1HNASM 24
Kirkwood in the early 1990s was a neat place to watch trains. You had signals, two railroads, a nice depot at which to hang out and nobody to bother you. Three railroads ran through Kirkwood, including Union Pacific, Amtrak, and the best show on the Sedalia Subdivision, the Southern Pacific. SP in those days was a treat to anticipate. They ran a rainbow of beat up power, many times from other railroads or a number of leasing companies, eight to a consist quite often. Their crews were friendly, sometimes throwing paperwork or timetables down to the goofballs watching trains. Every once in a while they'd offer a ride.
Fast forward now. Kirkwood is not so much the same. It has become more of a destination to eat, drink, and be merry. It doesn't shut down as early as it did in those days. The depot has been staffed at times by volunteers who feel they run the place more than volunteer at it, and make it their business to dictate your business. The signals are gone, having been moved a little east of here with their accompanying crossovers. And there is a black fence along the tracks to keep people away from the tracks. The SP is gone, in my opinion the biggest loss. But on this beautiful autumn day, SP put on a fine abbreviated motive power show with a pair of well worn six axles that have topped the hill after having to stop their climb west of the depot because some jackoff laid a railroad tie across the tracks. Once cleared, they resumed their pull, but from a dead start near the top of the hill, they sure made some noise. Here, a half mile east of the pinnacle, they were still pulling a lot of their train uphill, and the noise of the locomotives certainly showed that.
1HNASM 24
10/25/1992
1HNASM 24
Kirkwood in the early 1990s was a neat place to watch trains. You had signals, two railroads, a nice depot at which to hang out and nobody to bother you. Three railroads ran through Kirkwood, including Union Pacific, Amtrak, and the best show on the Sedalia Subdivision, the Southern Pacific. SP in those days was a treat to anticipate. They ran a rainbow of beat up power, many times from other railroads or a number of leasing companies, eight to a consist quite often. Their crews were friendly, sometimes throwing paperwork or timetables down to the goofballs watching trains. Every once in a while they'd offer a ride.
Fast forward now. Kirkwood is not so much the same. It has become more of a destination to eat, drink, and be merry. It doesn't shut down as early as it did in those days. The depot has been staffed at times by volunteers who feel they run the place more than volunteer at it, and make it their business to dictate your business. The signals are gone, having been moved a little east of here with their accompanying crossovers. And there is a black fence along the tracks to keep people away from the tracks. The SP is gone, in my opinion the biggest loss. But on this beautiful autumn day, SP put on a fine abbreviated motive power show with a pair of well worn six axles that have topped the hill after having to stop their climb west of the depot because some jackoff laid a railroad tie across the tracks. Once cleared, they resumed their pull, but from a dead start near the top of the hill, they sure made some noise. Here, a half mile east of the pinnacle, they were still pulling a lot of their train uphill, and the noise of the locomotives certainly showed that.
1HNASM 24
10/25/1992