To celebrate our fourth anniversary, Elizabeth and I decided to ride a couple of semi-local excursion trains. With July 5th occuring on a Friday this year, we marked the occasion a day late but did go to Texas Roadhouse for an excellent meal on the 5th.
So we arose on July 6th and had breakfast then checked e-mail before leaving for Belton, Missouri, driving on Interstate 70 then Interstate 470 to Interstate 49, where we exited at Cedar Street then turned onto Walnut Street and followed it down to the train.
History of the RailroadThe line on which the Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad runs has a long history, stretching back over 100 years to the late 1800's when railroads were branching out in all directions. There were actually two railroads that ran through Belton back at the turn of the last century. The Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield (KCCS) affectionately known as the "Leaky Roof" and the Kansas City, Osceola & Southern also known as "The Blair Line". The Belton, Grandview & Kansas City runs on a short remnant of the KCO&S. The only part of the KCCS that still exists in Belton is the track to the southwest of our main line, closest to the fire station. That track was once the main line of the KCCS, but that short section is all that remains.
The Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield Railroad Co. was begun in 1884 as a direct route from Kansas City to Springfield via Henry County. It incorporated the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad's Peasant Hill & De Soto branch after a deal was stuck between the Santa Fe and the Kansas City Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad, which was the company behind the KCCS. The Fort Scott ran south from Kansas City to Arcadia near Pittsburgh KS before turning east to Springfield, the KCCS was intended to be a more direct route and would meet up with the Fort Scott main line in Ash Grove.
The KCCS line ran east from Olathe, Kansas, through Belton, then over through Raymore. From there it went south to Harrisonville, on to Clinton, Lowry City, Osceola and Humansville. To reach Kansas City, KCCS trains would use the Fort Scott line from Olathe into Kansas City where it came into the Kansas City Union Depot in the West Bottoms. The village of Urich relocated several miles south of its former location so that it could be on the new rail line when it was completed in 1885.
The nickname "Leaky Roof" came from the old and somewhat run-down freight cars the KCCS used. One of their major customers was the W. S. Dicky Clay Company in Deepwater. The company shipped clay tiles on KCCS which were impervious to the elements and because of this, just about any old freight car would do. According to legend the superintendent of the White Swan Flour Mill in Clinton, which shipped flower over the KCCS, looked out over their yards and told his men not to ship any flour that day because of all the leaky roofs.
In 1891, the Kansas City, Osceola & Southern was begun when the defunct Kansas City & Southern Railway which was formed in 1880 and not to be confused with today's KCS, was reorganized as the KCO&S. The KC&S had built lines from North Osceola through Clinton, on to East Lynne and then up to Knoche Junction in Kansas City which the Kansas City, Osceola & Southern then took over. In 1897, the KCO&S signed an agreement with the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, commonly known as the "Frisco", which called for the KCO&S to build its line further on, constructing a bridge across the Osage River and extending its line into Osceola and on to Bolivar.
In 1901, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad merged the Fort Scott into their operations, giving them control of the Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield. At about the same time, however, the Frisco exercised its right granted in the 1897 traffic agreement to purchase the Kansas City Osceola & Southern, and the KCO&S became the the Frisco Kansas City Branch. This merger gave the Frisco control of three major rail routes between Kansas City and Springfield and this did not sit well with many peoplem including Missouri state regulators. To fend off possible problems, the Frisco put the KCCS stock in trust and continued to operate, at least on paper, the KCCS as an independent railroad, now officially nicknamed the Clinton Line. Though supposedly independent, passenger tickets on the KCCS could transfer to the KCO&S, and like wise.
The KCO&S was known as the Blair Line, named for John Blair, a New Jersey investor who was behind forming the KCO&S. When the Frisco took over the KCO&S, they referred to it as the "High Line" because of its route through the Osage Mountains. The line started out at the old Grand Central Station at 2nd and Wyandotte (mile post 0), ran to the Knoche Junction (mp 3.8) then down through Swope Park (mp 14.0), Holmes Road (mp 18.1) Grandview (mp 22.7), Belton (mp 28.2), Peculiar (mp 36.7), then to Harrisonville (mp 45.2), East Lynne (mp 51.8) and Gunn City (mp 56.1). Mile Posts 29 (Belton Park) and 30 can be seen while riding the BG&KC RR today and they still refer to the old starting point in Kansas City.
In late 1924, for various legal and financial reasons, the Frisco took full control of the KCCS and made it the Osceola Subdivision. Once it took control, the Frisco began combining KCCS track with the track of the High Line, the former KCO&S which ran parallel to the KCCS for almost the entire route. In 1928, the KCCS track running northwest out of Belton to Stanley, Kansas was abandoned, partly due to the difficult West Belton Hill which had a three percent grade. Trains from Kansas City now all used the Blair line as far as Belton.
By 1932, passenger service on the Leaky Roof had all but come to an end, with only three mixed trains a week running over that line. Even the High Line was only being serviced by a gas-electric motor car rather than a full train by this time. In 1934, the Frisco applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon much of the former KCCS. Ironically the Leaky Roof had one last burst of activity. In mid-1934, just after the line was officially abandoned, the Missouri State Highway Department ordered a large number of carloads of stone and gravel for the widening of what is now 7 Highway. The Frisco even had to put extra crews on to handle the traffic. But by mid-1935, although there was a great deal of controversy, the Leaky Roof was no more. The tracks from Clinton to Belton were removed, and only small sections of the KCCS remained as part of the Blair Line and as industrial trackage in Harrisonville and other locations.
The High Line continued to operate through the middle part of the 20th century. The last passenger service was in 1954 when regular service ended, however caboose passenger service lasted until the end of all passenger trains on the Frisco in 1967. In 1979, the death knell of the Blair Line was sounded with the completion of Truman Dam. There was not enough revenue to justify building bridges over the soon to be flooded areas, and so the line was abandoned south from East Lynne.
In 1980, the Frisco was acquired by the Burlington Northern Railroad which continued to operate the Blair Line as the Grandview Branch until 1986 when it was sold off by the Burlington Northern.
Today, the Belton Grandview & Kansas City Railroad operates our excursions between the Belton Depot at mile post 28.2 and the end of our line at Cambridge Road alongside US 71. The remainder of the track between there and East Lynne was abandoned and sold due to the extremely high costs of maintaining the railroad track which had seen little maintenance in the years before the BN gave it up. BG&KC also owns the track north from Belton to the north side of 155th Street, although this track is not open for passenger operations. From 155th Street, the track now belongs to the Kansas City Southern, which services a few industries on the spur off its main line through Grandview.
Our VisitWith an early arrival, we had plenty of time to look around the proprety.
Santa Fe buffet-parlour/observation car 1508 built by Pullman in 1926 and was re-built by the Topeka Shops into an Instruction Car. It is currently painted for the KCS for a "unified" static consist to match the Hospitality Car.
Missouri Pacific wide-vision caboose 13562 built by International Car in 1972.
Norfolk and Western baggage express car 1387, nee Wabash 367, built by American Car and Foundry in 1926. It was one of two baggage express cars that Wabash contributed to Union Pacific's City of Denver and was retired by Norfolk and Western in 1971. It is currently painted for the KCS for a "unified" static" consist to match the Hospitality Car.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western commuter coach 713, ex. Smoky Hill Railway & Historical Society 4365, exx. Virginia Rail Express, exxx. New Jersey Transit, exxxx. Erie Lackawanna 2365, nee Erie Lackawanna 2365, built by American Car and Foundry in 1920. This car was operated in Belton for many years lettered for the New York Central as it was used in "Biloxi Blues" and appears in many of the panoramic shots of the passing train.
Smoky Hill Railway and Historical Society open car 1001, builder and year unknown.
Belton, Grandview and Kansas City GP9 102, ex. Idaho, Northern and Pacific 102 1993, exx. Huron and Eastern Railway 182 1989, exxx. Baltimore and Ohio 6142 1978, exxx. Chessie System 0393, nee Chesapeake and Ohio 6142, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1956. It was sold to Western Rail Dismantlers in Spokane then stored in Pocatello, Idaho until bought by the Smoky Hill Railway & Historical Society in 1995 on a lease-to-own agreement. In October 1996, a group of investors known as "T-Rex, LLC" bought the lease and, in turn, leased the unit to Smoky Hill Railway & Historical Society.
Kansas City Southern lounge-diner-observation car 55 "Hospitality" nee KCS "Shreveport", built by Pullman in 1940 and used on the Southern Belle between Kansas City and New Orleans.
Okmulgee Northern 0-6-0ST 5 "Tommy" built by American Locomotive Company in 1923. It was at one time destined for the Cuban railroad system, but never shipped. Ten years later, this oil burner was sold to the Okmulgee Northern Railway Company and worked until 1958 in the oil fields around Okmulgee, Oklahoma on a 9.9 mile shortline. It was sold to the Sonken-Galamba Corporation, a Kansas City scrap dealer in 1958 and was bought by the Smoky Hill Railway & Historical Society some time in the 1970s.
View of our trainset.
Wilson Car Line 40 foot refrigerated car 2711 builder unknown but was constructed in 1957.
Milwaukee Road 40 foot refrigerated car 37236 built by General American in 1948.
Wooden box car builder and date unknown.
Union Pacific all-wooden caboose 2580, nee Union Pacific 25752, built by American Car and Foundry in 1918.
Union Pacific drop bottom gondola 65333, builder unknown but constructed in 1950.
Wabash 40 foot box car 83106, builder and date unknown.
Sun Oil Company one-dome tank car 410, builder and year unknown.
Eagle-Picher 2-10-2 1632, ex. St. Louis-San Francisco 2-10-0 1632, exx. Southern 8033, nee United States Railroad Administration 8033 built by Baldwin in 1918. During World War I, the Russian government ordered a large number of lightweight Decapod type locomotives from various American manufacturers. In 1917, after eight hundred and fifty-seven had been delivered, the Russian Revolution forced cancellation of the remainder of the order, leaving two hundred of the Decapods "orphaned" in the United States. They were turned over to the United States Railroad Administration, which allocated them to various railroads, mainly in the East and South.
The class survived intact until the end of steam on the Frisco and appear to have done more than branch line service, probably also serving on "High Line" passenger service, as well as extra passenger trains carrying veterans' specials. Two years later, 8033 was sold to the Frisco and in 1951, 1632 was one of five sold by the Frisco to the Eagle-Picher Company which served at the company's southeastern Oklahoma zinc mines until 1957 when they were retired.
The Smoky Hill Railway & Historical Society received 1632 in 1965 as a donation from Eagle-Picher. It was stored serviceable in their shops but was later moved to the depot museum in Franklin County, Kansas for static display. Around 1995, the volunteers and members of the railroad worked with the Santa Fe Railroad, the Iola, Kansas National Guard and Kansas City Southern Railway to load and move the locomotive to Belton where it currently resides. In October 2000, members carried out a basic cosmetic restoration of the locomotive.
Museum view.
Shipper's Car Line switcher ML-8 built by Plymouth in 1939.
Our train waiting to leave. Each group or person was called by their names and we boarded the coach; the open car was available for the return ride. Now sit back and enjoy the ride on this unique railroad run by volunteers.
The Belton ticket office.
"City of Belton".
The front of Frisco 2-10-2 1632.
Dandelions in bloom.
We crossed another street.
A water park in Memorial Park.
Looking back on a curve.
That water park once again.
A look foward down the tracks.
The view behind.
We soon reached our turn-around point and those who wanted to, including the two of us, could enjoy the return trip in the open car.
The currently empty open car.
The tranquil area of our turn-around and the coach in which we rode.
Crossing Missouri Route YY.
Smoky Hill Railway and Historical Society 102 leads the train back to Belton.
We crossed 195 Street.
East Cambridge Road.
East 187 Street.
Union Pacific caboose 2580.
Crossing Cherry Street on the way back.
Looking the other way at Cherry Strret. We returned to the station and all detrained.
Milwakee Road box car 27236.
We started the drive to Branson and I asked Elizabeth if there a station in Clinton. Since she was not driving, she was able to check the Railroad Station Historical Society's database and replied in the affirmative. So once we arrived in Clinton, we drove into town and found the depot.
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Clinton station built in 1886 and was moved to the town square in 1979, now housing the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce office, a tourist information center and a small gift shop.
"In memory of those who lost their lives in the explosion of the Poague Building" plaque.
A steam train mural on an adjacent building.
A patriotic mural on another wall.
Wrigley's Spearmint Gum mural. We stopped at Casey's for some snacks and lemonade which we enjoyed as we drove down the highway.
A caboose was seen from the highway as we passed through Osceola and we were easily able to get off the road to see St. Louis and San Francisco caboose 1150, builder and year unknown.
We reached Branson then checked into the Best Western Plus Landing View and Suites and had time to do check e-mails before driving the short distance to the Branson Scenic Railroad's parking lot.
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