Midland Railway (Kansas)

38°46′29″N 95°12′03″W / 38.77472°N 95.20083°W / 38.77472; -95.20083

Midland Railway
  • Baldwin City & Southern Railroad (BC&SR)
  • Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad[1]
Ex-MKT #142, an RS3m
Overview
HeadquartersBaldwin City, Kansas
Reporting markLLG (for Class III subsidiary Baldwin City & Southern Railroad)
LocaleDouglas and Franklin counties, Kansas, United States
Dates of operation1987–2023
PredecessorAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF)[1]
SuccessorOttawa Northern Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length11 miles (18 km)[1]

The Midland Railway was a heritage railroad operating a short line in Franklin County and Douglas County in Kansas between Ottawa, Kansas and Baldwin City, Kansas.

It was chartered in 1982 to find an abandoned railroad line to operate. Midland purchased the line from Baldwin City to Ottawa from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) in 1987, and began running excursion trains on part of the line later that year. Total length of the line is 11 miles (18 km).[1]

Midland operated a demonstration historic railroad, and its mission was to "educate the public about the role railroading played, and continues to play, in the commercial, social, and cultural life of America's Heartland." Midland's base of operations was the depot built in 1906 by the AT&SF at 1515 High Street in Baldwin City. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Kansas in 1983. Midland had received two matching federal grants to rebuild track. Private grants were used to rebuild railroad equipment. Starting in 2004, excursion trains were run all the way from Baldwin City to Ottawa.

The regular operating season ran from Memorial Day (last Monday of May) to October 31 (Halloween). Special events and fairs were held at various times through the year. Weekend Boy Scout camps were held in the spring and fall. Midland's Scout program was one of the few in the country to offer the Railroading merit badge.

History

Baldwin City & Southern Railroad

In 2019, the Midland Railway created a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary called the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad, but doing business as the Baldwin City & Southern Railroad (BC&SR).[1][2] The original plan was for the BC&SR to take over all active railroad operations, while Midland would focus on public education and historic preservation.[2][3] In November 2019 the BC&SR was awarded a $750,000 Kansas Department of Commerce grant to help with operational costs to transition from the all-volunteer model under which Midland operated, to an employee-based model, with a grant requirement to have at least 22 employees.[2] However, the BC&SR service was discontinued in March 2020 following a rent dispute with the operator of Baldwin City's historic train depot.[2]

Kansas Belle Dinner Train

The Kansas Belle Dinner Train was a dinner train which also operated out of the Baldwin City depot.[2][4][5] It utilized Midland Railway's track and locomotives but was separately owned.[2][4] The train suspended services on March 14, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed] After waiting four years for operations to resume,[5] the train set was sold in autumn of 2024.[4]

Midland Railroad

An entity called Midland Railroad LLC filed notice with the Surface Transportation Board on September 15, 2022 that it was acquiring this rail line, and intended to replace the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad d/b/a the Baldwin City & Southern Railroad as the common carrier service provider over said line.[6] However, this transaction was never completed.[7]

Ottawa Northern Railroad

On March 9, 2023, the Ottawa Northern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, filed notice with the Surface Transportation Board that it was acquiring the line, and replacing the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad d/b/a the Baldwin City & Southern Railroad Company as the common carrier service provider on it.[7] The notice indicated in part that there were currently no customers on the line, and accordingly, no shippers to notify.[7] As of April 2024, the Ottawa Northern Railroad indicates on its website that it completed the acquisition, and that plans are in the works to bring back the excursion trains.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Surface Transportation Board Decision Document". STB.gov. Surface Transportation Board. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jones, Elvyn (March 8, 2020). "Baldwin City & Southern Evicted from Depot, Ends Tourist Rides". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  3. ^ Jones, Elvyn (January 6, 2020). "Midland Railway Has Ambitious Plans in Wake of Recent Success and $750K Grant". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Jones, Elvyn (April 30, 2021). "Midland Railway Settles Three Lawsuits, Uncertain When Tourist Rides Will Resume". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Message to Our Customers". Kansas Belle Dinner Train. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "Midland Railroad, LLC – Acquisition and Change in Operator Exemption – Midland Historical Railway Association". Surface Transportation Board, Federal Register, September 15, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Ottawa Northern Railroad LLC—Acquisition and Change in Operator Exemption—Midland Historical Railway Association" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board, Federal Register. March 9, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  8. ^ "Ottawa Northern Railroad". RockIslandRail. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Railway_(Kansas)