Carona, Kansas (and NEO Interchange)

[robert.j.thomas]

The attached aerial photo from 1950 shows the interchange of the MoPac (Pittsburg Sub) with the North East Oklahoma (NEO) in Carona Kansas. This is the location of the Heart of the Heartlands Museum today which preserves the Carona and Boston depots.

You can make out the grain elevator in this photo in the lower left. I am not quite sure about the depot.

Reference: https://chasm.kgs.ku.edu/ords/pubcat.arphd2.FindAll

[Webmaster]

Robert,

Thanks for posting this photo. In the early days of my train service career, the Pittsburg Sub. was part of my seniority district. It wasn’t a lot of fun to work this route in the ’70s and ’80s due to poor track conditions and few customers. But, today, I am very interested in the history of this line and I am a member of the Heart of the Heartlands.

The MP depot, in this photo, sits in the NW corner of the crossing with the NEO. Originally, it was located in the vicinity of the grain elevator to the south. It was moved and remodeled somewhere around WWII.

[robert.j.thomas]

Thanks Kevin for your reply,

The first house I remember living was south across the street from the grain elevator there in Carona. I probably waved at you going by many times! We moved around 1974 when the house was damaged by lightning. My grandfather owned property on either side of the right of way and had a house just across the tracks and on the west side of the road from where Heart of the Heartlands sits today. When staying with him we would always go out to watch the MoPac roll by.

-Bob T.

[robert.j.thomas]

Kevin,

Also, if you have interest in this area and its history, you might enjoy this map from 1906-1908:

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/218290

It shows a large swath of the Pittsburg Sub in S.E. Kansas and the mines at that time. The image is rather large, so I did not post a copy here.

-Bob T.

[Webmaster]

Also, if you have interest in this area and its history, you might enjoy this map from 1906-1908:

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/218290

It shows a large swath of the Pittsburg Sub in S.E. Kansas and the mines at that time.

Bob,

That’s a very interesting map. Thanks for sharing the link.

[Gary Herron]

To All…

Anyone with an interest in Carona, KS or the NEO might want to look at the Frisco Historical Society web site….
they have a lot of interesting information on both items.

Link:
http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php

It’s a great web site.

Just as info,
Gary

[Author]

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