I am a train railfan. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed watching trains pass, especially freight trains.
As I've grown older, the history and influence of trains has become more important to me. Today's freight trains are mostly regional or national US oriented, and frequently just pass thru smaller towns.
However, during the earlier years of Kansas' history, railroads were a much important means of commerce. Both passenger and freight trains were important to communities. I've read of many instances of towns dying when they couldn't attract a railroad to pass thru their town. Sometimes, an entire town moved a few miles in order to be on a railroad line.
An interesting timeline of Kansas railroad history can be found at the following link on the Kansas Dept of Transportation website:
http://www.ksdot.org/burRail/rail/railroads/history.asp
Every chance I get, I am out photographing and filming trains with my camera and camcorder. I'm including a short video clip in this post with a train passing over a bridge near Matfield Green in Chase County on a very busy BNSF line. You will not hear a whistle since there are no road crossings in this area.
I have a gallery of train photos and videos at the following address which I will continue to update regularly:
http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Trains
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