V&S Railway
Encyclopedia
The V&S Railway is a shortline railroad
that operates two disconnected lines in the U.S. state
of Kansas
. It is affiliated with A&K Railroad Materials, a scrap dealer. The company acquired its first line, a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
line between Medicine Lodge and a BNSF Railway
junction at Attica, from the Central Kansas Railway
in 2000. In 2006 it expanded its operations by acquiring from the Hutchinson and Northern Railway a short segment of former interurban
in eastern Hutchinson, where it interchange
s with the BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad
, and Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
. The V&S also operates a line in Colorado
as the Towner Railway, which began serving a former Missouri Pacific Railroad
line that had most recently been the Colorado, Kansas and Pacific Railway in 2005. Other railroads under common control with the V&S are the out-of-service Kern Valley Railroad in Colorado
, the Gloster Southern Railroad
in Louisiana
and Mississippi
, the Grenada Railway and Natchez Railway in Mississippi, and the Southern Manitoba Railway
in Manitoba
.
, opened a branch from Attica to Medicine Lodge in August 1885, and another Santa Fe predecessor, the Denver, Kansas and Gulf Railway, completed a line from Kiowa through Medicine Lodge to Belvidere in 1907. In January 1993, the Central Kansas Railway
took over operation from the Santa Fe on the remaining piece between Attica and Sun City, and in late 2000 the V&S Railway bought the line. Abandonment between Medicine Lodge and Sun City was authorized in 2003.
A portion of the Hutchinson line was opened by the Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
in December 1915 as the end of a line from Wichita, and the Hutchinson and Northern Railway built the remainder in 1923 as a connecting electric freight line. The H&N later acquired a piece of the interurban and dieselize
d its lines. The V&S acquired the entire property of the H&N in 2006.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
that operates two disconnected lines in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Kansas
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...
. It is affiliated with A&K Railroad Materials, a scrap dealer. The company acquired its first line, a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
line between Medicine Lodge and a BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
junction at Attica, from the Central Kansas Railway
Central Kansas Railway
The Central Kansas Railway was a short-line railroad operating of trackage in the U.S. state of Kansas and west to Towner, Colorado, most all of which were former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines...
in 2000. In 2006 it expanded its operations by acquiring from the Hutchinson and Northern Railway a short segment of former interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
in eastern Hutchinson, where it interchange
Interchange (freight rail)
In freight rail transport, interchange is the practice of railroads conveying freight cars from other companies over their lines...
s with the BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, and Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad
The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in the western United States.The tracks Kansas and Oklahoma operate on include the Kansas City-Colorado main line formerly operated by the Missouri Pacific and later Union Pacific railways....
. The V&S also operates a line in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
as the Towner Railway, which began serving a former Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
line that had most recently been the Colorado, Kansas and Pacific Railway in 2005. Other railroads under common control with the V&S are the out-of-service Kern Valley Railroad in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, the Gloster Southern Railroad
Gloster Southern Railroad
The Gloster Southern Railroad is a United States shortline railroad that operates in Mississippi and Louisiana. The GLSR began operation in 1986 and provides freight service from Gloster, Mississippi, to the Illinois Central Railroad interchange at Slaughter, Louisiana.The line was owned by...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, the Grenada Railway and Natchez Railway in Mississippi, and the Southern Manitoba Railway
Southern Manitoba Railway
Southern Manitoba Railway was incorporated in July 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The railway is 80 miles long and provides transportation for the movement of grain and grain products. SMNR interchanges traffic with the Canadian National Railway at Morris, Manitoba.As of the fall of 2007,...
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
History
The Southern Kansas Railway, a predecessor of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
, opened a branch from Attica to Medicine Lodge in August 1885, and another Santa Fe predecessor, the Denver, Kansas and Gulf Railway, completed a line from Kiowa through Medicine Lodge to Belvidere in 1907. In January 1993, the Central Kansas Railway
Central Kansas Railway
The Central Kansas Railway was a short-line railroad operating of trackage in the U.S. state of Kansas and west to Towner, Colorado, most all of which were former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines...
took over operation from the Santa Fe on the remaining piece between Attica and Sun City, and in late 2000 the V&S Railway bought the line. Abandonment between Medicine Lodge and Sun City was authorized in 2003.
A portion of the Hutchinson line was opened by the Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
The Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway 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.-Construction:Construction began in 1910...
in December 1915 as the end of a line from Wichita, and the Hutchinson and Northern Railway built the remainder in 1923 as a connecting electric freight line. The H&N later acquired a piece of the interurban and dieselize
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
d its lines. The V&S acquired the entire property of the H&N in 2006.