The Gulf line missed Greenfield, the county seat of Dade county, when it extended its line toward Ash Grove and Springfield. Topographic features forced the railroad to seek the lower grades offered by Turnback Creek. To counter this affront to the dignity of the town, several town leaders platted the new town of South Greenfield on the new railroad. Public subscriptions for a connecting railroad were solicited, and the Greenfield and Northern was built between Aurora and Greenfield. The railroad even extended two miles north from the center of Greenfield which indicated the builders' desire to extend the line to Stockton and points north. Please see for more details: http://members.tripod.com/~martin_t/greenfld.html Greenfield had a depot, prairie-type (gallows) turntable, 50-ton coal dock, ash pit, and a one-stall engine house. During the 20's passenger trains 173, 179, 172, and 174 ping-ponged between Greenfield and South Greenfield to connect with Ash Grove Sub trains 101 and 104. Passenger trains 122 and 123 made the all-day turn between Aurora and Greenfield. Freight service was provided daily, except Sunday by trains 151 and 152. The Aurora Branch had a Cooper's rating of E-35 which was suitable for the small ten-wheelers(600-604 and smaller), the moguls, and the eight-wheelers. Passenger trains were limited to 30 mph and freight trains were limited to 20 mph. The station numbers were reckoned northward from Aurora so Greenfield is B-304 (from STL) at MP B-168.2(from KC). To constrain construction costs, very little excavation work was performed, and the track was laid "right on top of the ground". Consequently, the line was characterized by 5-7 degree curves and a roller coaster-like profile. After the line between South Greenfield and Miller was severed during the 30's, locals 142 and 143 provided service to Greenfield. The line was treated as a long industrial spur. Surprisingly the Greenfield spur still exists to serve Pennington Enterprises which is a seller of fescue seed.
I rode the Sunnyland between Springfield and Kansas City a few times in the early sixties and the train porters went to great lengths to call out the station as: "Greenfield, next stop," when it was actually "South Greenfield." I always wondered about that?? Tom
There was some settlement in south greenfield, but most of it stayed in greenfield. How ever there is an old church complex just out side of south greenfield and is now a church camp. The original part of it dates back to the late 1800's (can't remember the date). Any way I know south greenfield still has a post office though.
