Excursion Train in Hutchinson Kansas

This train on the trestle in Carey Park in Hutchinson may look unassuming, but there's something very different about it. It's carrying passengers. Including my friend, Greg Holmes.



Lets see what happiness looks like close up...



It has been a rainy day, as you can see on the window, but that has not diminished Greg's fun. Or that of other folks riding the train. I snapped these photos as the train was blocking Main Street in Hutchinson for folks to load for the trip back to Wichita, after having lunch at the Anchor Inn.



According to their website, this excursion train was operated by WATCO companies, Inc., the Kansas & Oklahoma railroad, and the Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Club. Yesterday there was a ride from Wichita to Yoder and back, and today from Wichita to Hutchinson and back. Today's ride is on the K&O's Hutchinson Subdivision (former Missouri Pacific lines) via Maize, Colwich, Mount Hope, and Haven, and Yoder, KS.

I picked Greg up after he had lunch to drive him to his house for a couple of things, then took him back right before the train boarded for the return trip to Wichita. I couldn't resist taking photos and even a video of the train leaving Hutchinson. You can see Greg in the video, including that distinctive jerk when a train starts pulling out.



Then I headed to Carey Park and walked up on the levee to get a shot of the train as it passed over the Arkansas River. (That's pronounced "R-Kansas" if you live in Kansas, but it's still "Ark-an-saw" if you live in any of the other states it runs through.)



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