Grain elevator(s) behind Wichita yard

[princessclyne69]

The grain elevator that’s behind many photos of the Wichita 25th St. yard is unmistakable. It’s one of the few built as a hexagonal or honeycomb cross-section on the silos, instead of the usual round. It stands directly adjacent to another elevator of more conventional round silo design. I have an old aerial photo that shows this elevator, which is adjacent to the Rock Island yard, as having been built first. I believe the two actually operated as one, at least in more recent times. These concrete elevators were painted white, like many in the Kansas area. Photos of scenes in the MoPac yard, as recently as the 80s, show the elevator to be brilliant white. More recent photos clearly show the deterioration of the paint.

Several years ago these elevators went out of service, and it was proposed to demolish them. That’s harder than it looks, and the one on the Rock Island side was started first. So after at least two years of trying, almost all of the silos are gone from the north and south ends of that elevator, leaving just the headhouse and some rubble. The one on the MoPac side is clearly abandoned, but concrete demolition has not begun.

Demolition of the other elevator revealed an interesting fact. There is a gap approximately equal to the width of either elevator between the two, which had a track between them connected to, at least on the MoPac side, at both north and south ends. Now that the west-side (RI side) elevator silos are gone, it is now apparent that the east-side (MP side) elevator silos were not painted on the inner face past about eight or ten silos in. In other words, since the east-side elevator extended just slightly past the north end of the other one, when they were originally painted, the white paint extended only far enough in to the point where you couldn’t see the difference.

You can clearly see this now by driving south on I-135, just past the K-96 / I-235 interchange with I-135, in other words, just as you hit the part of the highway that’s popularly called the Canal Route. As you make the curve to approach the overpass over the MoPac yard, you can clearly see this little discrepancy.

RG7

[bargetanika]

Please post a typical photo. I am unfamiliar with this.

[princessclyne69]

I’ll post a couple of photos shortly.

RG7

[princessclyne69]

Here are a couple of decent photos showing the elevator visible behind the MoPac yard.

[attachment=2:32os0z9c]68-19 Jan 71.jpg[/attachment:32os0z9c] [attachment=1:32os0z9c]68-20 Jan 71.jpg[/attachment:32os0z9c]

These also happen to show a rare bird, one of two CEI FP7s that stayed on the property after the L&N split. The other one also came to Wichita once. But in the first photo, you can see the two headhouses side by side.

Here’s a view of the other elevator, from the Rock Island side, showing the south end of the two elevators.

[attachment=0:32os0z9c]132-22 Jan 73.jpg[/attachment:32os0z9c]

These are from the early 70s, when the paint was actually white.

As for a photo in their demolished state, watch this space for a couple weeks.

RG7

[bargetanika]

Man. Those are huge. I had no idea.

[Joseph Berry]

Some shots here in the MPHS archives:

http://www.mopac.org/archives/online-images-and-documents/structures/right-of-way-details/25th-st-yard-wichita-ks-2491

Gary

[princessclyne69]

Those shots are taken from the I-135 (Canal Route) overpass, looking toward downtown. I could have been in the yard that day, on my daily drive into the engine facility parking lot, beyond that two-track car repair shop on the left.

RG7

[clemmie_doris12]

@garyh wrote:

Some shots here in the MPHS archives:

http://www.mopac.org/archives/online-images-and-documents/structures/right-of-way-details/25th-st-yard-wichita-ks-2491

Gary

Gary brings up an important issue. The photo gallery and a few other sections of the website now contain content that is available only to members of the MPHS. Our secretary just finished updating the records so that current members could access this content. In order to view it, you must be a current paid member and a registered user of the website. If you have any questions send an email to [email protected].

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