I recently took Amtrak from Kansas City to Mendota IL. I will be returning to Blue Springs Mo. around Thanksgiving and would like to railfan the BNSF. Anyone know of good spots to railfan in this area? Tim
First thing, get a Missouri road map. There's not a "straight" road here in the "state of missery". Take Hiway 7 north out of Blue Springs. From there you'll hit a couple of different Hiways............24 is the main one. The following towns are great ATSF/NS mainline viewing: Henrietta, and any little town heading east from KC. I like Hardin, and the next little town. You'll see the BNSF mainline from Chicago, along with the NS mainline. They run next to each other and share lines. Some really nice viewing. Right south of Buckner, which is right south of Blue Springs, you'll see a power plant smoke stack. That's where the BNSF mainline crosses the MO river. I used to go there a lot, but now that security is a MAJOR issue, I stay away. A lot of eyes on that bridge area. It's old,single track, and the mainline bridge on the Chicago-West route. You can spend a full day visiting these little towns, and basically drive a circle, and end up back in Blue Springs. FWIW, Buckner has a great Hobby Shop with tons of HO and N scale stuff. The UP (old Mopac) line runs through Bucker. Hope this helps a little. Enjoy some train watching in "missery":thumbs_up:
Thanks for the info. Exactly what I was looking for. My In-laws live right off Duncan Rd and hwy 7. Not too far from good viewing areas. Will post after trip Thanks a bunch, TIM
Is Marcilene a good spot? I would think so, It made Disney love the Santa Fe so much, he built a billion dollar theme park around a railroad. I wish I was that inspired.
Marcelene is a great spot. They still have the concrete coaling towers standingmg: It's the double track section of the ATSF, and can be very busy at times. A very nice little town too. A small piece of history that's fun to visit.
