Wichita refueling facility This is the Wichita refueling facility. I took the pictures from videos I shot. The sign in the 4th photograph shot says "Shop Machinery Must Never Be Wiped Or Cleaned While in Operation" Photograph narratives. 1) Diesel fuel gallons meter in lower left corner. Vertical cylinders contain in line fuel filter cartridges. Note the in line cut off isolation gate valves along the plumbing piping. 2) Electric motors drive the fuel pumps via pulleys and drive belts in the lower center and right. The large flywheels and corresponding drive shafts are adjacent to the pumps. Mounted on the brick wall are explosion proof electrical circuit cut-off isolation switches. Also on the wall are the associated electrical wiring conduits. The vertical cylinder is another filter chamber. Note the small tap valve for taking samples. Fuel samples were regularly taken, placed in plastic bottles, sealed, labeled with pertinent data, and placed in locomotives to be sent to Springfield. At Springfield, the sample bottles are retrieved from the locomotive at the service track. They are then taken across the yard to the company Testing Laboratory for analysis. Other samples were also taken including crankcase oil and engine cooling water. Samples from service tracks and shops across the system were analyzed in Springfield. From this information a number of maladies can be diagnosed including piston and ring ware, etc. The data was complied, analyzed, tracked by individual unit or location and used in scheduling preventive maintenance at the shops. 3) Also in the room was an air compressor. Note the air compressor pump radiator with raised letters Gardner Denver. Compressed air was pumped throughout the shop for use in pneumatic tools, blowing or cleaning work areas, etc. In addition, the air was used outside the shop to move locomotive sand and for general yard air supply. 4) Warning sign with wording noted above in original post. 5) Utility building exterior with horizontal air supply tank and associated piping. This air was used for moving sand for filling locomotive traction sand boxes. Further, it supplied yard air for charging train lines and brake components. This permitted pre-charging of systems so that brake tests could be conducted and ultimately to expedite train departures. The utility building measured 52' x 21'. Note the gap between buildings. The next building further north contained from the south a materials storage room, a boiler room and at the far end the yard and freight office. This multi-purpose building measured 197' x 21'. The track to the immediate west was the scale track. Near the far end, adjacent to the yard office was a 50' track scale. The next track over is the main line track. A portion of this track can be seen just below the mid point along the left edge of the image. The dividing point of the Wichita and Burrton Subdivisions was along this track at the yard. View is looking north northwest. Edit 1/24/2024: Added numbered photograph detail narratives. MKD
My idea about the inquiry Paul B. made about one of the snapshots Charlie scanned and posted: That might be the small shop building at Wichita. It was kind of the same architecture as the big shop at Springfield. Might have been built about the same time? Neat little "pike size" building. Tom G.
The picture with locomotive SLSF 102 is on the east side of the Frisco diesel shop in Wichita, which was located just north of 29th Street North & Ohio Street. The picture with the Frisco GP7, a 500 series number - hard to read in picture, was at the fuel stand in front of the Wichita Yard Office. F.P.
I think you are talking about this photo: It can actually be discussed on the photo page which is here in order to not have two separate discussions going. Charlie
Are there any plans or blueprints out there for the Wichita Diesel Shop? It would make a great "pike-size" structure. Seems I remember a similar small Santa Fe shop building in an old Model Railroader magazine or plan book. I read someplace that EMD made suggestions for laying out diesel shops for the railroads in the early diesel era. The Wichita building is the same red brick architecture as the larger Springfield shop, but much more manageable from a modeling standpoint. Tom G.
Yes, I bought some of them and did not win others. This was done with my scanner. I don't know if developing them would do better or not. I kind of doubt it but I'm not sure. If someone can do better with them I can forward them on via mail. I was disappointed in the quality. Charlie
Tom, In checking my yard blueprint, I can offer the following information about the Wichita shop. The overall length of the building was 132 feet and it was 32 feet wide. It was a single track type of arrangement and the track went through the building so you could enter it from the North yard lead or from the south which had a lead off the main. The track was located on the west side of the building and there was a shop work area on the east side of the building. Inside near the south end of the shop, there was a 65 foot concrete pit. I do have photos and hand measurements of this building if anyone is interested. Tony L.
Thanks for those details Tony. I think I can work from that and the posted photographs. That building did have a "family" resemblance to the Springfield diesel shop. Also the Springfield red brick paint shop. The CTC building, later the former Frisco Museum, the dining car and laundry building were all built around the same time. However, these later buildings were all tan brick construction. Tom G.
I would be interested including maybe some scans of your yard blueprint. I am also interested in all structures associated with the Wichita yard. Thank you Rich Purcell
I will get my stuff together and see if I can put it on the site. My scan of the yard is 6 pages and is in Adobe, so not too sure how to upload that.
Looking time table direction west train is entering Wichita yard. First building to the right is the yard office, trainmasters office, special agents office, and bunk house. The next big building is the diesel shop. The track diverging to the left is the ATSF interchange track. The Frisco switched the elevator as needed. Straight ahead is the yard switcher pulling a cut of cars out of a yard track. Picture was taken in 1966. At that time Wichita had two yard jobs on the 2nd & 3rd tricks and a train 6 days a week in each direction. The Ellsworth turn would usually make a turn before getting to Ellsworth. A total of 5 jobs plus a hostler. As information, the Ellsworth turn was one of the first small crew consist agreement jobs on the Frisco. It had a conductor, brakeman, and engineer. The two yard jobs had only a foreman, switchman, and engineer. The relief switchman worked two days 2nd and three days 3rd shifts. This make the 3rd trick a full 4 person crew one day a week. The jobs east to Neodesha were full crews. Out of Neodesha a 6 day Beaumont turn worked mainly switching the cement plant at Fredonia. Very seldom did they go past Severy. The second picture is Beaumont, KS looking west toward Wichita. The depot is on the left and water tower on the right. Also to the left is a three track yard and wye. This picture also taken in 1966.
