Western Railroad Discussion > Heavyweight car out on the highway, near Ottawa, KS ?

This evening I was coming home from Ottawa, Ks travelling north on the newly opened 59 Hwy. On the southbound side, north of Ottawa at a rest area, I noticed an 18 wheeler pulled over, probably tied up for Hours of Service. The truck was hauling a big old heavyweight passenger car painted red with a silver roof. Another trailer was loaded with a pair of six wheel passenger car trucks. I didn't go back for a closer look, and only had a chance to glance over at it, but it looked like an intersting move. Anyone else see it, know where it came from, or where it is going?

Dennis, check this page out.

https://www.facebook.com/KansasBelleDinnerTrain?ref=ts&fref=ts

It is the relocated Fremont Dinner train. The have to do the transfer back to rail at the quarry located north of Ottawa.

That looks like it. Might be worth a trip over there to watch them unload it.

Posted from Android

They unload inside the quarry. There isn't any public access unfortunately. They intended to unload in Baldwin City, but there wasn't enough room to get the truck and crane in good enough position to do the transfer.

Is it going to run from Baldwin City to Ottawa? That doesn't look like it is very far.

Answered my own question, and make sure you read the comments after the article. It would be interesting to get some perspective from local TO members.

http://signal.baldwincity.com/news/2012/oct/18/dinner-train-move-baldwin-city-planned-next-week/

They do have a nice little depot in Baldwin City.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/12 00:58 by poffcapt.

poffcapt Wrote:
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> It would be
> interesting to get some perspective from local TO
> members.
>

If you notice, it is only 2 commenters that are being vocal. Many residents have been ver vocal against the Midland Railway since its inception. The same ones are the ones that still complain. 25 years later, the railroad is doing quite well having brought quite a bit of business to this little town like school trps, Boy Scout camps, Day out with Thomas, haunted Halloween trains and now a dinner train.

I am interested in where they are going to stop in Ottawa. It almost looks like the line is cut off from the main line when viewed on Google. Did there used to be a crossover that brought the Midland down in front of the Ottawa Depot Museum? It also looks like there aren't any tracks in front of the Ottawa depot anymore. Is the main line UP or BNSF?

Thanks.

The line originally went all the way to Tulsa. Many years ago, well before the Midland Railway got the railroad, the diamond was removed. We do have a small gravel platform just north of the interchange with the BNSF. There is no need or point though in disembarking from the train at Ottawa. The dinner train will depart and arrive from the depot in Baldwin City.

As for the depot museum in Ottawa, there hasn't been active tracks in front of there for over a decade.

There's still a connection to the BNSF at Ottawa, though right?

switchlock Wrote:
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> There's still a connection to the BNSF at Ottawa,
> though right?


Yes there is.

The complainers mentioned above sound like the sort of cranky NIMBYs who are found all over America. Whether it's the whiners in South Pasadena CA wanting to restrict the Metro Gold Line light rail trains to 20 mph, or the "sour grapes" people in the Napa Valley who campaigned against the Wine Train, there always seem to be a few "nattering nabobs of negativism" who can't stand the idea of something new and different (or even old and nostalgic) in their narrow little lives. One wants to tell these bellyachers, "The world doesn't revolve around you. Shut up and grow up!"