Construction is expected to begin soon on a major rebuild of the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad’s mainline track between Abilene and Enterprise.

According to the railroad,  their board of Ddrectors has chosen one of three companies who submitted sealed bids and, pending approval by the Kansas Department of Transportation, construction will immediately begin on the 5.5 miles of track connecting the two cities. The name of the company submitting the successful bid will not be released until KDOT reviews the A&SVs recommendations, an action that is expected soon.

Funds for the project are coming from a $471,722 grant awarded in December by the Kansas Department of Transportation as part of KDOT’s Rail Service Improvement Program. Improvements will include purchasing and installing 1,000 new wooden crossties, which will be the first phase of the project. Work crews will then tightenrail joints to ensure a safer, smoother ride. The next phase involves rebuilding switches at the Abilene and Enterprise terminals, replacing crossties under the switching apparatus. The third phase involves adding 2,450 tons of new rock ballast along the entire right of way. And the fourth and final phase involves tamping the track, which will also help provide a smoother, safer ride for crew and passengers.

Construction is anticipated to conclude in early July. Trains will operate as scheduled. “One stipulation of the grant was that construction can only take place on days when we are not scheduled to run trains. This means that the bulk of the work must be completed on Monday through Wednesday of each week, and that the track must always be left in a passable condition at the end of each phase of construction.”

The A&SV was one of nine proposals approved by KDOT and is the only nonprofit tourist railroad to be included in this round of funding. Additionally, the A&SV project was the first of the KDOT approved proposals to open the bidding process.

This will be the A&SV’s third major investment in upgrading its main line track since 2022, when the Association spent $380,000 to replace 3,500 badly worn ties. In 2023, the Board spent $60,000 to rebuild the mainline and siding tracks at the Abilene and Enterprise
terminals. Boelling said those projects were “a drop in the bucket” towards completing the overall list of repairs required to make the track conform to FRA Class II standards. This action will get the railroad close to that goal.

The need for major repairs to the aged track and roadbed has long been an issue for the A&SV. The natural heaving of the ground has caused unevenness in ties and rails (and some rail breakage), and flooding along the Smoky Hill River, which has eroded the foundational structure of the track, has rendered an unstable ride for passengers and crew. A&SV trains compensate by operating at slow speeds with a maximum limit of 10 miles per hour, but the uneven track conditions nonetheless cause much wear and tear for the railroad’s antique rolling stock and render an unstable ride for passengers.

“I think passengers will notice a smoother ride, and we’ll all breathe easier knowing that some of these long overdue track improvements have been made,” Boelling
said.