BNSF Transcon Route

[MP173]

Recently I have used the Barriger Library photos posted on Flickr to follow a trip he made (probably in the 1940s) from New Mexico to Kansas.  This trip was along the route now know as the "Transcon",  The photos were nearly all taken from the rear coach and seems to have been a database of sorts for Mr. Barriger, as it featured sidings, crossings, towers, diverging routes, and depots.

I traced his route with the help of a 1946 Official Guide and it was obvious that the Santa Fe had numerous routes across and thru Kansas.  The January 2014 Trains issue has a great map showing the number of trains per day in 1994 and 2012 on the BNSF and preceeding lines.

What is the route of the Transcon in Kansas?  Does BNSF use two routes from Mulvane north?  One line on my wall map passes thru Wichita to Newton and another goes thru Augusta and El Dorado.  Are these two lines used as bi-directional lines?  Or is one favored.

The line thru Augusta diverges south thru Oklahoma City and down to Texas, so it appears both would be utilized.

Also the route west of Newton to La Junta shows 11 daily trains in the 2012 map, other than Amtrak, are these primarily coal trains?

Thanks,

Ed

[mudchicken]

Ed:

(1) Newton-La Junta .....less than half are coal trains, 4 or so can be UP rights trains (but most go south to Amarillo/Dalhart/Stratford at Las Animas Jcn off the ATSF Northern Transcon); mix is variable...

(2) Ellinor to Wellington is a spiderweb in east/central Kansas. (3 route choice combinations) and Emporia to KC has two choices (although most avoid the original northern route thru Topeka)...most run the Emporia Sub

[samfp1943]

Ed to what M.C. said,

   re: Southern T-con in South Central Kansas  There is a UP Coal train that runs South out of Wichita to Mulvane and then turns on to the Ark City Sub ( about once a week(?) Southbound its loaded and Northbound empty)

 As to Coal Trains by here, There is at least one that seems to come through on the week-ends going South and then back during the first part of the week. Cars are BNSF, and they are 'tarped' There may be others but if they run at night, I'd miss them!

 TRAINS map showed a count through this area at 45 (?) trains per day....  At times they seem almost continuous, at a guess a 15-20 mi separation , at time ,and then other times, quite a bit more time.  My guess it is all a product of the crew availability out of Wellington(?). 

     The area of Mulvane,Ks. is quite interesting. visualize a sort of X pattern. The Line from the North is from Newton to Wichita, and then on towards Wellington,Ks ( Southern T-con) .

     From the East it is a single tracked line that comes down through the Flint Hills thru Augusta, (splits there) former AT&SF to Winfield from Augusta and then to Arkansas City. From Aughusta the other line goes Southwest to Rose Hill and Mulvane, and into the ElDorado sub to Wellington and SW.

    There is also a line that runs from Mulvane to Udall,Ks and Winfield and Ark City.  there is a daily (?) Rock Train/ Cornejo Bros) that runs from Winfied ( SKO&L) to Wichita on trackage rights in the afternoons and back.   

    

[MP173]

Samfp1943

Have you looked at the Barriger photo collection?  Particularly the Santa Fe shots?  Great historic photos of the area in question.

So, which line sees more trains...Wichita to Newton or Augusta north?  Or is it just a great luxury of having multiple lines to run trains with whichever day needs MOW work?

Ed