Kansas City trains

[dstill]

I will be in the KC/Topeka area next week on vacation. I plan on go to Amtrak station area in Topeka one day, is this ghood location with plenty of activity? KC area the next day. I have enough info for BNSF Argentine/Santa Fe junction, and UP Armourdale, maybe Union Station area. I would like to know good location for KCS trains in KC area.

Thanks in advance

[favuprailroadfan]

Dear sir,

The best advice I can give you is to go to Knoche Yard. It is the yard for KCS, plus I&MRL. This yard also used by UP sometimes for interchange traffic. It is located north of Sheffield interlocking. If you want to see most of the KC action. Try taking a look at Sheffield. There are close to 400 train movements a day. All this traffic is from BNSF's Transcon line, UP's River Sub, and the other traffic includes GWWR, KCT, KCS, and other railroads. Also there right beside Knoche is UP's yard. I think it is called Neff Yard. Knoche sounds like KnockE. It is not that hard to miss the new Flyover that they have put in at Sheffield. Head east on I70 then you hit I435 north and you will go over it. There are exits you can take to get to it, but most of it off limits. If you can get to the west end of the flyover, then there is a little bit of access on the west side. The access is west of the Sheffield Steel Plant there. I would recommend Sheffield in your watching activities. KCS runs north-south under the flyover. Also try on I-435 south, I know that there is a bridge that carries the KCS over the interstate. I don't know much about access to it because I usually don't chase KCS. One of these days, when I get back up there, I am thinking about doing a little bit on there just because of all the new traffic that has come online for them.

Wish you luck, Dru

[dstill]

Thank you Dru.

So many opportunities, so little time.

[favuprailroadfan]

Dear Danny,

Believe me, there are alot more opportunities than what I wrote down there in KC. I don't think that it is even possible to cover the entire KC area in 3 days maybe even a week.

Have fun, Dru

[Anonymous]

Danny, KCS is definitely a restricted viewing railroad in the KC area. A real good spot(on public property)is an area just east of both Knoche and Neff yards. It is accessed from I-435 to Front Street. Go right on front street under the I&M/UP tracks towards the power plant. Turn right at the stop sign and follow this road until it ends in a "T" at the entrance to the Bayer plant. Turn right, go back under I-435 and you'll come to the entrance to Neff yard. If you park in the dirt and gravel area before the KCS tracks, you're fine. Plenty of UP yard action as well as arriving and departing KCS trains. You may even be lucky to catch a Missouri and Northern Arkansas train entering Neff on UP trackage rights, and you are right on one thing--sooooo many trains in KC and so little time!! Good luck, Terry

[dstill]

Thanks for the location info. Checked out Knoche, Neff yard found the Bayer plant with out any problems. Saw train at Knoche, Neff, Sheffield flyover, west bottoms, Santa Fe junction on Thursday, spent Friday in Topeka found spot near river and saw many trains. Went up to Maryville on Sunday afternoon and saw several, I had good vacation.

[dknelson]

My experience in Kansas City is that it is nearly impossible to stand anyway and NOT see trains. They come to you! A great city for railfanning.
Unfortuantely I also know that, as with so many older cities, some good viewing areas are in neighborhoods where you might feel safer if you have someone with you

[dstill]

One more question, Where is 18th Street yard, and when I was at the west bottoms I was at junction box labeled St Louis Avenue and to the right was a BNSF yard running north/south toward the Santa Fe junction area, what is this yard?

[Anonymous]

18th street yard is right next to I-70, roughly between 7th st and I-635. the tower for 18th st and Armourdale is right next to 18th st expressway (south from I-70), the UP double main splits the 2 yards, north of the main is 18th st, south of it is Armourdale. As for that yard, if I'm thinking of the right location, it is just a small storage yard, and is really just an offshoot of Argentine to store excess and/or bad order cars, and also some industry cars for local service.