Kansas City has most rail tonnage

Kansas City wouldn't have been in my top 5.

-Greg

I might have thought Chicago, but thinking about it, there's probably a lot more grain, oil, and coal - the big tonnage cargo - passing through KC than a place like Chicago. A few years ago, KC and St. Louis were the #2 and #3 biggest rail hubs in the nation. KC apparently went to the top more recently. Given the fact that this area is dead center in the middle of the country, it makes sense that a lot of freight tonnage passes through KC and St. L on the way to other places.

KC is top by tonnage. Chicago is still far and away number 1

when it comes to number of trains.

I know that the UP (Parsons Sub), BNSF (Fort Scott Sub) and KCS (Pittsburg Sub) run lots of coal trains that move south out of KC.  At 15,000 tons each, total tonnage adds up quick.

I didn't even know KCS was still in business until I saw it on the stock ticker.  Good for them.

 

Rick

K.C. must have more loaded trains? I would have guessed Chicago as well. The map doesn't show the new intermodal yard BNSF recently built south west of the city. I imagine that would be counted in the tonnage though?

 

KCS is alive and doing quite well. I think they got like 50 or so new ES44AC's last year and some SD70's as well. 

Railroad Terminals in KC

 

BNSF (Argentine Yards) KCK  

BNSF Logistics park (Edgerton KS

CSX KCMO

KCS KCMO

NS- Voltz Yard KCMO

UP Neff Yard KCMO

 

rtr12,

Thank you, that is very interesting info. to know about.

I had no idea either.

Ralph

Here is some more info. We can thank Trains map for all this info. This is also more than I thought. Knew most of them they were there, but seems like there are a lot more when seeing them all on a map at one time. I knew NS had trackage rights with BNSF for intermodal service to Argentine yard. I did not know they had yards here and switched the Claycomo Ford plant? It was an interesting map.

 

K.C Rail Yards shown on map:

BNSF - Argentine Yard (KCK)

BNSF - Murray Yard (KCMO)

BNSF - 10th Street Yard (KCMO)

KAW - Mill Street Yard (KCK)

KAW - 19th Street Yard (KCMO)

KCS/CP - Knoche Yard KCS/CP Joint Agency Yard (KCMO)

NS - North K.C. Yard (N.KCMO)

NS - Voltz Yard (Claycomo)

NS - Voltz Triple Crown Intermodal Terminal (Claycomo)

UP - 18th Street Yard (KCK)

UP - Armourdale Yard (KCK)

UP - Armstrong Yard (KCK)

UP - Glen Park Yard (KCMO & KCK)

UP - Neff Yard (KCMO)

UP - Quindaro Yard (KCK)

 

Not shown on map:

BNSF - Edgerton Intermodal (Edgerton KS) Just S.W. of Kansas City. This is a new facility within the last few years. Not sure it is completely finished yet, but could be?

 

A little more info (five Class 1's & Amtrak)

Railroads are: BNSF, CP, Kaw River Railroad, KCS, KC Terminal, NS, UP & Amtrak.

Kansas City Terminal is jointly owned by BNSF, CP, KCS, NS  UP. Amtrak runs on it.

BNSF maintains tracks. Kaw does all local switching on KC Terminal tracks.

 

There are also seven contract repair shops: Rail Car Services, Kansas City Railcar Services, Greenbrier Railcar Services (2 locations), American Railcar Industries, GATX Rail Shop, Mid-America Car and Midwest Locomotive.

 

Now if I can just remember all this...  

 

Oops, missed two, just added them. Also added the contract repair shops in KC. 

Don't the major transcons of BNSF and UP pass through Kansas City...not to mention all the same heading in other directions.

 

I wonder how many daily trains one can see at Union Station, Santa Fe Junction, or the other junction (forgot the name).  I know BNSF Transcon is about 150 trains alone.

The main class 1's tracks all go around Union Station now, it looks like. It seems like there has been a lot of track removed near Union Station as well. There are a LOT of junctions on the map. The ones just west of Union Station are Adams St. Jct, BN Jct, Chicago Jct,High Line Jct, Santa Fe Jct. and West Bluff Jct. These are all in the area where the old KC Terminal roundhouse was and on the way to the UP Armstrong yard and BNSF Argentine yard. There are more scattered around the rest of the map.

 

Will see if I can find any info about train daily count. That would also be interesting to know.

I have been Railfanning Kansas City for almost 10 years. It is a railfan's dream come true.

I like it much better than Chicago or anywhere else in the nation I have been As a railfan. Kansas City hosts over 500 trains per day. At the Santa Fe Interchange/Flyover you can often see six trains in motion at once. For some of my Professional railroad photos of Kansas City and around the nation, go to:

 

www.scaramouchephoto.com

Thanks for the info on daily trains, that's also good to know. And thanks for the picture link too, nice pictures. I need to visit the Santa Fe Interchange area and check it out.