Moline Helper

[W. Gray]

This is Santa Fe locomotive 3102, a locally "famous" locomotive that lived in Moline. It was dubbed the "Moline Helper."

By day, the engine worked at its specialty.

By night, the engine slept in one stall of a two-stall Moline engine house. The other stall held the Howard branch locomotive that had pulled its train from Emporia earlier in the day and would head back to Emporia the next day pulling in the other direction.

The Moline Helper only existed because of one town (not Moline). What was the name of that town and what was the purpose of the Moline Helper?

[redcliffsw]

The purpose of the Helper was probably to help a train get up hill to Grand Summit.

[W. Gray]

The purpose of the Helper was probably to help a train get up hill to Grand Summit.

Right on.

The Moline Helper existed solely because of a place called Grand Summit, Kansas.

Grand Summit is about one mile west of Elk County and a little over one mile straight north of US 160.

Even though it was a shipping point, the town was of little importance in terms of population never getting any larger than 50 souls. The post office went out in the 1930s and the town no longer exists but there is still a long siding at the location.

To the railroad, though, Grand Summit was extremely important.

Grand Summit was high, sitting at an elevation of 1,460 feet.

Railroads adhered to grades of around one percent wherever possible.

The final ascent to Grand Summit from the east is on a 1.5 percent grade. Depending on train length, locomotives could not pull their train to the Summit without help.

The Moline Helper coupled onto a westbound train in Moline and helped the train get to Grand Summit. From Grand Summit the Moline Helper uncoupled and headed back to Moline running backwards.

The westbound train then "coasted" into Cambridge, Burden, and Winfield.

The Moline Helper also had a secondary job. If the Howard Branch locomotive was not able, the Moline Helper pulled the northbound train to Emporia.

If the Moline Helper was pulling to Emporia, any train west bound that day from Moline would drop some of its cars in Moline and take the grade to Grand Summit by itself. The dropped cars would be picked up another day by another westbound when the helper became available.

[Wilma]

That was very interesting.  I wonder, is it possible to find the site of Grand Summit now?  Is there a road that my Grand Caravan could navigate?  Might make an interesting day trip.

[W. Gray]

That was very interesting.  I wonder, is it possible to find the site of Grand Summit now?  Is there a road that my Grand Caravan could navigate?  Might make an interesting day trip.

Here is a map. The vertical green line is the Elk County border just west of Grenola.

The road going north is 333 road according to Google. It goes across the tracks going southwest to Cambridge.

333 goes across the tracks and then swings around close to what was Grand Summit.

Never been there, myself.

[ddurbin]

Yes, Wilma.  You can get to Grand Summit by car as Waldo's map indicates.
The gravel road is fairly well maintained. I've been fortunate enough to also gone
through it twice by rail, eastbound and westbound both times, on excursion trips
from Winfield.  My first trip went all the way to Fredonia and back.  The 2nd trip
only went as far as Grenola before returning.  Thoroughly enjoyed seeing familar
country from a different perspective.

[W. Gray]

Another version of Google has the road as Ferguson Ranch Road.

There appears to be no street sign at the intersection, but the ground level view is from 2008.

[Wilma]

I think I want to go there.  Wish I could do it by train, but I don't think I will be taking any train rides unless someone lifts me up and into the passenger car.  Looks as if my Caravan is the way to go.

[W. Gray]

Let us know how it goes, what you see, etc.

[Bullwinkle]

       There is a sign for the Ferguson ranch on the highway.