The 1910 former ATSF Depot and the original 1872 main in Great Bend gets a short visit from Watco Companies' Wisconsin & Southern business train on a run between Hutchinson and the Bend, entertaining guests from the Bartlett Grain Company in conjunction with their opening of a new 3 million bushel facility east of town.
This pocket streamliner in front of this station isn't too much of a stretch, being that warbonnets, also wearing red and silver, once called here with Santa Fe varnish.
The train's passengers disembarked at the grain elevator for a luncheon and a tour of the facility. The empty equipment continued west to turn on a recently restored to service wye between the K&O Great Bend Sub. and the Scott City Sub.
From there it will head back east to pick up the invited guests, and continue back to Yaggy Yard near Hutch, where the passengers will trade their railcars for a bus ride back to Wichita.
Speaking of more "recent" passenger train history on this line, I'm told even Amtrak #3 detoured on the 5th District in the 1970's when this railroad was still maintained to 49 MPH standards!
Locomotive: WSOR 101
4-30-15
Great Bend, KS
