Riding the Rails - an Excursion on the Midland Railway

My two and a half-year old granddaughter has been talking about trains lately. So, her mother (my oldest daughter) decided she might enjoy an outing to ride a train - and chose the Midland Railway, located at Baldwin City, Kansas. It's nearby, relatively inexpensive, and the ride lasts about an hour - perfect for a child of this young age. Of course Gammaw and Gampaw jumped at the chance to join our little princess in a train ride.

At the Baldwin depot we purchased our tickets and joined fellow passengers - lots of little ones with their grandparents - on the platform. Most of the travelers were from eastern Kansas, but we also saw car tags from Kentucky and Texas in the parking lot. We were given the opportunity to do a little exploring while awaiting our departure time, and the caboose was a popular place to climb aboard and look around.

For the kiddies, many no doubt thinking of Thomas the Tank Engine, the train ride would be an exciting new adventure, but for the elders like me, it would be a nostalgic journey, a brief opportunity to relive the mesmerizing clickety-clack that accompanied the riding of the rails. I did take several long trips by train in my younger days, so it did rekindle memories - especially the long haul up and over Raton Pass on the Colorado-New Mexico border en route from Kansas City to Flagstaff, Arizona.

There was an open air car that normally would be popular in late July, but was unoccupied on this unseasonably cool day. Instead, we all took shelter in the 1923 commuter rail car that once served the Chicago area on the C.R.I.&P. (Rock Island) railway. Comfortable? No, but it didn't matter much on a trip as short as this, and it was definitely an authentic experience.

I hasten to add a disclaimer at this point. You are not taking this train ride for the scenery. The view hardly measures up to train rides Nancy and I have taken in Austria or Switzerland, much less the scenic railways at Chama, New Mexico, or Durango, Colorado. Although this part of Kansas does boast some pretty countryside, you don't get to see much of it on the short trip from Baldwin to Norwood by way of Nowhere. I suspect the views will be more scenic and interesting when the line once again extends to the historic depot in Ottawa (more about that later). The most interesting segments of this trip were crossing a trestle high above Sand Creek, and a meeting with an escaped cow who nonchalantly claimed her spot on the railway right-of-way.

There are a couple of historically significant spots along the route which I did not know about until doing some reading several days after taking the trip. One - Fletcher's Farm at Deerfield Flats is particularly intriguing to me. It was there that William Quantrill's raiders were overtaken by forces from Fort Leavenworth, Baldwin, and Prairie City as they attempted their get-away from the sacking of Lawrence, with a short battle ensuing. Quantrill's bushwhackers managed to escape to Missouri. There is also the site of a Catholic mission to the Indians (1859) near the route. I think it unfortunate that there is no one aboard to bring these interesting facts to our attention as we roll along.

The halfway point of the trip is at Norwood, once a thriving metropolis of 50 or so. Here the train comes to a halt and passengers are allowed to disembark for ten minutes or so, if they choose. This is where the engine is moved from one end of the train to the other, for the purpose of pulling the cars back to Baldwin. This is also a good opportunity to add in a picture of my beautiful granddaughter Sydney. She is two and a half years old, and practically grown up!





The diesel engine was a type I don't remember seeing in this part of the country. New York Central diesel #8255 pulled us on this day's trip. It is privately owned (not by the Midland Railway organization) and has been in use here since 1993. #8255 is an ALCO-RS 3, for those who know and care about such things, and was built in 1951.

Back at the depot grounds, I was fascinated by a pair of Rock Island Rockets, those iconic, art deco design liners manufactured in the early 1940s, with their unmistakable color schemes. A photographer's delight. If you wish to see them, you had better be making your plans to do it soon, as they have each been sold, and will be moved as soon as track and trestle repairs allow access to the BNSF main line at Ottawa.


About the Midland Railway: The Midland Railway is a volunteer-staffed, non-profit organization operating excursion trains over track line originally laid in 1867. Its fundamental purpose is to preserve and display historic transportation equipment and facilities, and to educate the public regarding the key role played by railroads in developing America's heartland.

In spite of current economic conditions and recent floods which have destroyed some trestles (bridges) and road bed, the organization has unflinchingly managed to continue on in its efforts, even though forced to discontinue those longer excursions which carry passengers to the historic depot (now a museum) at Ottawa, Kansas.

Baldwin City is about an hour or less from most parts of metro Kansas City, and makes for a pleasant day trip. It is a historic town on the Santa Fe Trail, with the oldest four year college or university in the state of Kansas and ties to the bloody and violent days in Kansas prior to the Civil War. More info online:

• Midland Railway ~ www.midland-ry.org
• Baldwin City Tourism ~ http://baldwin-city.com
  

Road Trip Reflections - Exploring Kansas

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Itinerary: Garnett, Scipio, Harris, Greeley, Lane, Richmond, Princeton

Wednesday was the kind of day that hinted the coming of spring, and the eventual end of the monotonous brown season. I had been considering on a Kansas day trip, and desperately needed some quiet, back-roads time. Unfortunately, I had a mid-morning appointment for some lab work, and my trusty doctor had advised me to avoid strenuous activities for awhile, so the original plans for a day-long excursion for some serious hiking were scrapped. Nonetheless, with Melody Dog by my side, camera gear loaded, and my well-worn Kansas Guidebook for Explorers and DeLorme Kansas Atlas in hand, I hit the road with no set itinerary.



My last-minute destination became Garnett, Kansas, with unplanned stops made in Princeton, Richmond, Harris, Scipio, Greeley, and Lane. A couple of these little burgs have been added to my (private, not-to-be published) Ghost Towns Watch List. Alas, rural decay may make for some incredible shooting opportunities for those of us who consider ourselves to be serious photographers, but to others, it is just plain ugly and/or depressing. I witnessed lots of that.



On the other hand, I also saw some beautiful countryside, even in those dreary shades of winter browns and grays, and on several occasions thought that would be an ideal location to have a rustic cabin in the woods - a great place to get away from it all as long as one could have broadband internet, high def cable, and get a good latté.

Garnett is a town has a number of architectural treasures, beginning with the Anderson County Court House.



Almost one-fourth of the court houses in Kansas were designed by George Washburn, and the Garnett structure is one of my personal favorites, along with those at Troy and Ottawa. A court house addition is being built adjacent to the old one, but thankfully it appears to in no way detract from the magnificence of the existing building. Many of the buildings on the town square date to the 1880s, with the resulting "gingerbread"-type architectural ornamentation. Really charming details, colorfully painted, and very photogenic. Fortunately, only a few of the existing structures bear traces of that abominable 1950s-60s trend to cover the charming and historic original store fronts with faux-contemporary fibre glass or aluminum facades.





I had lunch at Denise's Country Cafe, located in one of the 1885 buildings. Denise sports an all-you-can eat lunch buffet, fried chicken, roast beef, etc., and those who chose to sit at the counter get a buck discount. I had a pork tenderloin sandwich, my weakness. Elsewhere in town are a couple of charming Victorian homes (the Kirk House and the Harris House), as well as other houses (some for sale) with lots of potential if renovated. Another highlight, which I passed up on this trip but have visited previously, is a surprising little art gallery located within the public library.

I drove west on K-31 through the near-ghost town of Harris (where I stopped to take a number of images of crumbling vacant homes) to view the Emerald Church, so named because of the number of Irish


settlers in the vicinity. It was further out in the country than I had figured on, and once there, found the steeple or dome missing. Not much to look at or photograph without that. And of course the church was locked so I could not view the Virgin Mary given to the congregation by Bing Crosby. But -- on a beautiful sunny day like this, and with a magnificent view of the countryside from the hilltop, who could possibly complain? Certainly not Melody, for she found some soft grass and a shady spot in which to chill out.

On a whim, I decided to take a county road through unincorporated Scipio. Not much there of course - a couple of old country school buildings, one of which is now a portrait photographer's studio, a still-active St. Boniface Church with gymnasium and school. Adjacent to the church grounds was a nicely maintained farm home and outbuildings, with one of the finest and largest old barns I have seen. The barn had a date (1902) on its doors. Tempted as I was to trespass into the pasture to photograph the barn in proper lighting conditions, I reluctantly took a pass. Spotting a sign to the parish cemetery, I followed the dirt road, and soon found myself going over a rise to discover a wonderful panoramic view of the Pottawatomie Creek valley. On the side of the hill in the foreground was a beautiful, peaceful, and most photogenic cemetery scene. An unexpected Aaaaah! moment for sure, even in the barrenness of late winter.



I briefly stopped in Greeley to view the 1856 Gerth log cabin, transplanted from its original location to a wooded spot in town along Pottawatomie Creek. The site has received a number of awards, deservedly, for its renovation and maintenance of this historic cabin.



Finally - Lane, named after James Lane, a Jayhawk abolitionist leader, and one of the first senators from Kansas. An interesting stop. To begin with, the hilly and winding road I took into town was a pleasant drive, with wooded Ozark-like views. I could spend more time here. One of my first views in town was a lady tieing her horse to a hitching post alongside another already there, then going into a tavern for a couple of beers - not exactly a daily scene in the sprawling, characterless suburb in which I live. I later learned the second beer was for her husband, not her horse. Hubby, a calf roping contestant in ranch rodeos, was headed to town with the horse trailer.



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The photos shown in this blog, and others as I finish the process of editing them, may be seen in larger sizes on my photostream (gallery) at www.flickr.com/photos/kansasexplorer3128/. Or - click on any of the photos any the blog to be taken to that photo's page on flickr.