Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Lines Ellinor-Wellington (KS)

I just noticed that the Emporia Sub. (via Augusta) appears to be the main line and that there is a parallel Newton Sub/ Arkansas City Sub. (via Wichita) that is about seven miles longer.  The San Francisco Chief along with trains 3 and 4 (believe they were mail trains) used to operate via Wichita.
Is the line via Wichita still used as part of the transcon, or is it used only to get to/from Oklahoma and Texas?
Do the trains on this line still pass thru Wichita Union Station, and it the building still standing?
Thanks!
Andy

Santafe199 will give you the best answer but what I’ve noticed is the Emporia is used for Wb and any hot EB moves. All other EB go via Newton.
The Emporia is be actively double tracked so that may change some in the future with more EB taking the shortcut.

Posted from iPhone

Wichita's Union Station is still standing and has been renovated for various business uses. However, it is no longer used as a train station as Amtrak no longer has a train that moves through Wichita. 

The only significant section of the Transcon without double track is from El Dorado to Ellinor on the Emporia Sub. However, much of that gap has been filled in the last 18 months. Unless it is faulty sampling, I believe I am seeing more eastbounds on the Emporia sub rather than through Wichita. 

P.S. I live in Wichita. 

 

howeld Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Santafe199 will give you the best answer but what
> I’ve noticed is the Emporia is used for Wb and
> any hot EB moves. All other EB go via Newton.
>
> The Emporia is be actively double tracked so that
> may change some in the future with more EB taking
> the shortcut.
>
> Posted from iPhone
As of 10/10/20, the second main track project on the Emporia Sub  is finished as far as  the east end of Aikman . No changes from Cassoday at least as far east as Bazaar, KS that I saw . Much more work to come, however. A huge hill of rock fill material is being accumulated near the BNSF overpass over K 177 south of Matfield Green likely to be used for all the rock fill work from K-177 east through Matfield and on eastward a couple of miles. . BNSF freights still race through here as before. I saw WB and EB priority trains , even though many EB trains are routed through Wichita past the Wichita Transportation Museum (check it out.) to Newton . 
Now is the time to look at this area and shoot trains before the second main track project changes this unique area of Kansas in 2011.

BNSF routinely uses the Wichita line for directional running fleeting trains so they don't have to have meets, and, direction can be either way.
JB

howeld Wrote: > ... Emporia is used for WB and >>SOME<< hot EB moves. All other EB (trains) go via Newton ...

With one minor correction, in a nutshell this is indeed the current method of operation. And although in the RR industry one learns to never say "never", the route through Wichita & Newton has been used exclusively by EB transcon traffic. In my 10 years back home in Kansas I've never seen any WB transcon trains running via Wichita in directional running. The exception being in times of derailments or other emergency-related conditions. Some of the hotter EB "Z" trains will run the traditional route via Mulvane ~ Augusta ~ Flint Hills ~ Ellinor. Althought the mileage difference is minimal, the average running time will routinely be over an hour longer via the Mulvane ~ Wichita ~ Newton ~ Ellinor corridor. 

As 'UP951West' described, changes have been made on the Emporia Sub as far east as the former Aikman siding. More major changes to come, with total DT project completion targeted for some time in 2023. And as 'MSE' stated Wichita Union Terminal still stands, but hasn't seen regular Amtrak service since 1979. I will add that trains passing through Wichita never passed through WUT. The main tracks through town have physically passed by just west of WUT for eons. Passenger trains accessing WUT had their own platform tracks splitting from the main tracks at both ends. One final thought: I have NO idea what 'rgzfan' was trying to convey with his gobble-de-gook. Best thing there is to just pass right on by it...

Lance/199

santafe199 Wrote:
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> One final thought: I have NO idea what
> 'rgzfan' was trying to convey with his
> gobble-de-gook. Best thing there is to just pass
> right on by it...
>
> Lance/199

===================================================================================
Yeah, it's been edited twice and I still can't figure it out!!  

Looking at the 1966 timetable

http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/zukasETT/1966-04-24ATSF_Middle14-TimZukas.pdf

running via Newton looks to be 21 miles longer than the direct route.

Last week they were running almost everything via El Dorado account bridge windows on both the Ark City and La Junta Subs. In the rare event WB traffic is severely lacking, they will run a good amount of EBs the short way via El Dorado. They intend on keeping slower, lower priority traffic running via Newton once the Emporia Sub 2MT project is done by 2023.

Rathole Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> santafe199 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > One final thought: I have NO idea what
> > 'rgzfan' was trying to convey with his
> > gobble-de-gook. Best thing there is to just
> pass
> > right on by it...
> >
> > Lance/199
>
> ==================================================
> =================================
> Yeah, it's been edited twice and I still can't
> figure it out!!  

It’s a quote from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Posted from iPhone