Western Railroad Discussion > Revisiting Cicero (pt #1)

Last month I was going to be in Wichita for the monthly NRHS chapter meeting. So that was all the excuse I needed to make a day of it chasing my camera around. I had been wanting to explore the ‘other’ end of the former Santa Fe mainline I used to run over. Since returning to Kansas in 2010 I hadn’t yet done any real shooting on the double mains between Mulvane & Wellington, KS on what is now called the transcon. In my Middle Division days (’78 ~ ’87) we just called it the 4th District.

Of particular interest to me is the location named “Cicero”. This is now just a crossover plant between the same two points named above. But back in my working days Cicero was the place where the single track 4th District split into 2 main tracks for the final few miles into Wellington. And the power switch at Cicero was very unique. It was an ‘equilateral’ turnout which was good for 70 MPH running. It didn’t matter which direction I was traveling, I always got a thrill rolling through this turnout at speed!

In my re-introduction to the area I bagged several trains. I also re-acquired an overpass location I had totally forgotten about. I got my shots from the ground at Cicero, and I also made my first extended use of this overpass for some general shooting. Follow along in my captions:

1. & 2. It’s mid-morning and BNSF 7414 is my first customer of the day with a westbound manifest from the E 50th Ave. overpass. Here’s the oddball consist: BNSF 7414, BNSF (BN paint) 1472, NS 2618 & CSXT 7619. That's the Kansas Turnpike in the right-hand background in #1 and the Seneca Rd crossing back there in #2.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/14 09:05 by santafe199.

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3. I could hear the Cicero crossovers calling me from the overpass so I ‘boogied on down’. BNSF 7892 makes a sneaky appearance under my former spot and…

4. …proceeds to cross over from main #2 to main #1. The stacker will obviously be in position to swing to the north (still TT east) at Mulvane and proceed up through Wichita & Newton, then on east to Ellinor in BNSF’s directional running scheme of things.

5. BNSF 6667 is the DP unit for the 7892, bringing up the rear at the N Broadway Road crossing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/14 09:07 by santafe199.

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Yup, certainly not the Cicero I was thinking of, which is at the east end of the BN near Chicago. Great consist though.

- Jeff

6. & 7. Being the ever-incurable ‘hit & run’ artist I went back to the 50th Ave overpass for another round of shooting. BNSF 7393 obliged me with another eastbound stacker.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/14 09:09 by santafe199.

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8. & 9. BNSF 6750 brings up the rear end as this train also crosses over at Cicero. A westbound stacker waits on main #2.

10. BNSF 7874 now has clear sailing into Wellington on main #2.

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11. It’s now after lunch time and my railfan tummy is growling. I head back to the Broadway Road crossing for 2 more trains. Here comes BNSF 5472 with an eastbound unit hopper train already on main #1. I could hear another horn from the east and I really thought I would get lucky and catch an image for Monday Meets, but…

12. …BNSF 1636 was just a tad bit late to the party. It was a distinct pleasure to see familiar colors on a familiar face in my old Santa Fe stomping grounds. (Sorry, I wasn’t able to record this oddball consist.) It’s onward now to Mulvane to find some grub…

We will see the 5472 (from #11) again at Mulvane, but you’ll just have to stay tuned for part #2…
(12 photos taken at or near Cicero, KS on June 20, 2014)

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/14 09:12 by santafe199.

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Excellent! I'm with Jeff, my first thought was when in the heck did you venture up to Chicago-land! ;-P Good stuff!

Really great photos Lance. Like Jeff & Luke I instantly thought of Illinos.


Ronda Thomas

Lance, I'm sure you remember "Old" Cicero, (2006) the way it looked before they put in the other main. (I almost said "Double" track)

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ddg Wrote:
> Lance, I'm sure you remember "Old" Cicero...

OH YEAH! I thought I had shot this scene at least once in my 9 years running up & down this mainline, but no such intelligence was to be exhibited...
Thanks for posting this shot. It will go right into my "ATSF Misc scenes" file!

Lance

SUPER pics!!! Thanks for sharing.

Nice pics man!

Lance great shots. Like the other shot of old Cicero. It was always fun to take that switch at 70. Did not like it when the FRA put it down to 65. That cost a lot of fuel for that 5 mph change and time over the years until two main tracks were installed.

Jim Wilson

It wasn't often you could hit it at 70 westbound, but you sure could going east. The 5900's didn't like it either way. Top heavy as they were, they bottom out to the right, then recovered just in time to bottom out to the left.

Great bunch.
JB

ddg Wrote:
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> It wasn't often you could hit it at 70 westbound,
> but you sure could going east. The 5900's didn't
> like it either way. Top heavy as they were, they
> bottom out to the right, then recovered just in
> time to bottom out to the left.

What were 5900s?

Copy19 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ddg Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It wasn't often you could hit it at 70
> westbound,
> > but you sure could going east. The 5900's
> didn't
> > like it either way. Top heavy as they were,
> they
> > bottom out to the right, then recovered just in
> > time to bottom out to the left.
>
> What were 5900s?

If he's talking about Santa Fe engines, they would be the
F45's and FP45's.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA