Emporia, Kansas Depot Area · 2019. 3. 2. · Emporia, Kansas Depot Area (Compiled by Steve Sandifer) Passenger service through Emporia included nearly every main train on the Santa

Emporia, Kansas Depot Area (Compiled by Steve Sandifer)

Emporia: Depot Area

There were five items which make up this Depot page (west to east):

• Freight Depot

• Motor Car Shed

• Railway Express Agency Office

• Passenger Depot and Division Headquarters

• Harvey House (East of the Depot)

http://old.atsfrr.org/resources/Sandifer/Emporia/Depot/FH/FrtIndex.htm

http://old.atsfrr.org/resources/Sandifer/Emporia/Depot/Speed/Index.htm

http://old.atsfrr.org/resources/Sandifer/Emporia/Depot/REA/REAIndex.htm

http://old.atsfrr.org/resources/Sandifer/Emporia/Depot/PasIndex.htm

http://old.atsfrr.org/resources/Sandifer/Emporia/Depot/HH/HHIndex.htm


Passenger service through Emporia included nearly every main train on the Santa Fe. According

to the 1951 Official Guide: Serving Emporia:

Number Name Westbound Eastbound

#123/124 Grand Canyon, northern section 12:10 a.m. 3:20 a.m.

#123/124 Grand Canyon, northern section 12:10 a.m. 3:20 a.m.

#19/20 The Chief 12:15 a.m. 12:30 a.m.

#27/28 The Antelope (primarily mail/express, all Hwt, #27 set out

box express in Emporia) 12:55 a.m. 6:00 a.m.

#15/16 Texas Chief 3:45 a.m. 11:00

p.m.

#51/52 Motorcar, Emporia and Concordia, daily except Sunday 4:40 a.m. 4:35 p.m.

#55/56 Mixed, Emporia and Concordia, Sunday only 4:40 a.m. 5:40 p.m.

#96/95 Mixed, Emporia and Moline 6:30 a.m. 4:10 p.m.

#5/6 formerly The Ranger, (primarily mail/express) 10:55 a.m. 7:25 p.m.

#3/4 California Limited (Hwt) 11:00 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

#25/26 Motorcar, Emporia and Winfield 11:15 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

#11/12 (Chicago-Dallas) / Chicagoan 7:30 p.m. 9:55 a.m.

#23/24 Grand Canyon, southern section: 11:55 p.m. 3:30 a.m.

Blue indicated daylight passing.

Passing through but not stopping:

#21/22 El Capitan 3:30 a.m. 9:00 p.m.

#17/18 Super Chief 4:30 a.m. 3:30 a.m.

#7/8 Fast Mail Express

As of 8/7/47, doodlebugs assigned to 51-52 were M.115 and M.116. The M.115 was moved to

the Plains division in1956 for the Shattuck-Spearman run and was moved to the Waynoka-

Buffalo run in 1958. It made a final brief visit to the Shattuck-Spearman run at the end of 1959.

She was laid up in 1960 and sold 3/65. The M116 operated out of Emporia until moving to

Oklahoma in 1954 and back to the Middle division in 1958. She was sold 2/10.


Emporia: Passenger Depot

until 1925

Emporia's Depot and office building was

built in 1883-4. This building served as

the headquarters for the Eastern

Division for over 100 years. On April 27,

1986, the Eastern and Kansas City

Divisions were consolidated with

headquarters in Kansas City, leaving this

building. In June 1990, Emporia was

eliminated as a crew change point.

Postcards from the Wichita State University,

University Libraries, Department of Special

Collections


In 1924-5, the building was enlarged

with a new building built around the

old.

Postcard view, 1913. Harvey

House appears beyond the depot.

Copyright 1995-2001, The

Denver Public Library.


Emporia: Passenger Depot after 1925

In 1924-5, the building was enlarged with a new building built around the

old.

The west side of the depot,

1950. Walter Anderson Photo.

Jim Burke Photo


The east end of the depot.

Scott Thomas Collection.

The south (track) side of the depot, 1952. Scott Thomas Collection.

The west end of the depot.

Scott Thomas Collection.


The southeast corner of the

depot. Richard Hitchcock photo.

Above - Much later, the Harvey

House is gone, and the depot

windows covered. Walter

Anderson Collection.

Left - This 1935 photo shows the

southeast corner of the building

with the Harvey House just to the

east side and the covered

platform. Walter Anderson

Collection.


#12 The Chicagoan arrives, July

1954. Walter Anderson Photo


The north side of the

depot (rear), 1978.

Walter Anderson Photo.

The north side of the

depot (rear). Scott

Thomas Photo.


The southeast corner of the

depot. Richard Hitchcock photo.

The southwest corner

of the depot, 1990.

Evan Werkema Photo.


The east side of the depot.

Evan Werkema Photo.

The west end of the depot.

Evan Werkema Photo.


The depot burns, August 9, 1999. Scott Thomas Photo

After the fire, 1999.

Scott Thomas Photo.


The covered platform with the last depot, an

AmShack. Scott Thomas Photos


Emporia: Harvey House

The Harvey House was constructed just east of the

depot.

South side of the Harvey

House, 1904. Special

Collections, University of

Arizona Library.

Upper left - Newsstand, 1917.

Special Collections, University of

Arizona Library.

LEFT - Postcard, Wichita State

University, University Libraries,

Department of Special Collections

http://digital.library.arizona.edu/harvey/finding_aid/5ks/5/welcome.html




Southwest corner of the Harvey

House, 1909. Walter Anderson

Collection.

1919, Special Collections,

University of Arizona

Library.


Emporia: Freight Depot The Freight Depot area originally had 7 tracks, numbered

from 1-7 from the main line. Tracks 1&2 were parallel,

then a 900' wooden platform at car floor height, then tracks

3 & 4 before the Freight House. Tracks 5 &6 were close to

one another on the north side of the freight house and

finally track 7 (from 1923 Sanborn map). The Freight

House itself was 450' long, enough to have 10-11 cars at its

doors on track 4 with more beside those. Track #4 was

removed by 1950 when the above track plan was made. By

1977 #5 disappeared and industries moved to the site.

Between 1990 and 2000, all but one track was

removed.

1977 Click Book


1918 photo of the

southeast corner, Walter

Anderson Collection.

The same photo in color,

from a postcard, with

lesser detail. Wichita State

University, University

Libraries, Department of

Special Collections


Walter Anderson collection.

The Kansas snow chills this 1939 photo,



1978 photos by Scott Thomas.


Looking toward the east with heavy 1941 traffic being loaded and unloaded. Walter Anderson collection.


I have been trying to recreate the LCL (Less than Car Load) traffic that would have visited the Emporia Freight House. Keith Jordan

has provided the following from Circular 385, "Merchandise Schedules and LCL Freight Service," dated 11/1/46. These LCL routes

departed or terminated in Emporia and served:

Wiggam to Argentine Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Train 66

Strong City to Osborne Daily (or DES) Train 75

Saffordville to Osborne Wednesdays Train 59 (Chic-NCal Frt) 5:15p

Olpe to Moline Wednesdays and Fridays Mixed Train 96, 6:30a

Kansas City to Emporia Daily (or DES) Train 35 (KC-Denver Frt) 10:40p

Topeka to Emporia Daily (or DES) Train 97

Kansas City to Emporia Daily Train 27 Antelope, 12:55a


Emporia: Motor Car Building

The Motor Car Building was located to the west of the Railway Express.

Speeders, hand cars, or whatever you want to call the motorized track cars, were kept in this

building just west of the depot and REA building. 1984 photo, Walter Anderson Collection.

1984 photo, Walter Anderson Collection.


Emporia: Railway Express Building

The Railway Express building was located to the west of the depot. It outlasted the

depot but was torn down after the depot fire in 1999.

This photo shows the relationship of the two buildings.

Southeast corner in the days of horse and buggy.



Southeast corner, Scott

Thomas collection.

Eave detail, Scott

Thomas collection.

Dormer detail, Scott

Thomas collection.


Southwest corner after

the 1999 fire, Scott

Thomas collection.

Southwest corner, Scott Thomas collection.

Trackside furnished by Scott Thomas.


1989 photo, Walter Anderson Collection.

Documents

Emporia, Kansas Depot Area · 2019. 3. 2. · Emporia, Kansas Depot Area (Compiled by Steve Sandifer) Passenger service through Emporia included nearly every main train on the Santa