Touring the Emporia Subdivision of the Santa Fe

The Allen Keller tour of Stephen and Cynthia Priest’s Emporia Subdivision of the Santa Fe model railroad begins as Train 991 leaves the yard with its string of piggybacks. On the point is an FP-45 5948 and an SD-45 5408. The big train is bound for Kansas City. Here at Belle Plaine is the longest siding on the line and our first sighting of a Kansas Prairie skyscraper. Train 991 crosses a road, and the FP-45 treads out over the Cimarron River.

At the siding called Cow Thunder, an RSD-15 waits with its grain train for the hotshot to pass. The track below belongs to Rock Island which interchanges with the Santa Fe at Mulvington. There are four of five industries at Mulvington that require a lot of switching by locals. A Rock Island jeep 38-2 pulls to the interchange as Number 991 passes. After Mulvington, the train passes by a ranch in the flat hills where there is an active oil well.

The two Rock Island jeeps have running rights all the way to Emporium. They then come to the beginning of a steep downgrade. Allen Keller is pleased to see a very nice billboard from the Emporia Chamber of Commerce welcoming Allen Keller Productions. The train goes behind the backdrop to reach the lower level of the layout.

Number 991 reemerges at Augusta, home of the Texaco Refinery. The town still has its depot and Kasper Electronics. On the outskirts of town, we pass the elevator and oil. This crossing of the Cottonwood River has a ballasted deck bridge. The two sidings at Bruski can pull two trains each. For more Allen Keller videos, or to tour the Burlington Northern Santa Fe model train layout, visit the Model Railroad Academy archives.