to the north where you are right next to the tracks. South of the Highway 58 overpass, the pace of road traffic and life in general is much slower. From mileposts 29 to 62.4 at Amsterdam, there are many photo opportunities easily accessible from county roads. Drive west off the Highway 58 overpass and turn left (south) on Missouri Highway D. This road will take you to many grade-level crossings near or in the tiny community of Cleveland (population 661), the passing siding and hamlet of Jaudon, and the siding and town of Drexel (just over 1,000 residents). From Drexel, take local highways 18 and Y to Amsterdam. Main Street of this little place (population 262) has a one- block downtown reminiscent of the rural South. Nearby is a Dutch windmill and a KCS caboose. On the town’s south edge there is a nice overpass (Route J), from which you can get good elevated photos of southbounds. From Amoret (six miles south of the Amsterdam overpass) to the passing siding at Eve (milepost 98.9), the line is very hard to follow. There are few good roads in this somewhat depressing territory, which was once the site of surface coal mines. I recommend that you take Highway J west a few miles from Amsterdam past the huge La
Cygne power station and lake to U.S. Highway 69. This fast four-lane road will take you quickly to Fort Scott, Kan. Here you exit onto U.S. Highway 54 east, which will lead you to a relatively open overpass on the north end of the Eve passing siding. Vistas are good in either direction, although sun angles nearly always favor southbounds. South of here the terrain is tough to navigate, so I suggest you return west to Fort Scott and continue south on Highway 69. With enough patience and a Kansas highway map or Kansas DeLorme Atlas, you can find your way to Mulberry (population 516), just west of the Missouri line. On the south edge of town, take East 14th Street east to the overpass, which is called Missouri Highway P. Here you can get shots of southbounds as they go past the south end of the Mulberry passing siding. Then retrace your steps to the west and turn south once again on U.S. 69 for the short drive to the crew change point. The final stop on this KCS subdivision
is Pittsburg, Kan. In addition to the yard and crew change point, the town has restaurants, motels, and convenience stores. There is an overhead shot just north of the yard at Cayuga Street. This road loops south and becomes Rouse Avenue, which you can take to another
overpass location, East 21st Street. Just below it is the yard office. Unfortunately there is a big chain link fence on either side of this small bridge, but by walking beyond the fence on the west, you can get some acceptable photos. In addition, if you have a small lens, you can fit it through the fence and got a picture with a different angle. From the overpass west side beyond the fence, you can take a photograph of the big idling locomotives that crews attach to the rear or in the middle of heavy southbounds. While there on April 4, 2015, I counted 11 engines: seven Retro Belles, two KCS gray units, one UP, and one CSX engine. Earlier that day, I caught the QKCNL at Highway 58, getting photos of it there, at Cleveland, Amsterdam, and Eve before taking a few final shots in Pittsburg, where it got a new engineer and conductor and departed.
Enjoy the Chase Whether you follow a southbound
from Kansas City to the crew change point over 120 miles away, or you focus on a smaller segment of the line, the KCS Pittsburg Sub is worth your time. Despite the photographic challenges, there are rewards, especially capturing the growing number of great-looking Retro Belles.
BELOW: A southbound loaded grain train passes under the Highway 58 overpass on November 18, 2014. It has just passed the IFG CenterPoint intermodal yard located a short distance south of Grandview. CARL GRAVES
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