Nostalgia & History > WAGJR Scan O Rama Santa Fe 13 Extra Wests by Wichita

Well here goes-I have used Scan Cafe to scan 600 plus of the Gibson collection black ans white prints, 600 plus slides, and I am scanning parts beyond what Lance Garrels has previously scanned.  With the black and whites I am going to start posting on singular locations-railroads-train types-engine types so the TO gang gets to wee these.  They won't do anyone any good sitting in a box in the train room.  A lot of the collection as previously noted does not have data that relates date-location-photographer.  When it does have data I will publish it and when not available if you have information to share that's great and appreciated to have the historical record.  

Today's group of 15 photos are from Art Gibson, the location is Wichita, KS Union Station.  The Santa Fe usual fleet of fast freights running on the Fourth District from Emporia to Wellington/Arkansas City are detouring from Emporia to Newton on the First District turning South onto the Third District at McGraw to go to Wellington/Arkansas City.  These are all west bounds and I have a complementary version of east bounds to be posted.  The reason for the detours is not available (derailment-gang work-washout???).  This is 1974 or 5 as the paint schemes would indicate. This era has a mix of pin-stripe-black trucks-silver trucks-and yellow bonnet for your viewing and modeling pleasure.

First up is XW 2854 GP-7, 2 F-B Units, and a CF-7 leading Newton-Ark City Mainline Local
Second is XW 3641 GP-39-2 with grain hopper empties probably headed out peddling empties for grain loading towards Rago, KS  ( No mega grain loading loops then)
Third is XW 5937 F-45, 5659 and 5668 SD-45-2



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/22 12:12 by jtwlunch.

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[img::]https://cdn.trainorders.com/attachments/thumbs/1661000/00423_p_22autmwseu0098_632b58b7aceac.jpg[/img]

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Next up:
3242 GP-30, 3170 and 3151 GP-20's
8783 U-36C plus 3 Big (Power Bureau term from the day)
5652 SD-45-2, 8732 U-36C, and 87XX

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6334 U-23B 3549 GP-39-2
8705 U-36C and 55XX SD-45
5617 SD-45, 5705 SD-45-2  56XX SD-45-2



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/22 12:12 by jtwlunch.

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5657 SD-45-2, 59XX F-45
3617 and 36XX GP-39
5673 SD-45-2 and 2-55XX SD-45's



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/22 12:09 by jtwlunch.

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5002 SD-40, 55XX SD-45
999189 CE-1 Waycar
999299 CE-1 Waycar

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Wonderful to see all of these from my hometown!  At this time I had just started to drive so getting downtown and capturing this sort of action was not possible for me.  Good to see the old Salvation Army building still in existence at the time, right up against the tracks at Douglas Ave on the west side of the elevated....  Keep 'em coming!

Dan in Wichita
on the ATSF Arkansas City subdivision

jtwlunch Wrote:

> This is 1974 or 5 as the paint schemes would indicate.

> Second is XW 3641 GP-39-2 with grain hopper empties

This one doesn't show up, but GP39-2 3641 was new in March 1975, so the photos are no older than that.

> 6334 U-23B 3549 GP-39-2

The 3549 is a GP38.

What is that freestanding structure with double doors on the end on the right edge of several photos?  It reminds me of a stairway exit from an underground concourse to a platform that no longer exists.

Those small structures are the doors to the stairs that went down to the tunnel that connected each of the platforms to the main depot building.  Two of them still exist to this day, although I do not know if the underground tunnel is still there.  The whole Wichita Union Depot complex has been overhauled, beefed up, modified, you name it.  The part that is up by the active trackage is really heavily modified.

Dan

superfleet Wrote:

> Those small structures are the doors to the stairs
> that went down to the tunnel that connected each
> of the platforms to the main depot building. 

Did the platform served by the set of stairs we can see in the photos above ever have umbrella sheds like the closer platforms?  Even this "ca.1920's" photo shows the enclosed stairway structure on the far right serving an uncovered platform:

http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wpl_wpl1214.jpg

Thanks for your efforts. These are fun to see.

No, there wer no umbrella sheds over the far-west tracks.  And we lost a few more of those sheds a few years ago when there was a derailment of double-stacks up on the elevated that damaged them and the damaged ones were removed at that time.  We are very fortunate to have the sheds that we still have, they were a unique design and would be difficult to replicate.

Dan in Wichita
on the ATSF Arkansas City Subdivision