The Trans-Kansas Eagle — May 18, 2003

on the original Santa Fe main line

At Ellinwood, Kansas

at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood at Ellinwood

leaving Ellinwood, Kansas

leaving Ellinwood leaving Ellinwood leaving Ellinwood

QuickTime video of the Eagle leaving Ellinwood (7:17 a.m.)
Warning! — file is 5.4 MB.

just west of Ellinwood, Kansas

just west of Ellinwood

QuickTime video of the Eagle west of Ellinwood (7:21 a.m.)
Warning! — file is 5.1 MB.

at Dartmouth, Kansas

at Dartmouth at Dartmouth at Dartmouth at Dartmouth
at Dartmouth at Dartmouth at Dartmouth at Dartmouth

crossing Walnut Creek at Fort Zarah

crossing Walnut Creek at Fort Zarah crossing Walnut Creek at Fort Zarah crossing Walnut Creek at Fort Zarah

at the Santa Fe Depot in Great Bend, Kansas

at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot at the Great Bend depot

On the Scott City Branch

crossing 10th Street in Great Bend, Kansas

crossing 10th Street in Great Bend crossing 10th Street in Great Bend crossing 10th Street in Great Bend crossing 10th Street in Great Bend crossing 10th Street in Great Bend crossing 10th Street in Great Bend

crossing the Great Bend flood diversion channel

crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel crossing Great Bend flood diversion channel

at Heizer, Kansas

at Heizer at Heizer at Heizer at Heizer at Heizer

at Albert, Kansas

at Albert at Albert at Albert at Albert at Albert at Albert

leaving Schaffer, Kansas

at Timken

at Timken, Kansas

at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken at Timken

It was 11:15 pm on Saturday, May 17th when my friend, Dean Lippincott, called. He said there was a passenger train in Ellinwood and that it would be leaving at 6:00 a.m. He thought I'd be interested. He was right. By 6:00, I was in Ellinwood. The train pulled out at 7:15. I followed it as far as Timken.
It was a railfan trip sponsored by High Iron Travel. Here's how they described the trip:

*May 16-19. Trans Kansas Eagle. Kansas City to Pittsburg, KS on the KCS then a three-day run across Kansas on ex-Santa Fe and from Wichita west the ex-MP line to Towner. We return from Towner to Scott City, then via the ex-MP line to Geneseo. The railroad has approved this trip. The trip across Kansas will cover tracks of various railroads.
Friday, May 16: 7AM Lv. KCS Kansas City to Pittsburg, KS. Transfer equipment to WATCO lines. Pittsburg to Cherokee (ex-SLSF), to Sherwin (ex-MP) to Cherryvale and Fredonia (ex-SLSF) to Moline and Winfield (ex-ATSF). Layover in Winfield.
Saturday, May 17: Winfield to Wichita (ex-ATSF) to Hutchinson (ex-MP) to Great Bend (ex-MP/ATSF). Layover in Great Bend.
Sunday, May 18: Great Bend to Scott City (ex-ATSF) to Towner, CO (ex-MP). Return to Scott City, layover in Scott City.
Monday, May 19: Scott City to Geneseo on ex-MP mainline; then to Hutchinson. Trip ends. Equipment will layover until Tuesday (20); so those making connections to Amtrak 3 & 4 have a place to stay. We will have a Tuesday AM bus for those needing a quick getaway to Wichita.
This trip is going to be quite casual -- like the Northern Plains trip last year across North Dakota. We will likely have only one crew, so we'll go for 12 hours and tie up and go to dinner in local beaneries. Thus layover points are not guaranteed.
Fare: $2,895ppdo. Roomette supplement: $250.

Obviously, they spent the night in Ellinwood instead of Great Bend.

Four years earlier, a different sort of history buffs passed through the area.

Historic passenger train service in Kansas

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