We arrived in Enterprise.
The switch leading to the run-around track which our engine would use to get to the other end of our train.
Pulling into the Enterprise station, one passes the approach signal to that former crossing of the BNSF.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific caboose 178xx built by the railroad in 1933 and was formerly at Junction City. It used to be used as a station here. Another building has a restroom.
The siding that is used as a run-around track. Once the engine cut off, we were allowed to detrain for ten minutes.
Kansas and Pacific outside-braced box car is being surrounded by the trees.
This tank car holds fuel oil for their steam engine, Santa Fe 4-6-2 3415.
The east end of our train minus the engine.
Abilene & Smoky Valley S1 4 heads east passed the switch.
The engine runs by the east end of our train.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific maintenance-of-way bunk car 96329, ex. Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, exx. Tourist Sleeper 2096 1936, exxx. "Bonsal", exxxx. "Bonsall", nee Pullman 12-1 sleeper "Germanton" built by the company in 1910.
Abilene & Smoky Valley S1 4 cleared our caboose and made its way to the switch.
The switch was being thrown so the locomotive could clear it and reverse to the front of our train.
The train waiting for the engine to return.
Abilene and Smoky Valley S1 4 now returned to the west end of our train.
Bob Cox walks back to board the train and I followed. Soon we both were standing at the rear door of the "Enterprise" and we proceeded back to Abilene.
The train left Enterprise station behind.
The siding is left behind.
The train took the curve, the one shady location on this route.
The bridge across the overflow of the Smoky Hill River.
The train started across the Smoky Hill River.
The train has crossed the Smoky Hill River on the quadrangular through truss bridge built by the Chicago, Kansas & Nebraska Railway in 1887, which is 435 feet long and has four 110 foot main spans.
I took a seat at a table and talked with the train crew most of the way back then upon arrival in Abilene, we thanked the train crew for an excellent trip aboard the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad.
Back at the station, we were met by Joe Minick, Abilene & Smoky Valley steam engine coordinator who offered to show us Santa Fe 4-6-2 3415 which is kept under lock and key in the railroad's engine house. I rode with Joe and Bob followed. We went inside and Joe opened the engine house doors to cast more light on the beautifully restored Santa Fe steam engine built by Baldwin in 1919.
The tender of Santa Fe 3415.
The front.
Joe opened the front door exposing Santa Fe 3415.
Santa Fe 4-6-2 3415.
This view shows some of the side of the steam engine. Next I was invited to visit the cab.
The engineer's side.
The fireman's side. We thanked Joe for allowing us to see the Santa Fe 3415 then said our goodbyes and wished him all the luck with running it this season.
The Drive back to La Plata
The first stop we made was at the Santa Fe Abilene station, built in 1927.
Union Pacific Abilene station built in 1928. President Eisenhower frequently travelled to and from Abilene by train, as a citizen, General and President of the United States. He departed Abilene from this site in 1911, for West Point and his future military career. At that time there was an older three-story depot/hotel building located on the site. Following his death, his body was returned for burial at the Place of Meditation, via the Union Pacific Railroad, arriving in Abilene at this Depot.
California architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed this depot and the matching freight depot to the West, in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Passenger service began in 1929. When the UP Railroad announced intentions to close the depot building in 1986, a community-wide campaign was launched to preserve the depot. Renovation costs were shared equally between city funds and community fund-raising efforts. The Abilene Civic Center was officially dedicated in 1988 as a public-use facility. It has since housed hundreds of meetings, seminars, family gatherings and more. Offices for the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce are located in the west end of the building.
Across the street was the old Union Pacific freight house. We drove out of Abilene to Interstate 70, taking that east through the Flint Hills to Topeka. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the Federal-Aid Highway Act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before signing and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of Interstate 70 as the "first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956". If this statement is true, we rode across the first part of America's Interstate Highway System as the sign along the highway read. We took US Highway 75 and when we crossed the Union Pacific tracks, had an eastbound coal train so turned onto US 24 and drove east and pulled off just before our turnoff for Kansas Highway 4.
The Union Pacific coal train coming and going. Soon we were back on Kansas Highway 4 going northeast to US Highway 59, which we took towards Atchison, but saw a headlight at Parnell and pulled off.
The Union Pacific local had arrived to switch the grain elevator and rail car repair shop at Parnell. We drove into Atchison but missed the KFC/Taco Bell driveway so crossed a bridge and lucked out again today.
Union Pacific local power at Atchinson. Both KFC and Taco Bell messed up our orders so after a disappointing meal, we listened to Motley Crue's "Too Fast for Love" and drove back across the river into Missouri. There we found not only our coal train from this morning still sitting, but also another BNSF coal train further down the rails.
The power on the point of our new train at East Armor.
BNSF SD70ACe 9338 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1998.
BNSF SD70MAC 9743 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1996.
The rear DPU was BNSF 5716.
The same train still sitting at the Armor crossovers.
BNSF ES44AC 5779 built by General Electric in 1998.
BNSF SD70MAC 9773 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1996.
The rear DPU was BNSF ES44AC 5486 built by General Electric in 2005 at West Armor. We then drove back to Atchison and turned onto US Highway 36 and started listening to Metallica's "Death Magnetic" and headbanged down the highway stopping for petrol at Brookfield.
The sunset from the Brookfield Highway overpass. From there we headbanged back to Macon, then onto La Plata, where Bob dropped me off, ending an excellent adventure to ride the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad.
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