Nostalgia & History > Toto Tuesday: Once upon a time in Emporia

I’m looking west from the passenger platform out in front of the red brick-trimmed in native Kansas limestone, 2-story Santa Fe depot in Emporia. The wire office/road crew on-off duty point was tucked into its ground-level western end, with the Eastern Division Chief Dispatcher & TCS control panel is right next to it. Santa Fe used its own term “TCS”, or Traffic Control System for many years. The conversion to CTC came in 1983(?) by adopting the unified General Code of Operating Rules. The Amtrak ticket office & baggage room took up the remainder of the ground level space. The upper floor of this gorgeous building also served as Eastern Division HQ.

Those of you who spent time railfanning in Emporia =when it was still Emporia= already know. But for the unfortunate railfans of later generations who missed out: Emporia was the quintessential railfanning terminal plain & simple! There was activity 24/7/365. Round-the-clock depot crew changes between Eastern & Middle Division road crews. Multiple switch engine jobs also round-the-clock. Separate eastbound & westbound classification yards. A fully functional roundhouse 24/7 and a complete mechanical force (carmen) 24/7. Even into the 1980s there were four different local trains that called Emporia ‘home base'.

One could say my image below was caught at a most opportune moment. And on the surface this would be correct. But again, those who knew Emporia in its prime will tell you a scene like this wasn’t uncommon at all. Of the 6 tracks passing in front of the passenger depot, 5 are in use in this image. From left to right: On the eastbound freight lead an Argentine-bound manifest is departing. Next to it the westbound freight yard lead is vacant. A switch engine sits idle on 4 track, its crew on some break. The crew aboard AT&SF 5064 on 3 track right in front of my telephoto lens is just about to back onto their train. ‘Yard Track 3’ was (still is) a pseudo-main track running parallel to the 2 regular main tracks the entire length of the yard between NR Jct on the east edge of town & Merrick on the west. Trains in both directions regularly had cut & fill work performed on them while on 3 track. On the Eastbound Main an unknown train appears to be about ready to leave town, while on the Westbound Main a manifest has just changed head end crews at the depot next to me, and is pulling down for a rolling waycar crew change.

Just another typical scene in Emporia, once upon a time. (Sigh………)

1. AT&SF 5064 sits amidst much other activity in Emporia, KS on October 16, 1979.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/22 02:57 by santafe199.

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Boy, it don't look like that today, that's for sure.  Nice one, Lance, thanks for posting.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Used to be fan friendly too. Daylight operator who used to lay out line-ups for fans and gladly hand you a employee's timetable upon request. Friendly managers who's only request that you stay out of the way. Want to go the roundhouse for pictures, the Secretary to Supt would give you a release to sign; otherwise you would have to deal with a foreman who might or might not let you.   Not to worry, most of the engines were out west of the round house where they could be easily photographed  with out attracting too much attention.  Today it all gone, and its not fan friendly anymore.

Love these kinds of shots showing the way it was in the good old days.
JB

Wonder if anyone got any shots of 1522 and train at Emporia in '96 when we did the round trip from Topeka?  That was a fun trip.

Frisco1522 Wrote: > ...Wonder if anyone got any shots of 1522 and train at Emporia...
Don I have a 1522 image in my collection that TO member "sneebly" posted some time back. It was taken from the K-177 overpass near Chelsea at the bottom end of the Flint Hills. You might contact him and see what else he might have or know about. I'm sure the 1522's pass through Emporia was recorded by somebody...

Lance/199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/16 10:19 by santafe199.

Wow a classic shot!  

Great times. There's so many people from that era I think about now and then. Does any remember Irma Lee the daylight operator. Some days it seemed the railroad couldn't run without her. Great photo.

I remember Irma Lee.  She was always friendly and helpful to everyone.  Never did see her in a bad mood.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> Wonder if anyone got any shots of 1522 and train
> at Emporia in '96 when we did the round trip from
> Topeka?  That was a fun trip.
I didn't get many Don, but here's one of you leaving Emporia for the trip back to Topeka. One of me at Emporia, and one with the crew back in Topeka, after we put the train away.

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Dennis, is that Rod Riley in the overalls?  Also the fellow to his left reminds me of the brakeman that was giving a roll-by at Gladstone in Lance's post the other day and you both were attempting to think of his name.  I personally don't think I know him.
 

KskidinTx Wrote:
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> Dennis, is that Rod Riley in the overalls?  Also
> the fellow to his left reminds me of the brakeman
> that was giving a roll-by at Gladstone in Lance's
> post the other day and you both were attempting to
> think of his name.  I personally don't think I
> know him.
>  
Kermit Grother is on the left in the white hat, He was an Eastern Div. brakeman, retired, still farms north of Americus, That is Rod next to him, he was the Conductor, he died a couple of years ago, I don't memember who the other fellow is standing next to me, he helped out, but was from another department, or possibly from the UP. Sometimes a few UP trainmen came out to help with the RR Days excursions.

This might be Bob St. John,  wag216

KskidinTx Wrote:
  Never did see her in a bad mood.
She had her moments. If she was out of patience, everybody knew it, and stayed away. Like the old cartoon about the frazzled looking clerk, captioned... "I've just got one nerve left...AND YOU'RE ON IT!"

I agree, I tried to stay on good terms with her. All in all  she was a sweetheart.

Only Kermit could make Rod look small. Ha Ha

railboomer Wrote:
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> Only Kermit could make Rod look small. Ha Ha
When Kermit was on the St. Joe local, they stayed at the Ramada Inn, which had a Chinese buffet. Kermit would come in there starved, and eat until he wasn't. After several repeat preformances, the manager began watching him, and when HE had had enough, he would come over and say "You go now, you eat too much".