I am planning a trip to Manhattan ,Kansas later in the year and would like to know what rairoads are in the area.
Depends on how far you are willing to travel. The U.P. is the only road in Manhattan. The Kansas-Pacific line runs through there but not with a whole lot of trains. You can take a short (about a hour) trip north to Marysville & see about 60-70 trains a day on U.P.'s Marysville Sub.
About a hour east will take you to Topeka & there you can catch the Marysville Sub. again & all kinds of BNSF as well.
Head west 30 min. or so & in Abilene you can see the occasional BNSF train & more of the U.P.'s K-P line with the Kansas & Oklahoma running between Abilene & Salina.
And here in Salina (about a hour west of Manhattan) the U.P.'s K-P line again with quite a bit of local traffic originating & terminating at the yard. Salina is a crew change point so all the coal trains (loaded & emty) stop here. We also have the previously mentioned K&O (ex-Central Kansas) & Kyle railroads, though Kyle is usually only seen during harvest at night or very early morning.
There used to be alot more (the MOP, KATY, Rock Island & BN to name a few) but they were well before I moved here. You can still see the Rock’s old right-of-way around Manhattan if you look hard enough.
Hope at least some of this helps & I hope you enjoy your stay here in Kansas.
Matt
Thanks for the info.
No problem, glad I ciould help.
Matt
Topeka definitely looks good for both UP and BNSF. Can you recommend good viewing locations?
Unfournately, no. I do know that if you get off I-70 at I think 3rd st. (look for Amtrak sign), you’ll find your self right by the BNSF backshops. I don’t get to Topeka very often, just pass through mostly, but with a little exploration & a good map I don’t think you’ll have much trouble at all finding good spots.
Matt
Thank you again for the info
Once again, you’re quite welcome. And if you don’t mind me asking, where are you coming from & what is bringing you to Manhattan?
Matt
Waxhaw, NC, My wifes sister has just been transferred from Japan to Fort Riley.
Hey, I was stationed at Riley 11 years ago. That’s what brought me to Kansas in the first place. They have a pretty good sized railhead there, though it’s really only used during major exercises & of course actual deployments.
Matt