Nostalgia & History > A reminder of the Q,O&KC Railroad exists

The name of the old Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railroad, which was commonly known at "The OK Railroad," still exists in Smithville, Mo., north of Kansas City, Mo. The name is on a caboose in Heritage Park in the center of Smithville.

Only thing I know about the QO&KC line is that it was established in 1897 and was eventually consumed by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. The last train on The OK Railroad operated through Smithville on Aug. 27, 1939.

I think this caboose is nowhere close to a replica of a QO&KC railroad caboose. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that this caboose is a retired former Missouri Pacific Railroad model and is certainly newer than those built before 1939. MP initials are on the trucks. Townspeople evidently wanted to preserve the Quincy, Omaha & KC Railroad name and decided to acquire and repaint a former MoPac caboose and add the QO&KC Railroad name, plus a logo.

Attached are pictures I snapped today while visiting Smithville.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/14 19:39 by JoCoLB.

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Three more pictures from Heritage Park in Smithville, Mo.

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I wish I knew what year the caboose was actually moved into the park. I somewhat remember taking a picture of it 20-plus years ago when it still had a Missouri Pacific decal on the side. I wondered then why a MoPac caboose was sitting in Smithville, Mo., since the MoPac never did have a route through the town.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/14 19:40 by JoCoLB.

It might be interesting to know if any documentation exists on what 'old number 3' really looked like.