The proposed extension rests on getting a $300,000 federal grant.
The Midland Railway is hoping to leave the station again. Next stop: Ottawa.
The vintage excursion train that, for now, journeys from Baldwin to the town site of Norwood and back, is looking to add another 4.5 miles to its route and link with Ottawa.
The nonprofit organization will be sending an application for $300,000 in federal grant money by Oct. 1.
The decision about the grant should be made this spring by the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The idea came from a customer survey, said Mark McDowell, Midland director of development.
"That was the main driving force behind this," McDowell said.
The survey showed that most people wanted a ride longer than the one-hour round trip now offered on Thursday mornings and weekends during the warmer months.
"They also would love to go to Ottawa," he said.
In trying to satisfy those desires, Midland Railway officials saw a way to link the railway with the newly renovated Santa Fe depot in Ottawa and the nearby Prairie Spirit Rail Trail, a hiking and bicycling trail through Franklin and Anderson counties.
"Hopefully, by doing that we'll find more people using each of them," McDowell said.
If awarded, the grant money would be used to stabilize track from Norwood to Ottawa already owned by Midland and provide buses to run the three miles between that track and the Santa Fe depot.
The new layout would allow for a 2.5-hour round trip that could be personalized a bit. Riders could go from Baldwin to Norwood and back or from Baldwin to Ottawa for a bike ride before returning.
The trains and buses would be able to carry bicycles.
The last expansion was completed last year when a similar grant was used to add four miles of track to the railway's route. As the new grant proposal would require, Midland paid its 20 percent in matching funds for the last grant project.
"The railroad is completely debt-free today," McDowell said.
-- Kendrick Blackwood's phone message number is 832-7221. His e-mail address is kblackwood@ljworld.com.
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