Abilene Kansas Action 2020

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

My catches from today

 

[Bill Anderson]

Is BNSF a former Santa Fe line?

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

Is BNSF a former Santa Fe line?

Yes,it was the Santa Fe

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

Went out railfanning with a friend on a damp gloomy monday. Had to borrow his point and shoot camera as I left the memory card I use in my DSLR at home

Shot 1:UP 6939 approaches Abilene leading eastbound grain buckets

Shot 2:UP 6616 was the DPU

Next we caught the BNSF westbound local 19

Shot 3:BNSF 1446 lead unit

Shot 4 & 5: A very tired looking BNSF 554 was 2nd unit

Shot 6: BNSF 1449

Shot 7: BNSF 3031

Shot 8: UP 8101 sits east of town on the BNSF main leading westbound windmill blades. Train would eventually get back on UP rails, then go back east.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Interesting older BNSF units. I saw the 6939 number board of the UP unit and immediately thought of the Centennial units.

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

Interesting older BNSF units. I saw the 6939 number board of the UP unit and immediately thought of the Centennial units.

I thought of them too!!! That BNSF 554 looks like garbage, but the ol gal seems to run good still, and it has its Leslie 3 chime that sounds very good

 

[Bill Anderson]

I refer to those old Santa Fe units as "Warp Bonnets." I believe there was a defect in the paint that caused them to fade and peel prematurely.
There was also a defect in the paint of some BNSF Heritage units that caused them to prematurely fade as well. I refer to them as "Peach Bonnets."

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

I believe they had an issue with the type of clear coat back when those Santa Fe units were new, I remember a similar thing happening with paint issues on some GM,Ford and Chrysler vehicles

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

While I was working on the carburetor on my van this morning, i got a text from my friend who lives up the street from me said "UP going thru,on my way to get you". So on a hunch we headed ease,hoping it was going that way. Sure enough it was and the chase was on. We drove 11 miles east to the small town of Chapman Ks.

Photos 1 thru 4: UP 7693 leads eastbound grain train thru Chapman Ks at track speed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a quick lunch, I was picked up again, this time we went after a westbound UP train that was coming up the BNSF Strong City Sub on trackage rights. A few moments later a 4 unit power move bound for Salina Ks led by UP 5646 rolls west thru Abilene.

Photos 1 & 2: UP 5646 crosses the old Mud Creek bridge

Photo 3: UP 5646 lead unit
Photo 4: UP 7954 2nd unit
Photo 5: UP 4590 3rd unit
Photo 6: UP 8411 4th unit
Photo 7: Consist stops for conductor to line them off the BNSF at SA Jct, then down the lead to the UP main, then on west to Salina

 

[Bill Anderson]

The first photo looks as though it was taken of a model railroad layout.

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

The first photo looks as though it was taken of a model railroad layout.

Thanks

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

Went back out after supper for a little UP "2 fer 1" activity

Photo 1: UP 5587 rolls west out of Abilene leading westbound grain empties

Photo 2: UP 5209 brings the eastbound manifest MSITP (Salina-Topeka Ks) toward Abilene

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

BNSF 6875 rolls thru Abilene Ks leading a westbound grain empty

 

[Bill Anderson]

I can feel the humidity.

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

I can feel the humidity.

Was a steady rain falling at the time, I had an umbrella in my left hand and was holding my camera in my right hand

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

Some late evening stuff from the Abilene Ks BNSF yard and main line

 

[CGW101c]

Wow! An beautiful CB&Q emblem. Always enjoyed trips to Abilene. Nice town. Thanks.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Would I have passed through Abilene on one of the UP's "City" trains back in the late 50's-early 60's?
My family traveled between St. Louis, MO and Portland OR. the summers of 1959 and 1962 to visit my grandparents in Portland. We boarded a UP train in St. Louis which traveled to Kansas City on Wabash rails. The train hit UP trails at Kansas City and continued to Denver, where we got off and transferred to the City of Portland. It was night by the time we reached Kansas City and was not light again until we were in eastern Colorado.

 

[CGW101c]

Yes. The Kansas Pacific in olden times. Some great scenery in Kansas. The Flint Hills and really cool hilly areas west of Salina. There is a lot of not flat areas in Kansas. Missouri Pacific had some rough curvy ups and downs west of Hoisington. Central Kansas is my second home as my late wife of 43 years was from a tiny town outside of Great Bend. I spent a number of hours chasing trains while she played Scrabble with her mom.

 

[Abilene Ks Railfan]

The KP is shut down from Sharon Springs going west, they have auto racks stored on the main line and sidings. Only things I see now are grain trains that originate in Salina, or at a loadout facility in Wakeeney, then "manifests MSITP/MTPSI (Salina-Topeka). Only other movements are occasional BNSF shuttles that come over to Salina to load, those are brought over and taken back by a K&O railroad crew)