Western Railroad Discussion > Uncle Cyrus is turning in his grave!

Our RR history books instruct us that Topeka, Kansas was the birthplace of a very humble, but forward-looking little railroad called the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Those same history lessons also teach us that the Santa Fe became one of the classiest railroad passenger carriers on the planet! Along with that all-pervading class came a deep sense of visual pride.

My how the times have changed. Today, how a RR property appears in the public eye has no more effect on corporate profit & loss statements than does the man in the moon. And harsh though it is, we as railfans all understand this hard fact of economic reality. But gee-whiz!!!! I sure don’t think the visual legacy below is what Cyrus Holliday had in mind when he cast brave eyes toward Chicago & the Gulf of Mexico & the California West Coast…

1. 2. & 3. Overgrown weedy platform scene around the old Santa Fe passenger depot in Topeka, KS. Current owner: BNSF, with space leased to Amtrak.
(3 photos taken August 12, 2016)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/16 17:16 by santafe199.

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And I don’t imagine former Santa Fe skipper John Reed is any too happy, either……

4. 5. & 6. BNSF business car #8, the “John S Reed” sits behind those same weeds among other cars in the yard in Topeka, KS.
(3 photos taken August 27, 2016)

Can I borrow a swing scythe?!!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/16 17:18 by santafe199.

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Well the surviving ATSF cantilever signal is a good sign...

 Whatever class the Santa Fe had and  and John S. Reed and his predecessor's  had  maintained  through out the years has long since  departed.

Someone sure forgot to run the weed sprayer thru there this season.

Dang it, somebody put fertilizer in the weed sprayer again.

They will get around to it.
I still have enough ass to sit on even after several attempts by senior SP officers to chew it off over worse weeds than that.
 

Clean matching local power.

Good looking passenger cars.

CWR mainline.

Weeds grow in the summer.......really nothing wrong here that a pass with the weed sprayer couldn't fix.  BSB

 

BigSkyBlue Wrote: > ... nothing wrong here that a pass with the weed sprayer couldn't fix ...
The whole point of my thread is that back in Santa Fe days the this scene would NEVER have arisen in the first place...

Lance/199

santafe199 Wrote:
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> BigSkyBlue Wrote: > ... nothing wrong here that a
> pass with the weed sprayer couldn't fix ...
> The whole point of my thread is that back in Santa
> Fe days the this scene would NEVER have arisen in
> the first place...
>
> Lance/199

Ever so TRUE!!

Larry

Much of it is Horseweed(Marestail).  I have pulled most of it adjacent to the depot doors and waiting room.
It should have been sprayed earlier in the Spring.  If they had repaired or rebuilt the outside platform instead
of just spreading gravel we wouldn't have this problem.They had a back hoe out a couple of weeks ago. 
Why they didn't just have him scrape them all down is beyond me.

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BigSkyBlue Wrote: > ... nothing wrong here that a
> pass with the weed sprayer couldn't fix ...
> The whole point of my thread is that back in Santa
> Fe days the this scene would NEVER have arisen in
> the first place...
>
> Lance/199
And when they finally decide to run the weed sprayer, they'll have 6' tall dead weeds to deal with. May as well wait for cold weather to kill them off now.

ddg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> santafe199 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BigSkyBlue Wrote: > ... nothing wrong here that
> a
> > pass with the weed sprayer couldn't fix ...
> > The whole point of my thread is that back in
> Santa
> > Fe days the this scene would NEVER have arisen
> in
> > the first place...
> >
> > Lance/199
> And when they finally decide to run the weed
> sprayer, they'll have 6' tall dead weeds to deal
> with. May as well wait for cold weather to kill
> them off now.
​BINGO!!, Double D! They wait until they get as high as your head  (not that long in my case) and then kill  'em so it's like out bustin' through the back brush. 

I began my Amtrak career starting at the Topeka Station as the baggage man in June of 1973.  I am about to retire form the railroad in California after 40+ years, but I will always remember the Santa Fe and Amtrak staff who assisted me there when I was 18 years old and the terrific Topeka Station where I worked for that summer.

​I recall the night train 15 (former Texas Chief) rolled in with new SDP-40Fs in place of Santa Fe F units and I recall being very disappointed seeing the change of motive power. Seems like yesterday.

Thanks for sharing the photos.

Someone said there was no budget for a weed sprayer this year other than on the transcon main. They want us to SIRP any problem areas and then they'll "take care of it". The Topeka extraboards are abolished on Sept 15th also, just leaving the two locals and daylight yard job in Topeka. The Kansas City extraboards will cover all vacancies in Topeka after then.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/16 21:04 by Milw_E70.