Tour the Line

Thanks to Google Maps and Street View, I can see a good portion of the line from 550 miles away.

Overview map showing relationship of all locations
1) Genesse St looking south towards Rosedale Yard remnants
2) Genesse St looking north at where the spur diverged (to the right behind red Mexican restaurant)
3) Southwest Blvd looking mostly south at a former warehouse
4) Southwest Blvd looking mostly south at Schutte Lumber Company
5) Schutte Lumber Company from 31st Street
6) Pacific Mutual Door Company from 31st Street
7) ROW South from 31st Street, the spur to PMD was up at a higher elevation
8) Looking northeast from Roanoke Rd, one can see that the ROW was at a higher elevation
9 & 10) Next road access is from 34th Street; looking back north and south
11) The hilly nature of the area looking east from that same 34th Street spot; we'll be up there shortly
12) The ROW briefly appears again between warehouses as viewed again from Roanoke Rd looking east
13) The line ends between two warehouses as viewed from Karnes Blvd.
14) At the tree line in the distance is where a switch back went north along Terrace St.
15) Terrace St had tracks along both sides of the road (looking north now)
16) Top of the hill on 34th Street where it intersects Terrace St.

Spur Identification

With a little web sleuthing, I'm pretty sure I've narrowed the spur line down to the Zone 3 of the Frisco RR's Kansas City Terminal.  I signed up on the Frisco.org and hope that I can get final confirmation of the line's history there.  Additionally, I discovered at least one Sanborn Map of the area from the Kansas City Public Library Missouri Valley Collection -- though due to copyright restrictions, I can't post it here.

Introduction

Welcome to the online documentation of my railroad modeling efforts.

First, a little background.  I've been active with model trains for nearly 20 years, ranging from assisting my both my father and brother with design and construction of their respective layouts and operating on several fine model railroads across the country.

I owe most of my experience in the hobby to the people in Rail Group in Chicago, IL, a group of serious model railroaders who've fully explored the finer points of operation.

Astute readers will recognize me as the designer and author of a track plan for the Milwaukee Road's Beer Line published in the November 2011 Model Railroader magazine.

My target for what to model used to be practically etched in stone...Clinchfield Railroad in 1972.  A fair portion of the equipment for such a recreation is in storage but the space to do it justice as been elusive.

After having produced the Beer Line design, I've taken quite an interest in smaller switching layouts.  Two prototypes have since caught my interest: 1) Green Bay, WI and 2) Kansas City, MO.   Of course, there are (or were as the case may be) industrial switching prototypes all over the place, but these two have been accessible to me since family lives near each and provides a good reason to visit.

My current focus is on an industrial spur line of the Frisco RR in Kansas City, MO -- hence the name for the blog.  Here's the present day Google Map of the area.  Visible on the map is the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and Liberty St where the spur crossed the road, served a lumber yard and continued southeast curving around the bluffs to server several smaller industries.

More posts on the history of the line as I learn it.