Bob Cox picked me up at the Depot Inn & Suites and we took off for Abilene. We drove south on US Highway 63 to Macon where we turned right onto US Highway 36 which we took west to St. Joseph shirking through the edge of a major thunderstorm. At St. Joseph we turned south onto US Highway 59 where we made our first stop of the morning.
The BNSF in St. Joseph, Missouri. We drove south down US Highway 59 and just after Rushville we made our next stop.
At East Armor, the DPU BNSF 5856 was on the rear of the BNSF 5779 which was stopped. We drove down to the head end of the train.
The head end of this train had BNSF 5779 and 9773 stopped at this unique location. We took US Highway 59 across the Missouri River into Atchison where we spotted our next stop.
The Santa Fe Depot Visitor Center & Museum which we went inside the museum and saw the exhibits.
The Santa Fe Station in Atchison, Kansas.
A statue to Railroad Workers who built the railroads of the west.
Atchison Railroad Museum 6/25/2009
This scene greeted us as we entered the Atchison Railroad Museum.
Santa Fe 2-8-0 811 built by Baldwin in Philadelphia in 1902.
This plaque states that Atchison was the starting point of the Santa Fe Railway.
Missouri Pacific Box Car Route of the Eagle.
Flat Car.
Missouri Pacific 121175 Eagle Merchandise Service 40 foot Box Car.
BN 973151 MWM Tank Car.
Santa Fe Caboose 999468 built 1928.
Kansas City Southern Caboose 400.
Missouri Pacific Caboose 13569 Wide Version.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Silver Pouch 1604 United States Railway Post Office built 1940.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Silver Gleam 4703.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Silver Glow 4704.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Silver Crown 4712.
One more view of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy passenger cars at Atchison.
Santa Fe Caboose 999592.
Santa Fe Caboose 999575.
Missouri Pacific 14259 built in 1962.
Santa Fe Caboose 999952.
Outside braced wooden box car.
Missouri Pacific High Cube Box Car.
Burlington Northern Caboose 10410 ex CB&Q.
Santa Fe Coach 2865.
Missouri Pacific Lines Baggage Car.
Missouri Pacific Caboose 13615.
Missouri Pacific Snowplow built in 1928 out of a steam engine tender. With that Bob and I finished our visit at Atchison Railroad Museum. From here we continued our drive to Abilene.
We found Cargill CGAX 137 at their terminal grain elevator at Parnell, Kansas. We took US Highway 59 to near Nortonville where we went straight onto Kansas Highway 4 to Topeka. We turned onto US Highway 24 and took it west towards Manhattan.
We stopped at Wamego for gas and the Union Pacific Caboose 25386. This town also has a Wizard of OZ Museum. At Manhattan we took a wrong turn but got to see part of Kansas State University Home of the Wildcats. From here we took Kansas Highway 18 to Ogden then cut down to Interstate 70 on west to Abilene. After crossing two railroads with two stations, we then arrived at our train ride location for this day in Abilene.
