Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad

On October 22, 2013, on my way to a Convention in Kansas City, I rode the Boone & Scenic Valley Tourist Railroad in Boone, Iowa.  I had asked for a cab ride which they couldn't allow because of insurance reasons.  This line was built as the Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern Railroad in the 1890s.  It was electrified (trolley cars) in 1907 and closed in 1955.  Here is our engine for today, an NW2, number 1003.

And our train includes an open-air car--which NO ONE will use today, because it is 34 degrees and snowing--SIDEWAYS!

An unusual car is this coach as it has no windows, perfect for the summer but no one will use this car today either.

This is their first class train, used for charters, dinners, picnics, etc.

They have a lot of equipment, some running, some static.  Here's a sample:

And their beautifully restored Alco RS1, built in 1951 for the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad and now painted in Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad colors.

Normal operation for this train is run-around at Fraser, about 12 miles away.  However, because of a broken rail, they will be doing a push-pull operation today.  SO--I weaslled a ride on the caboose shove, "helping" brakeman Jim!!  Here we depart the station.

Note the white stuff???

It's getting "cool" on the platform so I duck inside for a couple of shots.

Back outside on the back platform, the colors would be pretty good (colors are later here than in Wisconsin) if the sun was out.

Just as we get to the feature attraction of their railroad--the 156 foot high trestle over the Des Moines Valley, the snow stops and the sun almost comes out!! 

Here's a shot from the 'net, not our train.

Looking down!!!

We head down the hill to the foot of the valley to cross the Des Moines River.

And here's the Des Moines River.

The sign says Stone Quarry but this siding is only used for the First Class Dinner Train to "duck into the hole" and allow the regular train to pass.

We follow the Des Moines River.  The bridge ahead is at Fraser, the endpoint of our trip.

The broken rail is on the highway crossing ahead, so we stop here.

I strongly recommend you take a ride on this beautiful tourist line.  A ticket costs $20 and includes the $8 admission to the Iowa Railroad Museum next door to the station.  I'll do it again, but I'll pick a warmer day!!!

Kaw River RR

On October 25, 2013, while attending the Lexington Group meeting in Kansas City, I took a ride on a Yaw River Railroad, the ride arranged by friend Barry Karlberg.  The Kaw River RR is a WATCO property and the train I will be riding is a transfer run from the Kaw River RR yard to the Norfolk Southern yard.  The Kaw River runs on former Kansas City Terminal trackage and connects with the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Union Pacific, the BNSF, the Kansas City Southern (KCS), and the Canadian Pacific.  Our power today is the set of affectionately-named "Yellow Bananas."  They are GP35Rs, meaning they have been rebuilt to GP38 specs.  Our engineer is Laurie, a 13-year vet and our conductor is Aaron, a 9-year veteran of the Kaw River RR.  Here are our engines:

And here's a shot of them paired, taken from the 'net:

We're ready to leave with 21 loads and 9 empties.

We get clearance as far as the BNSF main and are off.

We will take the right leg of the wye as a Union Pacific train passes overhead.

We go under the UP train as we cross the Kaw River.

We have a red signal as a long BNSF manifest heads west into the mammoth Argentine rail yard.

Above the UP train is the BNSF "Flyover," another mainline track leading to the Argentine yard and relieving pressure on the other mains.  Too bad a train wasn't on the flyover at this time or I would have had a 3-level "triple shot"!!!

We get clearance and head out onto the BNSF main. 
 You know you are in Kansas City when . .

The above pix are from a large stock sale or show at Kemper Arena.  This is the site of the former large KC stockyards.  Continuing on our way . . .

We head uphill to the right as a UP coal drag passes by on its mainline.

Almost to the top of the hill, on a curve, we encounter a red signal and have to stop.

It's a tough pull to get this heavy train started again.

We will be crossing the Missouri River on a beautiful bridge.

We pass the KC downtown airport.

And head into the Norfolk Southern's yard.

There's a training session going on and the trainees are practicing getting on and off a moving engine.

It's a long ways to where we leave our train.

I was surprised to see how few railcars there were in the NS yard.  Laura said their business hasn't rebounded from the recession.  Kansas City is the western terminus of the Norfolk Southern Railroad.  The big box cars are for the Ford plant and the major business here for the NS.

Thanks much to Barry, Laura, and Aaron for a fun cab ride and learning a little about Kansas City railroading!!!