From Parsons we drove east to Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Museum in Carona.
This museum is located in the former mining community of Carona, Kansas. Our complex includes the main museum building; the restored Missouri Pacific Depot from Carona, Kansas; the restored Missouri Pacific Depot from Boston, Missouri; a collection of railroad locomotives and cars which includes the cosmetically restored Kansas City Southern Steam Locomotive 1023; and a railroad signal display. The outdoor displays are open for viewing at any time.
The Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Club was formed in 1991 and is governed by a nine member board of directors. Heartlands members are dedicated to preserving railroad history with educational programs and providing short passenger train rides. We have established a museum complex in Carona to preserve and display railroad memorabilia, our restored depots, full size railroad rolling stock and other miscellaneous railroad equipment.
Our group has restored three depots: the former Santa Fe Depot in Cherryvale in 1991, the Missouri Pacific Depot in Carona in 1996 and a second Missouri Pacific Depot originally from Boston which was moved to the Carona museum complex in 2006. The Cherryvale depot, built in 1910, is now the operating headquarters of the South Kansas and Okalhoma Railroad. The Carona Depot, built in the 1940's, was used as a passenger depot until the early 1960's. The depot was then sold and moved a quarter of a mile to be used as a hay barn. The John Thompson family graciously donated the depot to the Heartlands organization for restoration. It was then moved close to the SK&O track near its original location and was restored with the help of many area volunteers and Heartlands members. The Boston Depot was built in 1882 in the then thriving community of Boston, Missouri. It was removed from active service in 1932. Our group obtained the depot and moved it to the Carona museum complex on October 7, 2005. Over the next couple of years our members restored the building to its former glory.
With the generous assistance of WATCO and the Webb family of Pittsburg, Kansas, our group conducts passenger train rides on the WATCO railroads in Kansas and Oklahoma and has established and greatly expanded our museum complex. Our members are able to help with the passenger train rides by selling tickets, assisting passengers, acting as car hosts on the train and other functions.
The Missouri Pacific Carona station built in 1866 and was originally located on the opposite side of the tracks to the west. It was near a wooden water tank and a lake that were used to provide water for steam engines. The building was moved north to the present site near the crossing of the Northeast Oklahoma Railroad and re-constructed in 1942 using salvaged material from the original building due to shortages during World War II. it was sold to the John Thompson family in 1959 and moved to their farm; they donated the building and moved it to its present site.
The Missouri Pacific station from Boston, Missouri, built in 1882 and located on the line from Nevada to Carthage. It was taken out of service about 1938 and moved to the Greene family farm one mile south and one mile west of its original loctoni. It was moved from the farm in Missouri to Carona in 2005. It contains three rooms including a waiting room, agent's office and a freight room, all of which have high ceilings and large windows for cooling purposes. The depot was heated by coal stoves and never had electricity.
Former Frisco wig-wag signal from a crossing on Route 66 in Baxter Springs, Kansas.
South East Kansas caboose 1716, nee Southern Pacific built by the railroad in 1964.
Highway crossing flasher with stop sign.
Another type of wig-wag signal.
The wig-wag with the crossing buck signal.
Traditional railroad crossing flasher signal.
Missouri Pacific switcher 3001 built by Plymouth in 1932 for one of the railroad's predecessors New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railroad. It saw service at industries in Louisiana and Kansas City. It was retired in 1960 and purchased by Mackie Clements Coal Company where it was used at mine 22 near Mulberry, Kansas. When the mine was closed in 1997, they donated it to the museum.
Railroad milepost marker.
Crossing signal with the stop sign.
The semaphore signal.
The Mulberry station sign.
Switch stands.
Missouri Pacific track shed from 11th and Broadway in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Another type of semaphore signal.
The museum's display train.
South East Kansas CF-7 1000, nee Santa Fe F7A 218C built by Electro-Motive Division in 1949. It was converted into CF-7 2542 in 1973 and retired in 1987. It was acquired by South East Kansas the same year and re-numbered WAMX 7104 then retired in 2009 and donated to the museum.
Santa Fe ice bunk refrigerated box car 36110 built in the 1960's for the Milwaukee Road. It has been painted to resemble one of Santa Fe's cars.
Missouri Pacific box car 780699 built in 1973 and assigned to move beer for the Anheuser Busch Company. It was purchased by the museum to use for storage.
Santa Fe wide-vision caboose 999810 built by International Car in 1981.
Missouri-Kansas-Texas caboose 103 built in 1966 and retired by Union Pacific in 1989 after they acquired the MKT. It was later acquired by Watco who donated it to the museum.
Watco caboose 2000, nee Southern Pacific built by Pacific Car and Foundry.
The end of the display train.
The Railway Express Agency truck built by Chevrolet in the 1950's and was used in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.
St. Louis-San Francisco speeder RC-2544-12 built by Fairmont.
Museum scene.
Kansas City Southern 0-8-0 1023 built by American Locomotive Company in 1906. The engine went on display in Schlanger Park in Pittsburg after being donated to the city by the KCS in 1955. The city donated it to Heart of the Heartlands in December 2011 and it was moved to the Carona museum site in September 2012. It is the only Kansas City Southern steam locomotive to have survived.
Inside the Carona station.
Inside the museum's buildings, there were many hand-carved wooden trains on display which were incredible and reminded me of the ones in the Warthers Museum in Dover, Ohio. We thanked the volunteers, including Gordon Garrett, for letting us look around today and we drove to our next stop in Columbus. On the way there the rains began and stayed with us the rest of the way to Neosho.
The Columbus Frisco station.
Frisco caboose 1701 built by the railroad in 1973.
Three-way interlocking crossing that was once here in Columbus. From here we went to Galena.
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas station built in 1900.
The train on display at the Galena Depot Museum.
Gulf Oil 45 ton switcher, ex. Spencer Chermical, exx. United States Army 7044, nee Kansas Ordinance 3 built by Whitcomb in 1942.
St. Louis-San Francisco caboose 1705 built by the railroad in 1973 and painted as Burlington Northern 11680. Next I took Bob and Elizabeth to the most unique railroad display in the State of Kansas.
The view of the display train.
Two more views of the display train.
Erie-Lackawanna S-1 315 built by American Locomotive Company in 1947.
Flat car.
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Union Pacific caboose unknown number. From here we drove into Joplin, going from our most spectacular find of the day to the most depressing stop of the day.
Joplin Union Station built in 1911. From here I remembered seeing something on Google Earth at the Main Street crossing so we drove to investigate.
Railroad Salvage and Restoration Incorporated (GWAX) caboose 1999, nee Santa Fe. From there we drove to our next railroad location.
The last surviving wig-wag signal in the State of Missouri.
The former Missouri Pacific station in Joplin, built in 1881 and now a restaurant.
The Country Caboose Railroad Museum sign.
Central of New Jersey coach 1053 built by Standard Steel in 1923.
Santa Fe caboose 999456, nee Santa Fe 2079, built by the railroad in 1942. From here we drove to Carthage to see the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad.
The former Missouri Pacific Carthage station.
Engines of the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad. From there we drove to the Super 8 in Neosho where I labelled the pictures then went to KFC for my dinner, after which Elizabeth, my good and dear friend, typed the story for me tonight which saved me a night of doing it on this trip. As we did it, we watched "Liv and Maddie" and at times laughed very heartily. I went to bed at a good early time tonight.
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