Location: Iola, Kansas
The day has finally come, the Kansas Grain Belt is shutting down for the foreseeable future. Soon the Great Plywood Glacier the railroad resides on will be no more.
The remaining freight cars in Iola Yard have been marshaled into one final train:
The KGB’s two remaining steam locomotive have been pressed into this final duty. The train will officially terminate in Santa Fe’s Argentine Yard in Kansas City, Kansas.
A small crowd of employees have gathered to observe this melancholy event. Some will move on to other railroads, while others will simply retire:
Our photographer captures the train on its departure. The brakeman salutes his friends and coworkers as the waycar passes:
Soon all is silent. The sound of the locomotives and clickity-clack of trucks on jointed rail fades from the ear as Kyle, one of the road’s longest serving employees, takes one last look before heading home:
Rusty
