Kansas Railroading and Railfanning In "The Sunflower State"

Kansas railroading is extremely rich in history albeit one may not think or realize it when they see that flat open farm country that defines the state. At one time Kansas ranked a whopping third in total rail mileage. While it has since slipped in this category and today only carries about half of its all time high, railroading is still very important in the Sunflower State with Class I systems BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern all operating key routes within the state.

Kansas railroading has its beginnings dating back to the Leavenworth, Pawnee & Western, which was chartered in 1855 to connect the Missouri River with Fort Riley. In the following years Kansas would come to have several of our most remembered western railroads operating within its borders. These names include Santa Fe; Union Pacific; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Rock Island; Milwaukee Road; Missouri Pacific; the Katy; Wabash; and the Frisco.

Of these fabled lines the legendary Santa Fe is perhaps best remembered in the Sunflower State, partly due to the fact that Atchison and Topeka in its name are Kansas cities! Its West Coast-Chicago main line (the Transcon route) ran directly through the state and the railroad also had numerous secondary and branch lines it operated in Kansas. At its largest the Santa Fe would own well over 13,000 miles of railroad and the routes would become some of the most heavily and strategically used throughout the West that remains so to this day. Even before the intermodal revolution the Santa Fe’s system was very important in allowing for fast movement of goods moving from Chicago and other gateway cities to the west coast and vice versa. Coupled with this business the Santa Fe also served a number of manufacturing centers throughout the South and Southwest.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway over the years had become a class act in transportation service, and this was no different with its Super Chief passenger trains which regularly cruised at speeds reaching 90 mph between Chicago and LA covering the distance in around 40 hours (because of its excellent service its no wonder the railroad had many well known figures using its trains, all the way until the Amtrak takeover in 1971). The Super Chief would also have a number of other similar trains like it (such as the Texas Chief and San Francisco Chief) including its sister train the El Capitan.

Much of the railroad’s success throughout its existence was a result of its willingness to embrace new technologies and strive for excellence. Several “firsts” the railroad is credited with include autoracks, a term describing a railroad car built specifically with two or three levels to haul automobiles, and the innovative TOFC or piggyback service (trailer-on-flat-car).

Few other railroads, and institutions for that matter, are so recognized and respected as the Santa Fe. Its star status can be compared to that of many of today’s Hollywood stars, rich and famous. While the name is gone the Super Chief carries on with Amtrak (as the Southwest Chief) and interestingly many have questioned the BNSF Railway about bringing back the Warbonnet livery and applying the famous paint scheme to its locomotives once more. If that does happen, what a sight it would be!

Today, much of Kansas’s rail network is operated by Santa Fe successor BNSF Railway, Kansas City Southern, and the Union Pacific who’s Kansas City-Denver main line also cuts directly through Kansas. The rest of the Sunflower State’s rails are operated by shortlines, which include Cimarron Valley Railroad; Dodge City, Ford & Bucklin Railway; Hutchinson & Northern Railway; Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad; and the Kyle Railroad.

As for the state’s route mileage, today it totals fewer than 5,000 although at one time it held much, much more being that it was, and still is, a granger state (a good deal of this was agriculture branch lines that began to be wholesale abandoned in the 1970s, part of which was due to the fact that there were far too many railroads serving the same region). For a more in-depth look at Kansas railroading, in terms of its rail mileage over the years please refer to the chart below.

In years past Kansas was once home to legendary passenger trains such as Santa Fe’s Super Chief and Union Pacific’s City fleet. Today, however, passenger operations are managed by Amtrak and include only the Southwest Chief (which stops at Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Garden City) that still operates over much of the same territory s the famous Super Chief.

Kansas railroading is also home to a number of railroad museums and tourist lines that you may be interested in visiting when in the state. They include the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Ellis Railroad Museum, Great Plains Transportation Museum, Heart of the Heartlands, Midland Railway, and the Santa Fe Depot Foundation.

All in all Kansas railroading has plenty to offer, whether you are a vacationer, railfan, or maybe even a local Jayhawk interested in some sightseeing or something to do!