In modern times Union Pacific has seemed at a perplexity over its Denver-Kansas City line, the historic Kansas Pacific. In passenger days, the KP hosted the City of Saint Louis and the Portland Rose as well as various locals and a much-loved mixed train. But by September 22, 1968, passenger operations are nearing an end. A short-lived experiment with a hot West Coast freight has succumbed to the line’s hill-and-dale profile and high labor costs. What’s left is this: A daily overnight freight out of Kansas City, seen here trailing a cloud of brake smoke near Denver’s Havana Street behind F9A 538, a GP9B and another F9A; a companion eastbound running mostly at night; and the annual wheat rush. The 1750-hp F9A’s are from a class of 41 rebuilt ten years ago from aging F3As. Several, including the 538, will be sold in four years to Rock Island, a railroad with even dimmer prospects than the KP.
