Trains may return to K.C. Union Station

[zardoz]

From the August 18 issue of the Springfield, Missouri News-Leader.

Associated Press

Kansas City — Workers are readying a collection of early 20th-century rail cars for a trip from Wisconsin to Kansas City, where they could be the stars of a rail museum at the financially struggling Union Station.
For more than 20 years, the trains have been kept just south of downtown Milwaukee in a quiet neighborhood of warehouses, factories and older homes. Owned by a reclusive collector, the trains have not been open to the public.

That could change after the trains make their trip in about two weeks to Kansas City. In June, Union Station's board of directors agreed to spend $650,000 for 11 rail cars and their contents for a museum that could open late this year. The cars, all but one from the defunct Milwaukee Road line, date from 1911 to the early 1950s.

Union Station is hoping the rail museum will attract visitors. Faced with growing deficits, Union Station officials laid off 30 employees this summer and said they would no longer operate several station attractions on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Sean O'Byrne, the museum's interim director, looked the cars over last week as donated Kansas City Southern crews got them ready for their journey, pumping air into the brakes and ordering spare parts to fix an array of problems. When the cars pass muster with federal inspectors, the Kansas City Southern crews will pull them to Kansas City. "Really, the thought of bringing trains back to Union Station is a pretty big deal," O'Byrne said.

With the help of private donations, the station plans to sell three of the cars and paint the other eight, putting them on display on the north side of the building. Kansas City Southern is planning to donate a 1951 locomotive, which would join the display.

Inside the building would be a display of some of the 200,000 items purchased with the rail collection, including dining car china, timetables, travel posters and books.

But a hurdle remains.

Union Station bought the rail collection with a loan from the Kansas City Economic Development Corp. O'Byrne is requesting $550,000 in leftover sales tax money from the Bistate Commission to pay off most of the loan. But approval of the request is not certain.

Commission member Ed Eilert, mayor of the suburb of Overland Park, Kan., said he would rather put the money into reopening the station's planetarium and putting in a dinosaur skeleton exhibit.

"I think you could initially draw good attendance," Eilert said.

"But once you've seen it, do you want to go back every month or month and a half?"

If the museum falls through, O'Byrne said the locomotive collection could be sold. He said it has been appraised at $1.7 million, though museum critics contend selling the cars could prove tricky.

http://springfield.news-leader.com/news/today/0818-Trainsmayr-158810.html

[Anonymous]

Very interesting. Does anybody know more about what cars might be involved, or what is in this collection?

[CShaveRR]

I saw that misleading headline elsewhere today, too.

It's not trains that are returning to the station, it's just a bunch of cars (and a locomotive) that won't come or go anywhere.

But wouldn't it be nice to have the trains and passengers come back, especially after all of the displays are up and open? That would rate a headline like that!

[Anonymous]

Don't know all of the details, but the cars are mostly ex-Milwaukee Road streamlined smoothside cars. This is perhaps a brilliant move by the Kansas City Union Station Board. If done correctly visitors could get a wonderful taste of the history of rail travel in previous eras combined with the subliminal message to visitors that the facility itself could certainly boast increased rail passenger service as well as re-ignite interest in commuter rail operations in the Kansas City area.

[Trainnut484]

I'm glad our Union Station will display this collection soon. After all, it's a railroad station and nothing else would be better than to have trains displayed.

Take care,

Russell

[Anonymous]

i thought amtrak ran through union station now

[Randy Stahl]

Read the thread MILW F-7 109A for the rest of the story. While the equipment that was purchased are significant , I am afraid that the Union Station people will be disappionted by the results. Face it.. static train displays do not attract droves of people. The benefits of purchasing this equipment is disproportionate to the purchase and restoration costs. Is this going to become another station attraction that will not be open in a year or so. The collection of smaller RR artifacts is very impressive, especially to people familier with the MILW road. While the collection of RR equipment is appraised at 1.7 million , it will be IMPOSSIBLE to get even half of that. Non RR people need to stay away from the RR., especially when taxpayer money is involved . The City Of Middleton Wi did a similer thing , leasing a train to operate... they lost their butts.
Randy