Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
ABILENE - A major half million dollar track rehabilitation project on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad has been completed, an undertaking that the railroad and its construction contractor are both promising will deliver smoother, safer rides for train crews and passengers.
Workers from R&S Track Maintenance wrapped up a month long rehabilitation project this week, signaling an end to track issues that have long hampered the railroad’s growth. A staff of eight R&S construction specialists has worked on a busy four day dawn-to-dusk schedule each week, tackling problems that have been beyond the budget and expertise of the A&SV’s volunteer maintenance crew.
R&S staffers have replaced 1,600 badly aged wooden crossties, tightened rail joints, leveled the track, and sealed the project with 1,000 tons of granite rock ballast.
These moves have, in effect, added years of life to the railroad’s aged infrastructure and the difference in the quality of A&SV rides has been immediately noticeable.
Funding for the project came from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s $588,395 Rail Service Improvement Grant Program. The A&SV’s successful application was announced in December. R&S was the successful bidder among a final list of three railroad maintenance companies. The Columbus, Nebraska, based firm has been in business since 1987 and employs a staff of 44 workers. According to senior project manager Quentin Burkel, the firm currently has projects in Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, and routinely performs maintenance projects as well as new track construction.
“Our primary customers are private industry—ethanol plants, coops, some short line railroads––and the Abilene and Smoky Valley has been a nice project for us,” Burkel said, who added that the heavy rains in late June were an obstacle in finishing the work by June 28, the targeted date for completion.
Burkel said the massive rehabilitation project actually began when he arrived in Abilene in late May to personally inspect the condition of the track, allowing him to gauge the enormity of the project. He rode the track with A&SV maintenance manager Chris Rush, then walked the entire 5.5 miles of the main line, making note of bad ties, rail conditions, and spots where extra work would be needed.
Burkel’s inspection revealed some unexpected problems that were not covered by the initial list of needs in the KDOT grant. He worked with A&SV President and General Manager Ross Boelling to make recommendations, changes that were, in turn, approved by KDOT.
“We altered the scope of the project to suit the railroad’s needs a bit better,” Burkel explained. His inspection revealed that the A&SV’s original ask for 1,000 new ties was likely not enough, and he suggested altering selected items in the grant to free up more money to cover the cost of 600 additional crossties.
“We felt that the surfacing phase—the lifting and tamping of the track—would not hold up very long unless more ties were added,” he explained, noting that the crew added extra ties to some spots along the line that had proven to be problematic over the years.
“Having the expertise of maintenance professionals on hand to not only do the work but to also offer advice has been extremely helpful,” said Boelling.
“These guys have pointed out how we can best use our allotted funds to make this project even more successful.”
New granite ballast was delivered to Abilene on June 24. The new rock replaces the limestone that had been used, much of which had either washed away from heavy rains or sunk into the roadbed. The new ballast will add to the strength and durability of the rehabilitated track.
Burkel said the R&S crew enjoyed their time in Abilene.
“I’ve fallen in love with that railroad. That steam locomotive is absolutely incredible, and it’s great that you’re keeping that thing alive. I can’t wait to come down and buy a ticket and ride when its rebuild is completed.”
The completion of this project coupled with the $380,000 spent in 2022 and the $60,000 upgrades in 2024, means that the A&SV has now spent $1.1 million to upgrade its track. The KDOT award was a 70-30 matching grant, meaning the railroad is currently trying to raise $176,000 to cover its share of the match, coupled with the balance remaining from past maintenance work.
“We’ve funded about $658,000 of this work by ourselves,” said Boelling, “and we have about $350,000 remaining today.”
Contributions can be made at the railroad’s website, asvrr.org, using the “2025 Track Match” link.