Moving North from Edgecomb, D-12.5, the next station location was at D-11.5. This location had two names. D-11.5, Union Supply Union Bridge & Construction Company maintained a storage yard and warehouse at this location. A single track diverged northward from the Highline at this location. Once away from the Frisco mainline, a second turnout split the spur into two tracks with a capacity of four cars each. UB&CC kept boilers, engines, dredging equipment, and concrete mixing equipment at this location. D-11.5 Alexander Between 1935 and 1937, the Frisco retired the Union Supply tracks , and built a 21 car spur that diverged southward. When the Clinton Sub mainline was retired during 1967, a connection was built with the MP, and the Frisco continued to service the industries/warehouses at Alexander. D-11.3, Blue Valley Junction, or BV Junction. This junction with the MP was created during 1967 when the Frisco retired its mainline between this location and Dodson; it assumed trackage rights over the MP. A blind-station sign, a telephone booth, and an electrically locked, hand throw, turnout defined BV Junction. D-11.2 Belt Junction. When the Kansas City Suburban Railroad extended southward from Kansas City under the charter of the Kansas City, Nevada, & Ft Smith, it utilized the Kansas City, Osceola, & Southern Railroad’s track between Belt Junction and Grandview. During 1892, the Kansas City Suburban Railroad and the Kansas City, Nevada, & Ft Smith were consolidated with the Texarkana & Ft Smith Railroad and the Kansas City, Ft Smith, and Southern Railroad to form the Kansas City, Pittsburg, & Gulf Railroad.. After the 1900 reorganization, the Kansas City, Pittsburg, & Gulf became the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The KCS continued to use the Clinton Sub until the 1929 completion of the Kansas City & Grandview Railroad, which closed the gap between Belt Junction and Grandview. The KCS extension is notable for several large viaducts. The span over Gregory Blvd is an exceptionally impressive cast-in-place concrete arch. Both roads used the Grand Central Depot, which was located at 2nd and Wyandotte. As a side note, when the KCCS abandoned its track between Belton and Stanley during 1928, Grandview became the northern terminal for the Leaky Roof. The KCCS rented a KCS track at Grandview for securing water and fuel for its locomotives. The Frisco maintained a depot at Belt Junction. The single-room structure was 18’-1” x 12’-2”, and it was located on the west side of the track. A cinder platform, 117’ x 18‘-2”, provide access to the “station”. A hip roof covered the structure, and it had a compound pitch of 1:2 and 1:3. A desk/table ran the full width of the structure, and it was located on the north end. A small closet filled the SE corner of the depot. Boards and “Batts” covered the exterior. A single door on the track-side allowed entry, and single windows were located on each end. Given the nature of the building, it seems that it served as a train order office or perhaps as a shelter for a switch tender. Still listed on a 1935 ETT, Belt Junction was gone by 1937. It’s possible that the Frisco-KC kept this connection after 1929 for emergency use or perhaps for interchange. I think that the former explanation is more reasonable. A 1964 USGS Topo is used for a base. The second attachment is a Frisco map of KC. Even though it is dated 1955, the maps still shows the KCS connection at Belt Junction.
Karl, this is very interesting info. I recently spent a lot of time in this area working for Union Pacific and I would never have guessed that the KCS had a bridge across the Blue River in this area to connect with the Frisco. Koch Industries had a facility in the vicinity of Alexander. They received tanks loaded with asphalt. Was this customer served by the Frisco or was it formed after the customers on the line were given to the Missouri Pacific?
