Nostalgia & History > How things were on the ATSF/BNSF at Neva, KS

There was never a town as such but there formerly was a railroad junction about 5 miles west of Strong City, KS, on the La Junta Sub of the ATSF/BNSF. The junction was called Neva and once boasted a control tower.

The accompanying black and white picture shows the Neva tower on June 25, 1925.

The additional photos were taken on Sept. 27, 1992.

Color photo No. 1 is looking to the west where the switch existed on the south end of the Strong City Sub. --- a line that extended to Superior, Neb. In the far background (behind the signal post) can be seen a semi-trailer truck on nearby U.S. 50 highway.

Color photo No. 2 shows the branch line track as it curves to the northwest. Note that a station sign still existed but the tower was long gone.

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My final color picture is looking east toward Strong City. The main line track at the right carries the Southwest Chief twice a day. First Amtrak stop west from this stop is Newton. The closest stop to the east is Topeka.

Track between Neva and Lost Springs was ripped out in 2006.

The Strong City Sub still exists between Lost Springs, KS, and Superior, however. BNSF rains operate over the Union Pacific between Lost Springs and Peabody, while making runs between Newton and Superior.

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Thanks for posting that, I've never seen a photo of Neva tower before. I have seen some photos of the Walter Anderson collection around Emporia. I think he was a Carman there back in the day, and took a lot of pictures. Whatever happened to his collection? By the way, in that 2nd photo, it looks like a person standing on the track. There used to be a wye behind him back in the tree line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/10 19:48 by ddg.

Answer to Question One: I think the Andersen photo collection was donated to the Lyon County Museum in Emporia.

Answer to Question Two: I think that was a MOW person but we didn't actually meet up.

Larry,
I just looked at my DeLorme Kansas Atlas and it shows the line from Neva, Rockland, Hymer Station, Diamond Springs, then west to Burdick and then Lost Springs. The odd thing I see is that they indicate this line as a UP rather than BNSF line. Surely a typo. Glad you gave the story here as I always wondered why this line was abandoned, but didn't realize it was only to Lost Springs. Again thanks for the good shots here plus the oldtimer with the motorcar that appears as a velocipede. Is there something missing in terms of the handle bars to propel or does it appear this one was converted to gas power? I see his lunch box but can't make out if there is an engine midway beneath the seats or not. This machine appears similar to the one on the adjacent track that has four wheels, two being larger beneath the seats. Also, this machine appears to be carrying a heavier load, but both have the two handles on the end for setting off the track. I never knew of such velocipedes that weren't hand and foot powered. Could these have been later converted to gas?

The abandonment between Neva and Lost Springs was due to a trackage rights agreement that was developed between the U.P. and ATSF/BNSF, which saved some track miles and developed some efficiencies for both railroads.

Under the agreement, the U.P. is able to route trains over the current day BNSF between Abilene and Lost Springs, and then south to Wichita or other points south. In exchange, the U.P. allows the BNSF to operate over the Union Pacific-owned tracks between Peabody and Lost Springs.

Sometime in the 1990s, heavy flooding wrecked the old ATSF/BNSF line a short distance north of Neva, leading to the eventual abandonment. It was not cost-effective to make repairs when there was an alternate route (Peabody-Lost Springs).

Seems like I recall this abandonment also had something to do with the fact that Emporia wasn't being used as <enter correct answer here>. I can't remember for sure...crew change point, division point, etc. Can ddg fill us in?

The engineers had a run thru agreement Sept of '88, and we were all re-located to work out of KC. The trainmen came up about a year later. For that first year, the engineers went to work in KC, and stopped at Emporia to change condr's & brakemen. While working at Emporia, we used the Strong City Sub for locals, extras and work trains going up the branch to Abilene, Salina, Concordia, and Superior. After Emporia was eliminated as a crew change point, the extra boards were re-located to Newton, and most of the above mentioned activity ran out of there to Peabody, across the UPRR, to Lost Springs where it got back on the Strong City Sub. When that happened, there was little or no use for the segment between Neva, and Lost Springs. From Neva, it was all dark territory, but it was 49mph on welded rail to Abilene, and I think 40 mph beyond that to Superior.

Thanks for posting the tower picture as well as the 1992 shots. Does anyone have one of what it looks like today? Is Neva still a location on the BNSF?

My wife's name is Neva and we stopped in Neva, Kansas on the way back from Colorado in 1990 to take her picture with the sign (we've also been to Neva, Wisconsin).

There was some talk, rumor...whatever after the merger of a wye at Ellinor to bring traffic from the north (Superior way) down to the Emporia Sub. Abandonement of the Strong City Neva-Lost Springs segment and track east of Superior on the Wyemore Sub put a stop to that talk. Certainly would have been interesting, though, and taken quite a bit of traffic from Kansas City.

skinem Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was some talk, rumor...whatever after the
> merger of a wye at Ellinor to bring traffic from
> the north (Superior way) down to the Emporia Sub.
> Abandonement of the Strong City Neva-Lost Springs
> segment and track east of Superior on the Wyemore
> Sub put a stop to that talk. Certainly would have
> been interesting, though, and taken quite a bit of
> traffic from Kansas City.


Looking back, I bet they're wishing they would have kept the St. Joe-Topeka branch, and the Ottawa-Tulsa line. By the way.....at one time they had a wye at Ellinor. (see map)
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~23402~810087:Chase-Co-,-Kansas--L-H--Everts-&amp;-Co?qvq=q:chase+co.+kansas;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&amp;mi=0&amp;trs=12

ddg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> skinem Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There was some talk, rumor...whatever after the
> > merger of a wye at Ellinor to bring traffic
> from
> > the north (Superior way) down to the Emporia
> Sub.
> > Abandonement of the Strong City Neva-Lost
> Springs
> > segment and track east of Superior on the
> Wyemore
> > Sub put a stop to that talk. Certainly would
> have
> > been interesting, though, and taken quite a bit
> of
> > traffic from Kansas City.
>
>
> Looking back, I bet they're wishing they would
> have kept the St. Joe-Topeka branch, and the
> Ottawa-Tulsa line. By the way.....at one time they
> had a wye at Ellinor. (see map)
> http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUM
> SEY~8~1~23402~810087:Chase-Co-,-Kansas--L-H--Evert
> s-&-Co?qvq=q:chase+co.+kansas;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=0&t
> rs=12
Thanks, double d. Interesting, never knew that among a lot of other things. Must always have my eyes closed through there.