Giving Back
Riding the Rails Kansas City Northern Railroad Stays on Track Article and Photography Pete Dulin
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ifty cents is a small price to pay for a ticket to ride a train at the Kansas City Northern Railroad. For a couple of quarters, folks can hop aboard and ride the sleek Southern Belle, The Eagle or the City of Kansas City. Each miniature train runs along a halfmile track and makes two loops. Passengers may not travel far, but the trip is still a journey worth taking. Kansas City Northern Railroad, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization (KCNRR.com), works in partnership with the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department to operate three restored miniature trains at the depot located in Line Creek Park. Each train hauls up to 48 passengers. The trains traverse a scenic route through a stone tunnel, past Creekview, Groundhog Hollow, Waukomis Bend and over the High Bridge. Sound charming? The five-minute trip is worth every penny. The history of the Kansas City Northern Railroad dates back to 1984, when the Parks and Recreation Department wanted to restore an old Swope Park Zoo train for operation. A group of volunteers organized, including current president of KC Northern Railroad Walter Ohrnell, to see what could be done. He recalls that day 30 years ago when volunteers inspected the Kansas City
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Southern, now named the Southern Bell. “It was one cold day on January 4th,” says Ohrnell, a 33-year Northland resident. “The train was in terrible shape.” The train entered service in 1953 at the Kansas City Zoo and ran in Swope Park until 1972 when it was retired. The train was stored initially in a North Kansas City warehouse. Parts were later stored until 1984 in Parkville and also near Worlds of Fun. Broken, rusted, and covered in red, green, and silver paint from its use as a Santaland ride at one time, the train’s restoration was a major undertaking. By 1992, volunteers completed the overhaul to working condition and the first train began running at the Line Creek Depot. Since then, the organization has acquired and restored two more trains. The second train originally operated in 1955 as a locomotive at the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Zoo. It was secured from a group in Manhattan, Kan., where it ran in the city park. The third train, a model dubbed the Missouri Pacific, once ran at the Ross Park Zoo in 1963 in Binghampton, New York. Kansas City Northern purchased the rusted