Lee's Summit Hotspots
Lee's Summit Amtrak Station
Railfan Vantage Point:
The "station"
itself is actually a shelter since Union Pacific sold the original Missouri Pacific station to the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce. The shelter is
still a good place for a railfan to get photos and observe. Nearly every train will be a
westbound as UP uses the River Sub for Eastbound trains. There are many good places to walk around near the
shelter and get good photos.
Train Frequency:
Freight - 30-40 a day
Amtrak - Eastbound:
Missouri River Runner to St. Louis scheduled at 8:51 am
Missouri River Runner to St. Louis scheduled at 4:36 pm
Amtrak - Westbound:
Missouri River Runner from St. Louis scheduled at 2:04 pm
Missouri River Runner from St. Louis scheduled at 8:50 pm
What
You'll See:
Union Pacific - A front row seat to westbound
freights including empty coal trains, stack trains, intermodal, manifest trains and Amtrak's Missouri
River Runner Trains. A daily local also goes eastbound to work the industries east of town, usually in
the morning and returns in the afternoon.
Missouri & North Arkansas - MNA runs several trains on UP tracks to Pleasant Hill,
where they enter their own line. A late morning train heads east and returns later in the afternoon. Several
times a week UP-powered coal trains bound for a power plant in Montrose, MO on MNA rails make the
eastbound assault on the Independence Hill and cut off at Pleasant Hill to head to Nevada where the locomotives
swap ends and go northeast to the power plant.
Security
Concerns:
Almost none. The station parking lot is well lighted at night and there is
plenty of lighted parking along the streets of downtown Lee's Summit. The Lee's Summit Police patrol
the area on a regular basis.
GPS Address
217 SW Main St - Lee's Summit, MO
How to
Get There:
From I-70 - Exit at Missouri Hwy 291 South/I-470 South (Exit 15A),
go South to Douglas St. (Exit 9, 7.4 miles), turn left on Douglas St, go to SE 3rd St. (2.3
miles), turn right and proceed to the tracks, cross tracks and turn right to the
station.
Harris Park
Railfan Vantage Point:
The park
is a good place to get photos and observe. Nearly every train will be a westbound as UP uses
the River Sub for eastbound trains. This is not as good as the Amtrak station for "up close" observation of
trains but is a good spot in the summer months because there are plenty of trees for shade. Many westbounds wait at
the signal before receiving clearance to head into Kansas City. The park closes at 11:00 pm.
Train Frequency:
Freight - 30-40 a day
Amtrak - Eastbound:
Missouri River Runner to St. Louis scheduled at 8:51 am
Missouri River Runner to St. Louis scheduled at 4:36 pm
Amtrak - Westbound:
Missouri River Runner from St. Louis scheduled at 2:04 pm
Missouri River Runner from St. Louis scheduled at 8:50 pm
What You'll See:
Union Pacific -
A front row seat to westbound freights including empty coal, stack trains, intermodal, manifest trains and
Amtrak's Missouri River Runner trains. A daily local also goes eastbound to work the industries south of
town, usually in the morning and returns in the afternoon.
Missouri & North Arkansas - MNA runs several trains on UP tracks to Pleasant Hill,
where they enter their own line. A late morning manifest train heads east and it's westbound counterpart arrives
later in the afternoon. Several times a week UP-powered coal trains bound for a power plant in Montrose, MO on
MNA rails make the eastbound assault on the Independence Hill and cut off at Pleasant Hill to head to Nevada
where the locomotives swap ends and go northeast to the power plant.
Security
Concerns:
Almost none. After dark could be a problem as the Lee's Summit Police
will wonder what you're doing and they patrol the area on a regular basis.
GPS Address
110 SW Blue Parkway - Lee's Summit, MO
How to
Get There:
From I-70 - Exit at Missouri Hwy 291 South/I-470 South (Exit 15A),
go South to Douglas St. (Exit 9), turn left on Douglas St, go to SE 3rd St. (2.3 miles), turn
right and cross tracks, turn left at the 4 way stop (SW Market St) and follow SW Market St to Harris Park
on the left.
The park is near the intersection of US Hwy 50 and SW Jefferson St. if you are coming to Lee's Summit from US Hwy
50
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