track.  The multiple tracks in the first image are at ground level on the other side of the fill.  We saw a number of trains here, including this eastbound UP manifest (above and below) and

this BNSF double stack (above and below).

We wandered over to the north side of Argentine Yard where we found this GP40 in Heritage 1 paint waiting out the weekend (above and below) on industrial trackage.

Next we checked out the east end of Argentine Yard.  All of the spots I remembered from past visits were gone.  However, we did find a new spot to shoot from and caught a number of trains here including these two.  The BNSF train will appear again a couple of images down while the UP train is one we photographed on the fill in Morris.

Our next stop was Bluff Road over looking the West Bottoms in Kansas City, MO.  In the background is old Union Depot Tower, now inactive.  The train above is the same one we shot on the east side of Argentine Yard and will be passed shortly by a train of coal empties.

However, first another train of coal empties, which had just come west through the union station area, passed by with number 5952 as the DPU.

Finally, the train of coal empties that would pass the sitting manifest arrived (above and below).

At last the manifest got underway.  At this point we headed over to the KCS yard, found nothing interesting and went to lunch at Bryant's BBQ which Dale swore was the best BBQ in KC.  It was very good.

We began our afternoon on a hill overlooking Union Station.  Our first angle was behind the playing fields in Penn Valley Park (above and Below).

For our second angle we relocated to the parking lot for the World War I Museum, which was higher (above and below).

Dale wanted to photograph the afternoon Missouri River Runner being turned (above and below) which is best done from the West 27th street bridge over BNSF's line to Springfield, MO (former Frisco).  This also is a good spot to view traffic on the Argentine Flyover and the two approaches to the Kaw River Bridge.

While we were on the bridge this train of coal empties came north on the former Frisco route from Springfield, MO.

Dale also wanted photos with the Western Auto Building in the background so our next stop was the Main Street bridge, just east of Union Station (above and Below).

The Broadway Blvd. bridge, just west of Union Station, was our next stop.

We then decided to check out the West Bottoms area again, however, most of the locations were badly shadowed.  While we driving in the area Dale spotted a signal indicating a train was approaching and soon thereafter this Kansas City Terminal transfer came through.

Just behind me from where I shot the KCT train this maintenance of way equipment was spotted (above and below).

We were now out of ideas as to where to go and it was almost 6 PM so we called it a day and headed for our motel.  Thanks for looking.

Kansas City - 2

Hi, In this installment we'll start just east of ATSF's Argentine Yard, move east passing KUT's engine facility and then through the west bottoms before taking a brief look at downtown.

Below an intermodal exits Argentine Yard on its eastbound run.

 Kansas City Union Terminal had its engine facility adjacent to BN junction ( Kansas City - 1) until the flyover was constructed.

The Gateway western took over the former Illinois Cenrat Gulf Route between Kansas City and St. Louis/Springfield, IL from Chicago Missouri and Western.  Its yard was between Santa Fe Junction  and the warehouse district in the west bottoms.  The route is now part of KCS.

Union Ave. Tower rises above this transfer run just to the left of the gray building in the background.

This BN switcher is running on now gone street trackage behind Union Ave. Tower.

The UP mainline passes through the west bottoms warehouse district.  Below are two eastbound manifests,

a light engine move westbound, and

another eastbound.

Moving east from Santa Fe Junction is the area around Union Station.  The Western Auto building remains an iconic landmark in this area.  The train is westbound.

A westbound SP train is seen from the W. Pennway St. Bridge.

Finally, this eastbound ATSF intermodal was photographed from the Main Street Bridge.  The view is now partially obscured by a foot bridge across the tracks from parking on the right to Union Station on the left.

Thanks for looking.

Kansas City - 1

Hi, Moving on with some more slide scans here are some photos I have taken at Santa Fe Junction in Kansas City. This used to be a great place to go. All but one of the views were taken well away from the tracks in a completely safe place and there was plenty of traffic. In fact, all of the railroads serving KC could be seen in this area.  Unfortunately, with the construction of the flyover in this area all of these locations are off limits.

The ATSF train is eastbound out of Argentine Yard while the SP auto train is entering Missouri from Kansas, where crews changed at Armourdale Yard.  The SP train is crossing the Kaw River on the lower deck.

This is the only view from railroad property.  It was taken from some steps leading to the upper level of the bridge across the Kaw River.  They can be seen above the second unit in the following photo.

Here a westbound C&NW train is on coming through downtown.

Another C&NW train is headed for ATSF's Argentine Yard.

This UP freight is westbound over the upper level of the Kaw River Bridge with downtown Kansas City, MO in the background.  Santa Fe Junction is slightly out of the photo to the right.

From the same general area as the above images an ATSF freight is seen westbound.

A Soo Line transfer with a pair of SD60s is climbing the approach to the upper level of the Kaw River Bridge in this view.  Kansas City Union Terminal is in the left background.

Amtrak turns its Kansas City Mules (2 trains per day each way at this time) by pulling up on the Bridge approach and then backing down the other leg of the wye.

A Kansas City Union Terminal switcher passes through the junction.

An eastbound auto rack train,

a westbound SP train,

and a BNSF transfer returning home are all seen from ground level.

Finally a BN coal train heads south.  While technically BN Junction, not Santa Fe Junction, this is in the same area and the only location still accessible.  The two legs of the wye used by Amtrak can be seen above the power.

Thanks for looking.