Nostalgia & History > WAG Wednesday: Parsons, KS 1963!

Over his active years Bill Gibson made more than one trek to go visit & photograph Miss Katy. But from what I found in his collection this is the one & only time he caught passenger action in the MKT terminal of Parsons, KS. These images are a special treat for yours truly. I can remember family trips in the 1960s down to Texarkana, Arkansas. Part of that long drive down US highway 59 paralleled the Katy main line. I can recall seeing those bright red engines leading freight trains, but I can’t recall seeing a single passenger train in those halcyon childhood days.

Once again, I have to extend a simple: “Thank-you, Bill!”

1. MKT 154 & 136 working a cut of cars in Parsons, KS. According to Bill’s slide notes the 154 is ex-1561 and the 136 is ex-1581, later sent to the C&NW as 1494.

2. MKT 79C leads train #5 in its stop at the Parsons passenger station.

3. A closer look at the consist for #5. The E-unit’s number is unknown.
Three photos taken April 28, 1963 by William A. Gibson (WAG) Sr.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/22 01:40 by santafe199.

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Great KATY photos including interesting motive power.
Bob

That's one bedraggled passenger train. Maybe only mail and express keeping it operating.

Usually when I see an interesting photo like this, I hit google and see what's left. I had to go into the Historic Aerials website to even figure out where the depot was. None of the surrounding buildings seem to be standing either. There is probably more freight going through Parsons now, but sure does it with less style! Thanks for sharing.

Lance, if you keep putting this stuff, you may be accused of “hoarding.”

YY

King_Coal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's one bedraggled passenger train. Maybe only
> mail and express keeping it operating.
>
> Usually when I see an interesting photo like this,
> I hit google and see what's left. I had to go into
> the Historic Aerials website to even figure out
> where the depot was. None of the surrounding
> buildings seem to be standing either. There is
> probably more freight going through Parsons now,
> but sure does it with less style! Thanks for
> sharing.

That is what remains of the Katy Flyer. Trains 5 & 6 trundled down the Katy main line between Kansas City and San Antonio until July 1964, at which time both this train and what was left of the Texas Special began operating only between Dallas and Kansas City. Even this operation was short lived. In June 1965, both trains were discontinued.

Mail and express kept both the Special and 5 & 6 operating. In 1964, the US Mail contract went out to bid and was awarded to a trucking company. The remaining traffic was insufficent to keep the trains in operation and both were finally dropped. By this time, (as the photo would show) the Katy was in a death spiral that was so bad that there was even an incident where parked freight cars derailed. The Texas Special fared no better. Air conditioning failures were common, so much that Katy would assign heavyweight chair and dining cars....at least the windows would open. Still, until 1964, full dining service was available and a 14-4 Pullman still operated between Dallas and Kansas City. After July 30, 1964, the San Antonio to Dallas segment was dropped, along with all dining service. (The Pullman service remained). There are stories of track so rough that patrons might find themselves falling out of their Pullman berth during the night. It was that bad. 

In the photo, sharp eyes will notice a Santa Fe express box car that was a regular part of 5 & 6. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/19 10:22 by ATSF3751.

Dad (wag2811) was riding on #5 from Kansas City to San Antonio. At that time, most of the trip pass's were not valid, but the MKT still let 
#5 and #6 use trip pass's. So dad used the MKT on his trip to Mexico. wag216

These are so great.
Pictures of Katy passenger trains are rare, especially because they ended so early.
Gary

wag216 wrote:

>  At that time, most of the trip pass's were not valid, but the MKT still let  #5 and #6 use trip pass's. 

I assume "pass's" refers to passes.

MKT track was real bad Waxahachie Tx to Hillsboro.  In fact it was terrible.  I rode it 1959 (5 years before the comments here) .  We bounced all the way from Dallas to Austin.  Worst stretch was Waxahachie to Hillsboro, and Taylor to Austin.  Track was gosh awful. Train rarely got above 30 MPH except between Hillsboro and Taylor.  Was good for about 45-50 there.  Of course all the Katy got much worse into the 1960's.

johnsweetser Wrote: > ...  I assume "pass's" refers to passes ...

Well MR PERFECT, I see you're at it again. Anyone with an IQ of 13 can figure out what Mr Gibson means. But you just can't bring yourself to be a civil human being, can you? Art has had multiple heart attacks & multiple strokes. It is sometimes very difficult for him to get words out they way he wants them. This is why under Art's extremely generous nature I've been writing & posting WAG Wednesday for almost 8 years. But that doesn't matter to you, as long as you can deliver yet another slice 'em, dice 'em put-down (Again). You sure are some piece of work...

Lance Garrels
Manhattan, KS

A really wonderful look back at small town passenger service.

These sure are enlightening photos.  I never got to see any MKT passenger trains.  EMD'd RS units were a tradition around Parsons.   Me, I didn't even question the pass-passes-pass's thing--but was reassured that there a fewer and fewer people that have little common sense.
Nice photos and thanks for sharing them.
Brian Stevens

Some great images of a railroad that never got a whole lot of attention, in my opinion. I like the red paint scheme. The only time I was on the Katy was in 1983, and followed the line from Kansas City to Parsons. They had that not so appealing green and yellow scheme at the time. 

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos of the Katy I remember.  I was able to view the Katy in Linn County and Miami County in Kansas during the first 29 years of my life but I never took any color pictures of the action. Years late, I could kick myself.  I was so disappointed when the Katy switched to the yellow and green color scheme. The countryside already had an abundance of green with John Deere tractors, combines and other farm implements. 

Roadjob Wrote: > ... a railroad that never got a whole lot of attention ...

In the "Funny you should mention department"... All through the late 70s & early-mid 80s I had unlimited chances to go visit what I call the eastern Kansas "seaboard". That is the 4 main line RRs: Mop, Frisco, Katy & KCS that ran up & down eastern Kansas or the MO-KS border. Working for the Santa Fe in Emporia I was a reasonable couple of hours from virtually ALL of that territory. With the exception of one short chase coming home from somewhere else I even ignored Santa Fe's main line down through Chanute to Tulsa. Common sense tells us as railfans we just cannot 'get it all'. But geez-louise I sure fumbled the ol' football on eastern Kansas, my own home state...

Still emitting that looong, melancholy sighhhhhh...
Lance/199

Look at all the red company trucks in the parking lot.