I was in Grandview about two weeks ago (July 24), and noticed the trestle over Blue Ridge Ext. was removed, and the KCS overpass over the Frisco line was removed and filled in. Now the line ends just short of the Blue Ridge Ext. overpass. The interchange was north of the Duck Rd. crossing.
This is interesting. I always thought the trackage just east of the current KCS crossing Main St. was old Rock Island. Did the RI ever go through Grandview or am I just crazy?
No, the CRIP did not go through Grandview. The CRIP had trackage rights on the Frisco Sheffield (KCT) to Leeds Junction. See : http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread...935-Clinton-Sub-Joint-CRIP&highlight=ett+paul .
So, when did the portion of the line from Grandview to Dodson cease to exist? I’ve explored the area right around Blue Ridge Blvd and I live near the site of the old Jeffreys depot in Hickman Mills. Any info about those abandonment dates? Thanks! Aaron D KCMO
I believe that Smoky Hill RR Museum (Belton) bought the whole shebang from Dodson to Harrisonville, and would retain the line between 150th St to Peculiar for its operation. H&K would scrap the rest, and pay Smoky Hill for the scrap value. Smoky Hill would use those funds to help pay for the line. Ultimately, the Smoky Hill guys bit off more than they could chew.
Aha, so Smoky Hill bought it all from the BN then? Or the KCS? I remember reading from another post that the section from Grandview to 150th Street was kept to service those few businesses that are still there today. Thank you Karl and pbender! And did you mean to say more Karl? Looks like it cut you off. There’s almost no sign of the roadbed between Grandview and Dodson anymore. Anyone have a map of that portion by chance? Or pictures of the depots?
Smoky Hill, as I recall, bought it from the Barely Nuth'n'. The KCS got the Grandview to 150th St to serve the remaining industries, and Smoky Hill owns from 150th southward in order to have a connection with an active railroad. I'll have to confirm that with my brother who was more active in Smoky Hill than I was.
Karl, You are correct on all of this. I enjoyed my time at Smoky Hill with Paul. Yes, this was a big undertaking, and now, the group that took over sold/scrapped more of the line back to a "five-mile, 45-minute round trip", according to their site. When Smoky Hill was operating, we went as far south as Harrelson, MO, though rail was still in place to Peculiar, MO. Bob McKeighan Lenexa, KS
It's a shame that Smoky Hill couldn't keep all of its trackage between Belton and Peculiar. As can be seen in the rail chart, the Highline has some nice, heavy rail around Peculiar that was very marketable for the scrapper. The abandonment south of Cambridge Rd helped pay some of Smoky Hill's bills, but left very little for operation.
Thanks for the Rail Chart Karl - they take me back to a challenging, but fun time. I share your sentiment. In hindsight, if we could have raised more capital, it would have been better to maintain Belton to Peculiar, with some sort of arrangement for KCS to leave the track open between 155th Street and Belton. The City of Belton, at that time, wasn't friendly with us. We showed up and disrupted their quiet little downtown area. At Harrelson, the siding and station grounds existed when we purchased the entire line. This location is very visible from I-49 (formerly U.S. 71 Hwy), with the old wood trestle just north. This little wide spot would have made a great location to locate our equipment, place some signage visible from the highway, and "set up shop". Also, the line, in my opinion, is more scenic, as you went south of Harrelson to Peculiar. LOTS of memories from our endeavors - sweat and time. Bob McKeighan Lenexa, KS
Wow, this is all very exciting information for us guys who weren’t here to witness all of this activity. Thank you for sharing! When did Smoky Hill become the current operator, Belton, Grandview and Kansas City (BGKC) Railroad? And I’m guessing the Dodson to Grandview was kept intact until all the equipment was moved to Belton? And how did Belton become the location of choosing for the museum?
At the time of the sale to Smoky Hill, most of the equipment was already stored at Richards Gebaur AFB, so there was no need to keep the line intact between Dodson and Grandview. The Haywire allowed Smoky Hill "trackage rights" to move the equipment to Belton. So sayeth my Brother Paul. I believed that Smoky Hill had acquired a UP 6900 DDA40X Centennial, but sold it and it never was moved because of track condition.
Gotchya, So to sum it all up, Smoky Hill bought the whole line from Dodson to Peculiar in the early 90’s, scrapped Dodson-Grandview, and scrapped Belton to Peculiar in order to pay for it? Just clarifying. You’re really a wealth of info Karl!