Nostalgia & History > Toto Tuesday: An afternoon at Ottawa, Kansas

While stationed at Forbes AFB in Topeka, KS, in 1966-67, I seldom had time to venture away from town, but I did manage on occasion to explore the Santa Fe main line at Ottawa and Emporia, usually on weekend afternoons. 
On one such Sunday, December 4, 1966, I spent a couple of hours at Santa Fe’s Ottawa, Kansas, station, and pictured four trains in just a short amount of time.  At the time, I was just doing what I enjoyed doing—exploring and taking train pictures-- without necessarily having a goal in mind, but just recording the normal, everyday scenes of 1960’s railroading.
Enjoy this peek at everyday life 54 years ago. Ken Nagel

1. ATSF F7 #342 and 3 F7B units in passenger colors lead a westbound freight past the station on track 1.  Looking closely into the bay window of the station you can see the agent giving the train a big wave.
2. Not long afterward, ATSF GP35 # 1421 leads a second westbound freight through town, also on track 1, without so much as a wave or a toot.
3. ATSF GP35 #1348 leads a GP35-GP30-SD24-F7 consist on track 2 eastbound past the station.  The turnout seen just west of the station on track 1 is the Santa Fe line to Tulsa.  Visible behind the shed to the right is the connection to Baldwin, KS, a line that originally extended to Lawrence.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/20 08:14 by kenN.

---

---

---

7.  A final grab shot just as #4 got the highball to leave town.
8. This final image from Ottawa was actually captured on a different day, but included here because it, too, captures the everyday activity in Ottawa.  Here is a freight on the Tulsa line led by Geeps 2707-2803 and two others passing the old stone Ottawa station (now a museum) northward towards the east-west main.  The ghost of Eagle Picher (ex-Frisco) 2-10-0 #1632 watches from behind a fence.  A “Russian Decapod,” it survives today, I believe, somewhere in Missouri. 
 

---

---

Now that I've picked myself up off the floor, I'm still trying to catch my breath!   As Tony the Tiger would say, "They're GRRRREAT!" 

Really nice look back. And that shot of the mail train is great! Trains #3 & #4 didn't seem to get as much attention from the Kansas Gang of that generation as did #7 & #8, the actual "Fast Mail". I first saw Ottawa as a railfan in 1976. Armed with my super-duper X-15 Instamatic on a mostly dreary day, I thought I was big time. I still have a few of those slides...

Lance  

Your mission accomplished, enjoyed these photos greatly!  Interesting to see a quartet of Fs in passenger colors leading a freight in 1966.  Something of a rarity I think.
Thank you.

Fantastic series! I wonder what the load is on that first car in 1421's train? Nice MOW equipment in the background in that shot as well.

Thanks for a really NICE series!

Larry

Fantastic images !
Just every day occurrences on the Santa Fe - getting harder to believe days like this ever happened.
Gary
 

I just reviewed my original post and discovered that three of my pictures of Mail Train #4 were missing.  I screwed up trying to post them and did it wrong.  Here they are:
1.  Mail Train #4 arrives at Ottawa with PAs 74-67-B-54, slowing for its stop.
2.  Looking forward at the noble nose of #54
2.  Going away shot showing #74 and the B-unit.

Next time, I'll do better.  I promise.  KJN

---

---

---

What a GREAT posting!
Bob

Wow! Thanks for the extra "finale" shots. I'm sure PA fans everywhere are dancing a jig... :^)

Lance

I remember those PA's sitting in the Ft Worth station to take the San Angelo train late at night.   The ka-lunk, ka-lunk idle of those things were unmistakable.  With no wind, you could hear them a couple of blocks away.  Life was good.

Enjoy the Ottawa scenes, ran through there (and Emporia) thousands of times as a Santa Fe/bnsf engineer. But our paths probably crossed more than once, me growing up in Pauline during the 50's & 60's. While you were stationed at Forbes, I was a teenager, trackside at the depot or the 57th street crossing whenever I could.

Posted from Android

WOW !

Posted from Android

Nice pictures!! Old Santa Fe RR Kansas City mail train crews worked to and from Wellington. KS. KC engine crews worked Kansas City to Emporia, KS.
 

Oh man!!!!! This ATSF fan is very happy! Well done my friend!!!!

kenN Wrote:

> ATSF GP35 #1348 leads a GP35-GP30-SD24-F7
> consist on track 2 eastbound past the station. 

Pretty rare to see an F-unit in a consist with second-generation power on the Santa Fe.  Wonder if it was running or just dead-in-consist moving to Argentine.

Your vantage point from standing on the baggage wagons is great!
They must have made a stop at Ottawa, because it gave you time to walk East,
and then get the going away shot.  Look at those silver trucks!

Just makes me wanna cry. 

I'm in the crying mood too, love seeing Ottawa images especially on the track that exists no longer, never made it over there while the ATSF and the Mopac crossed right there in the heart of the city.....  

Thanks for the images,

Dan in Wichita