Western Railroad Discussion > Menoken follow up, and then some!

Moving forward from yesterday’s “…road to Denver” thread, WHO knew I would get another chance the very next day? The weather was the same unpredictable cloudy overcast, and the lateness of the afternoon forced me to go as high as 1600 with the ISO. But I think you’ll agree I got another series of shots with a bit more interesting action…

I had shot the westbound UP 8808 stacker at Grantville on the east side of Topeka and chased it into town, thinking it was heading down toward Herington. But when it rolled right past the Great Overland Station at speed, failing to make the slow left hand turn onto the GSR, I knew I had to haul buns out to Menoken. Earlier during the sunlit part of the day I had chased the eastbound SITP out of Manhattan. But it hit a brick wall at St Marys. The train was being held out of Topeka yard because they “weren’t ready for it yet”. And the out & back TPTP local was somewhere west of it. So now, tearing through NW Topeka on US hwy 24 I hatched a plan. I would take the off ramp at Menoken Rd which would give me a line-of-sight peek to see if the SITP was sitting on the KP, waiting to get into town. If not, I could run up & out to the NW 25th St crossing for some kind of pseudo-sunset silhouette shots.

Not seeing anything on the KP I committed myself to the NW 25th St crossing. But when I took a second look from NW 25th, the SITP was sitting there after all. Only the train had stopped back of the home signal by about 10 car lengths, making it impossible to see it from the off ramp. I was already at the crossing, so I got the shots. Not to worry: I had a “plan B” all cooked up…

1. In a “normal” 50mm view I panned the UP 8808-led stacker into the crossing and immediately raced back around 3 sides of the rectangle to the US 24 overpass shot I wanted in the first place. I was counting on this train being one of Uncle Pete’s patented 2+ mile-long monsters (it was)…

2. … With NO penalty moving violations garnered I managed to arrive at and have another “automotive breakdown” at the same exact spot as yesterday. At medium telephoto 100mm UP 3000 sits patiently on the KP main line, watching an unknown mid-train DP unit rolling up the Kansas Sub main line. Now take a closer look: way back there is the headlight of the TPTP local, bringing up the rear of this 3-way meet.

3. In this 56mm view that DP unit is about to cross the NW 25th St crossing where I shot image #1. From that crossing to this photographic vista was over a mile of high speed motivation. Note: the hogger on the TPTP local decided to dim his headlight.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/21 11:18 by santafe199.

---

---

---

One more?? Sure, why stop now… :^)

4. While UP 8808 has already passed into another area code, its FRED is finally clearing the Menoken plant. I didn’t stick around to see the SITP & the TPTP roll on into town. It was already past suppertime, so I readjusted my D7100 downward from the lofty 1600 ISO and proceeded along US 24 west for home…
(4 photos taken at Menoken in west Topeka, KS on February 27, 2021)

Thanks for the second chance!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/21 11:23 by santafe199.

---

These are great!  Should we label it a "coincidence" when you have shown as much dedication as you have?  Love the reference to another area code, but sorry about the repeated mechanical problems.  :-)

Nice essay on a spot I was not previously familiar with!

Andy

It's like the "Menoken Triangle" out there! another day another sudden breakdown. At least you don't disappear into the Kansas farmland like so many aircraft and water craft did into the Atlantic in another famous triangle.
Nice work!
Go

Gonut1 Wrote: > ...  "Menoken Triangle" ...

...and it's amazing how quickly repairs can be performed!

;^)

Nice shots all, Lance!

RC Lundgren

Ah officer, the red light came on.  I thought it was the trunk, but stupid me,it was my door.  Train? What train?
john

SeaboardMan Wrote: > ...  Ah officer  ...............

(snickering!) I'll write that one down! I try not to breakdown very often!
But when I do............ (heh heh)

Lance/199

I used to drive an Interstate evryday to work and I could look off a bridge and see a short line's orange switcher working a paper recycling facility. I had tried to catch it from ground level but it wasn't possible. There was no access and it was around a bend behind trees, and this was way before drones.
So one day on a clear sunny morning my car just rolled to a stop on the shoulder right at the bridge! A quick hop out to see what happened and a quick shot made of the switcher, I got back in and was ready to go. Ooops, I didn't think this through too thoroughly. I was on a blind curve, in a low slung compact car, where the Armco barrier hid oncoming traffic and there was a nearly steady stream as this was an urban area. I couldn't just pull out so I did the next best thing, d built speed on the shoulder until the highway straigtened out and I could see to make a merge. I think I was just afraid if getting a flat from all the debris on the shouldr as I was from getting hit by the traffic during this 1/4 mile dash.
I did get the picture. The only silver lining in the cloud was on another day, my K-1000 returned from the repair shop. I took a cruise at lunch to try it out. I caught the switcher at the Conrail Interchange and then the crew stopped for beans. A nice little photo shoot by the Italian sandwich shop.
A few years later they stopped shipping by rail. The shortline pulled up the tracks and scrapped the switcher on the spot as it had friction bearings.
Gonut

Very cool Junction shots!!

Larry

Love these, thanks for posting, great catch!

Great catches and shots.  Around 1970ish when Salina crews started interdivisional runs to KC, many times they could run Salina to Menoken in 3' or less, then spend as much time setting at Menoken waiting to get a slot for the final run to KC.  As time went on and these trains became more usual, operations ran much smoother.
Brian Stevens