Colorado Eagle routing through Kansas City

[benjamintickell53]

From Mopac Yahoo group, February 2013

Mike Cafferata recently wrote about Colorado Eagle routing issues through KC to avoid backward running between STL and KC. There was also a complaint letter by former president Harry Truman about this issue, blaming the practice on then newly arrived Downing Jenks.

When did the Colorado Eagle start this practice, to avoid Frisco trackage rights fees between Kansas City and Paola, KS? Was the shift to an all-MP route a Jenks initiative, or was it already in place by the time he arrived on the MP? Some pre-1961 consists show the Colorado Eagle with sleepers at front of train and baggage car on rear, which suggests that the practice predates Mr. Jenks.

Was the Colorado Eagle the only MP train handled in this fashion, or did the Royal Gorge and Scenic Limited trains also use the Frisco routing for the same reason in the pre-Colorado Eagle days?

Bill Pollard

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Colo Eagle went to all Mop routing when DBJ came along in 1960-61. Train may have been turned on the KCT ballon track, but the power would have to be turned if there was only as there was in late years, or power was changed.. I have ETT that show it I think.

Colo Eagle was the only train that went via the Frisco. DBJ wanted to eliminate the trackage rights expense . I somehow think it was when DBJ became president in 61,but would have to check a TT to know for sure. Scenic Ltd ran via the Santa Fe to Ottawa,Ks, or I should say HU Tower west of Ottawa. Royal Gorge ran via Osawatomie. Ck your pre 1932 public TT and believe it will show the Scenic Limited west of Ottawa, and stopping only at Osage City.

Tony Fey

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Narrowing down the date range of the Colorado Eagle routing, the March 1961 Official Guide still shows conditional stops at the Paola KS Frisco station for MP trains 11-12. In the April 1961 Guide, the Paola stop had been eliminated entirely, suggesting that the change from the Frisco route might have occurred in March. The Harry Truman letter to Russell Dearmont was written in early July 1961, and Truman indicated that he had already ridden backwards twice between St. Louis and Kansas City, a problem which didn’t appear until the all MP routing started.

Would the trackage rights charges of the Frisco have been so high as to attract presidential attention so early in Jenks’ tenure?

Bill Pollard

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NO idea what they would have been but given DBJ’s penchant for cutting costs wherever he could, especially anything to do with psgr service, I would imagine he noticed 11-12’s trackage rights cost right off the bat, and decided it was a luxury the Mop could do without.

Tony Fey

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Interestingly, those trackage rights agreements continue, today. U.P. regularly runs trains south out of KC on the BNSF west of the border in Kansas. At Paola, they continue on the old KATY to Parsons, in most cases. Northbound runs travel on the MoPac from Coffeyville, KS. As a matter of practice, U.P. only runs southbound on the Frisco trackage rights. Northbound trains enter KC on the MoPac through Martin City, MO.

If they weren’t going to use the trackage rights, Why did they negotiate them in the first place? Of course, the trackage rights probably pre dated DBJ by many years. As someone else suggested, why wouldn’t they use the balloon track just west of the depot to turn the train? Since that was KCT trackage, there probably was a charge for track, too and it probably had to be handled by a KCT crew. Odd, in the days when RRs were trying to get rid of passenger trains by showing how expensive they were to operate, that management would try to save money that could have been shown as additional operating costs.

Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO

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Just to clarify, the current trackage rights agreement allowing UP to use
former Frisco track from KC to Paola was a product of the MKT merger. This
was an agreement that the Katy obtained many years ago and it has nothing
to do with the MP.

I wish that I had more input on the subject, but passenger trains were
never my strong suit. What I find very surprising was the connection that
was used between railroads at Paola. A 1938 PTT shows a connection with the
MKT which at that time was referred to as KT Junction. The schedule for
trains 11 and 12 shows the use of SLSF and MKT tracks between KC and Paola.
Does anyone have more detail on KT Jct. and the use of Frisco and Katy
tracks at Paola?

Kevin Love

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KT Jct was north of Peoria Street in Paola. That was the junction where the MKT line to Bryson , Mo over through Louisburg was accessed by crossing the Frisco through a pair of cross overs. Branch to Bryson came out in 1956. Don’t bother to look for Bryson on the map, but would be in the MKT ETT.

Tony Fey

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