Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway (AVI) was an interurban railway that operated in Kansas
, serving Wichita
, Newton
, and Hutchinson
. It operated a small fleet of passenger and freight equipment. Service was suspended prior to World War II
and never resumed.
. On November 19, 1910 the line from Wichita to Valley Center
was officially opened, and service was extended to Sedgwick on December 17. The next year construction began on the Segwick-Newton segment, which was opened on October 9, 1911. With the completion of the line to Newton work began on the line to Halstead
, which branched off of the Newton line at Van Arsdale Junction and headed straight west for five miles. This section opened late in 1911. It was not until 1915 that construction began on extending the Halstead branch another 24 miles to reach Hutchinson, but work commenced in April of that year and the first AVI car ran to Hutchinson on December 20, 1915. The only other branch operated by the AVI was a short line north from Newton to Bethel College
which opened in 1913 and was abandoned in 1925.
s. In November 1939 the line was sold, changing its name to Arkansas Valley Railway. Dieselization
came within a year, and the last electric operation was made on October 20, 1940 by a trio of interurban cars held in storage since abandonment of passenger service. Following this run the wires came down and all freight was hauled by diesel. This only lasted a year and a half; in July 1942 the War Production Board
requisitioned the line for scrap
and the track was torn up.
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, serving Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Newton
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
, and Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
. It operated a small fleet of passenger and freight equipment. Service was suspended prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and never resumed.
Construction
Construction began in 1910 on the first 17.8 mile long section from Wichita north to SedgwickSedgwick, Kansas
Sedgwick is a city in Harvey and Sedgwick counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,695.-History:Sedgwick was named after John Sedgwick, who was a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
. On November 19, 1910 the line from Wichita to Valley Center
Valley Center, Kansas
Valley Center is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,822.-History:Valley Center was incorporated on September 29, 1885, and was named for its location on the Arkansas River....
was officially opened, and service was extended to Sedgwick on December 17. The next year construction began on the Segwick-Newton segment, which was opened on October 9, 1911. With the completion of the line to Newton work began on the line to Halstead
Halstead, Kansas
Halstead is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. Halstead was named in honor of Murat Halstead, a respected Civil War correspondent and newspaper editor. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,085.-History:...
, which branched off of the Newton line at Van Arsdale Junction and headed straight west for five miles. This section opened late in 1911. It was not until 1915 that construction began on extending the Halstead branch another 24 miles to reach Hutchinson, but work commenced in April of that year and the first AVI car ran to Hutchinson on December 20, 1915. The only other branch operated by the AVI was a short line north from Newton to Bethel College
Bethel College (Kansas)
Bethel College is a private college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The college is located on the edge of the Flint Hills and the vast wheat fields of south central Kansas in the town of North Newton...
which opened in 1913 and was abandoned in 1925.
Decline
The Depression affected the AVI as it did all interurban lines, and revenues declined due to the economy as well as increased automobile use. On July 31, 1938 all passenger service on the AVI was abandoned, but the line continued hauling freight using its electric locomotives and box motorBox motor
A box motor, in railroad terminology, is a self-propelled boxcar, normally powered by electricity and running on an interurban railway or a streetcar line. Many box motors were converted from passenger cars on the systems that ran them, with the seats and most of the windows removed and large...
s. In November 1939 the line was sold, changing its name to Arkansas Valley Railway. Dieselization
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
came within a year, and the last electric operation was made on October 20, 1940 by a trio of interurban cars held in storage since abandonment of passenger service. Following this run the wires came down and all freight was hauled by diesel. This only lasted a year and a half; in July 1942 the War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
requisitioned the line for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
and the track was torn up.