Steam & Excursion > Narrow gauge mystery in Sharon Springs, Kansas

Those TO members who will be chasing 4014 later this week (Friday-Saturday, Nov 22-23) might want to solve a mystery of a narrow gauge track that I glimpsed in Sharon Springs, Kansas in 2012.

The track briefy runs (ran) parrallel to Carrie Avenue (the old US 40 route) in the southwest part of the town. I was in a hurry, and only had time to get out of the car and look at the track for a few seconds, enough to see its gauge was something like two feet or less and that the rails showed evidence of recent use.
 
So, is the track still in operation?  And what is (was) its function?  Maybe this isn't a mystery at all and some TO member already knows all about this track.

Thanks in advance for an answer. 

There's a small gauge loop at the Fairgrounds, might be what you saw.

Out

LTCerny, were the rails of heavier cross-section like 70 lb. or higher?  
I recall in the early 60's the Rock Island in Hutchinson, KS had a short service track about 50' to the north of the depot's backside.  It was a narrow gauge similar to what you describe and it served for a small short wheelbase flat car with Fairmont section car wheels that carried supplies for repairing railroad cars on a parallel track just north of this track.  I don't recall the east-west length but am thinking it served for 4 or 5 40' wood boxcars.

It was just a brief glance, but the rail seemed much lighter than 70 lb/yd.

Google satellite view clearly shows the loop as being part of the fair grounds, including the shed that houses whatever runs on it.  The street view also shows the track and the shed in some detail.  So in my mind the question now is what runs on it.

JBWX

Thanks for the info.  The Google street view on Ramon Street with all the side-of-road alignment surely shows the track getting quite a distance from the fairgrounds amusement area.

If you google Wallace County, KS Amusement Association, thee is a picture of the train. Homebuilt.