I do not have any information on this abandoned route. If you know anything about this route, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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I do not know if the line to Emporia went to Burlington? My Grandfather used to ride a Doodlebug to Emporia and Erie from the Chanute MKT depot. I will try to get you some pictures when I go back a visit. There are some old rail cars setting around and you can still see some of the line.
John Hutinett Chanute, KS 12/24/2010
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The line from Chanute to Burlington was part of the Neosho Division that ran about 200 miles from Parsons to Junction City. It followed the Neosho River from its head waters southeast of Junction City all the way to Parsons. It had light rail and not much traffic. It was built in the 1880's to give the Katy a connection with the old Kansas Pacific (now U.P.) mainline from K.C. to Denver at Junction City. Most of the line was abandoned in the early sixties when large Federal Reservoirs were built on the Neosho at Council Grove and Burlington. By that time there was not nearly enough traffic to justify re-routing the line around the new lakes. The Parsons to Burlington section of the line survived into the seventies but it too was finally abandoned.
Chris B. Cottrell McPherson, KS 12/26/2010
Actually the 30 mile Chanute-Parsons portion survived almost until the UP takeover of the Katy. I remember seeing MKT trains running through Chanute in Summer of 86'. They finally abandoned it after a major flood in the fall of that year. Also the Chanute-Humboldt portion was abandoned in 1969 with everything else north of that abandoned in 1957.
Wade B Denver, CO 1/25/2011