SD45s 922 and 934 and Caboose 1710 at Kansas City, Missouri on June 24, 1980.
SD45s 922 and 934, and Caboose 1710
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The train is southbound on the Kansas City Subdivision. The extra train (note the illuminated classification (class) lights) has just departed Kansas City (19th Street Yard), mile post 0.0 (MP 0.0). The photographer is standing at the grade crossing with West 25th Street. Just ahead is the multi-track diamond crossing at Tower 4 with the Kansas City Terminal (KCT) Railway, MP 1.6. The crossing is just northwest of the KCT roundhouse complex and former passenger coach yard.
After passing Tower 4, 29th Street Interlocking, MP 2.0, and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (MKT or Katy) Railway’s Glen Park Yard, it will drop the caboose at the north end of Rosedale Yard, MP 3.9. A Frisco switch engine will place the caboose on the rear of its freight train. The road locomotives will proceed to the south end of the yard and back onto the balance of its train.
After pumping air through the train line, performing a set and release of the brakes, obtaining a clearance card (and possibly orders) and receiving permission to depart the train will cross Turkey Creek and proceed up Lenexa Hill. As it climbs out of the valley, the tracks cross Turkey Creek four additional times. Ten miles later the train will top the hill near the Lenexa depot, MP 13.9. Hopefully, they will have an uneventful trip south to the next crew change point, Ft. Scott, Kansas, MP 98.6
Deck truss bridge at the horizon line is West Kansas Avenue (KC, KS), West 22 Street / Avenida Cesar E. Chavez (KC, MO). The roadway name changes as it crosses the state line just east of the Kansas River. The dark arch just above the roadway is the top of one of the three 1905 built through truss spans for the 740’ lift bridge over the Kansas River of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific (CRIP) Railroad. This route provided access into the West Bottoms industrial area, their freight house and team track located at 1400 South Wyoming Street West, Kansas City, MO 64102.
Above these, on the far left edge is the top of the Cross Lines Towers at 1021 North 7th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66101. The building was originally built in 1951 and opened as the Town House Hotel. Later (1961) it was renamed the Town House Motor Hotel. The 15 story, 300 room and 4 suite hotel is 175’ tall. Today it is the third tallest building in Kansas City, Kansas and the tallest in that city’s downtown area.
The hotel often hosted visiting American Football Conference / League and Negro Leagues Baseball teams. At the time, “non-white” and integrated teams were not accepted as guests in major hotels on the Missouri side of the state line. This accommodation issue can be traced back to 1861, when Kansas was admitted to the Union as an anti-slavery “free state”.
The building is most famous for a special guest, with a tragic ending. From March 3 – 5, 1963 the hotel hosted popular country singer Patsy Cline. She was in town for a charity benefit concert for local radio disc jockey at KCKN/KCMK, 93.3 FM, “Cactus” Jack Call. He had been killed in an automobile accident at US 40 Highway and South Sterling Avenue in Independence, Missouri in January. The next day after the concert, Patsy was unable to fly out of Fairfax Airport due to fog. She and three others flew out in a private airplane on March 5. Tragically, she, at age 30, and the others died later that day in a plane crash in rural Tennessee on her way back home to Nashville. The crash was the result of a non-instrument rated pilot flying in inclement weather at night.
The Town House closed due to financial problems in 1970. It reopened in 1971 as the Ramada Inn City Center. By the end of the decade it too had closed. In March, 1979, the building was sold and with financial assistance from Federal grants and subsidies became income controlled retirement apartments.
The next building to the right is a nine story professional office tower, with more slender three story elevator and building services utility penthouse. The ownership of the building in the downtown business district has changed over the years. The building is currently owned by the aptly named leasing firm Kansas City Kansas Properties, LLC. It is located at 607 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101.
To the right of the third telephone pole from the left is the steeple of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 708 North 4th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66101. The historically ethnic Croatian parish was established in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood during 1900. The three story brick on a stone foundation church building cornerstone was laid in 1904.
View is looking north northwest.
Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Mark