Western Railroad Discussion > Another set of eyes on developing BNSF's new KCIMF

On the heels of a post yesterday by Lee_in_KC about assembly starting on one of the five large cranes in the developing BNSF Railway's new Kansas City Intermodal Facility in Edgerton, KS, I decided to circle the area today for additional photos, plus checking out the action on the adjacent BNSF transcon route. As Lee stated, a September 2013 opening of the intermodal center is projected at this point.

Pictures 1,2 & 3 are looking west toward the crane construction area on the west side of Waverly Road.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/13 19:52 by thtinc41ed.

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Picture Four shows some the intermodal yard area where track construction is underway.

Picture Five is looking west toward a new bridge that will serve the west entrance of the intermodal yard. This viw is from just east of Four Corners Road and West 191st Street.

Picture Six shows a loaded rail train tied down a short distance east of the 199th Street crossing on the transcon. The rail train will be backed into the intermodal complex in coming days.

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Picture Seven is a view from old Main Two, looking southwest toward the area of the crane construction area. A new track base has already been put down to handle the second of two lead tracks on the east end of the intermodal complex.

Picture Eight shows some of the switch work that has been completed anext to Waverly Road on the lead tracks.

Picture Nine shows the old Main Two at the left in adjacent Gardner, KS, along with the new base for another track that is yet to be constructed as part of the two east leads. The train in the picture is a westbounder that was passing through Gardner without rear-end power.

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Now, for some train action...

Pictures 10, 11 & 12 show an eastbound BNSF stack train at the former 183rd Street crossing that is now permanently closed due to the intermodal center. Most of the cargo was JB Hunt containers.

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Picture 13 shows the area next to the rail train that was tied down. In the distance at right is the well-known Mildale Farms event center. A large earthen berm was constructed in front of the event center and then topped with a special sound barrier fence to reduce train noise during activties at the center.

Pictures 14 & 15 shows an eastbound stack train approaching the parked rail train and Mildale Farms area. pIcture 14 was taken at the 199th Street grade crossing.

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Photos 16 & 17 show a westbound piggyback train in the vicinity of the South Poplar Drive grade crossing in Gardner, next to the entrance of the Gardner Cemetery. There were four units of power, with the rear two units belonging to the Union Pacific Railroad.

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I finished off my area drive by catching these three pictures of a westbound NS RoadRailer at the 199th Street grade crossing.

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I forgot to mention that the afternoon temperatures were in the upper 60s almost all afternoon but the clouds kept rolling through, reducing the quality of several of the photos. Guess you can't have everything to go along with all of the various sights.

Why does BNSF needs another New Yard Kansas City Area, don't they have too many now?

railcity Wrote:
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> Why does BNSF needs another New Yard Kansas City
> Area, don't they have too many now?

Correct me if I am wrong, BNSF only has two yards in Kansas City. Argentine Yard on the Kansas side and Murray Yard on the Missouri side.

John Crisanti
Longmont, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/13 17:01 by FrontRangeTrains.

And those two yards are designed to handle carload business and through train inspections. KCIMF is an intermodal yard. The existing intermodal yard in Kansas City is too small and has little room for expansion, not only for lift capacity, but new warehousing facilities that adjoin intermodal facilities.

FrontRangeTrains Wrote:
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> railcity Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why does BNSF needs another New Yard Kansas
> City
> > Area, don't they have too many now?
>
> Correct me if I am wrong, BNSF only has two yards
> in Kansas City. Argentine Yard on the Kansas side
> and Murray Yard on the Missouri side.

railcity Wrote:
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> Why does BNSF needs another New Yard Kansas City
> Area, don't they have too many now?

The existing intermodal facility at Turner (Argentine Yard) really has no room for expansion, thus the new KCIMF being built out at Edgerton.

Posted from iPhone

You're correct about the two yards in Kansas City. But the goal is to reduce congestion in KC facilities and building a state-of-the yard intermodal center in a "rural area" allows expansion in the future. Another big factor is that there will eventually be dozens of new warehouses in the vicinity of Edgerton, creating much more container business for BNSF. Grain companies are using containers more and more for the shipment of grain. One grain firm will be one of the first new businesses locating adjacent to the new KC Intermodal Facility at Edgerton.

Larry,
Good pics and report. Keep the crane pics. coming. What brand of erecting cranes are they? upkpfan

Woof! Woof! Good stuff!!

Track laying work should begin this week as the TLM (Track Laying Machine) was tied up at the Olathe Yard when I came through yesterday!!!!

upkpfan Wrote:
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> Larry,
> Good pics and report. Keep the crane pics. coming.
> What brand of erecting cranes are they? upkpfan

The red crane is a Manitowoc "Vicon" crane. Impressive machine! Can't really make out the darker crane. Sorry.

Bob Callahan
Monticello, IN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/13 20:26 by rcall31060.

I to saw this piggyback flying through Ottawa. What would be the train symbol for that all piggy back two bnsf two up engine westbound z train? Thank you

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