kcrailfan.com
Railfan Headquarters for the
Greater Kansas City Area
South Kansas City Hotspots
Dodson Industrial
District
Vantage
Points:
East 85th St & Prospect Ave - This
general area is a good location to view Union Pacific trains on
the ex-Missouri Pacific line to Little Rock. In years past,
Dodson was the jumping off point for the Frisco line to
Clinton, MO and also the Kansas City Public Service Company and
it's fleet of 184 PCC streetcars that ended service in
1957.
Train
Frequency:
30-50 trains daily
What
You'll See:
Union
Pacific: coal trains, stack trains, intermodal and
manifest trains.
Security
Concerns:
Not a big problem in the daytime. The
area is somewhat of a high crime area so I wouldn't hang around
after dark.
GPS Address
2700 E 85th St - Kansas City, MO
How to Get
There:
From I-70 - Exit to South I-435 (Exit
8A) and go south to East 87th St. Turn right after exiting.
East 87th St winds around and comes down to a stop sign at East
85th St. (1.5 miles) Make a left and stay on East 85th until
you reach the tracks, which are less than a mile.
Grandview
Vantage
Points:
3rd & Main Street - There
is an abandoned parking lot near this intersection on the
southwest side of the tracks that is a good spot to observe the
action. Most northbound trains stop at the nearby signal before
proceeding into Kansas City. A block east of the KCS tracks is
the old Frisco line to Springfield, MO via Clinton, MO.
Also,
Show Me Model Railroad, is a
fully-stocked hobby shop at 810 Main in Grandview. You'll
pass it on the way to 3rd and Main Street on the right-hand
side of the street.
Train
Frequency:
20-30 trains daily
What you'll
see:
Kansas City Southern: coal trains, stack trains,
intermodal, grain and manifest trains.
Security
Concerns:
Not a problem in the daytime. The
area is not well lighted so I wouldn't hang around
after dark, as the Grandview police drive by quite
often.
GPS Address
300 Main St - Grandview, MO
How
to Get There:
From I-70 - Exit to South I-435
(Exit 8A) and go south to the Main Street exit in Grandview.
Exit and turn right (west) and go through downtown Grandview to
the tracks (0.9 mile)
Interesting books about
Kansas City Southern -
Belton
While not a "hotspot" for train watching,
Belton is home to the Belton, Grandview and Kansas City
Railroad. The BG & KC is a short line passenger
railroad and demonstration museum that offers a 5 mile
excursion along the old Frisco Line that ran from Kansas
City to Springfield, MO. They offer a 60 seat passenger car,
open excursion car and even have a few seats available in
the caboose and locomotive.
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