Welcome to route56.com
Welcome to my anchor point on the web. For over 20 years, I have shared various subjects regarding highway, railways, local radio, and more.
I chose the name “route56” in honor of the green and white variant of the US Highway shield that the Kansas Department of Transportation and its predecessor agency used specifically to mark US 56 from its creation until the mid 1980s.
Click on the links above to access the pages devoted to the history of local radio and Kansas Highways, along with other creative outlets.
You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr.
Latest Blog Posts
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GOP Primary 2020
For this year’s primary election, I did not go to the polling place on Tuesday. Because of a COVID-related quarantine, I elected to receive a mail-in advance ballot. I mailed the ballot in on August 1st. There were only two contested races on my primary ballot. Both of the contested races were won by my…
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Trio of Late Amtrak trains
My exploits capturing a series of late Amtrak trains in late June and early July of 2020
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KDOT Contract Lettings: July, 2020
There are 13 projects up for bids in July, including signage replacement along US 50 and K-61 in Reno County.
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Makin’ my way to Newton
Following up from my trip to Wedel Acres a couple of weeks ago… after leaving Wedel Acres, I pointed my Subaru west on US 50 and headed toward Newton. While in Newton, I went browsing through the local antique dealerships (mask on, of course). The first one happened to be trackside, and just as I…
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Saturday Morning at Wedel Acres
This past weekend, after seeing pictures and discussion on Facebook about Wedel Acres in Peabody, I finally decided to check it out. Peabody is located just northeast of Newton in Marion County just off of US 50. It is also where the BNSF La Junta Sub crosses the UP [née Rock Island] Lost Springs Sub. A…
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A new view of an old train-watching site
Although “Outdoor recreational activity” was allowed here in Kansas under the state’s “Stay at Home” order, I didn’t really feel a reason to get out of the house until last Saturday, when I headed out to Pomona to check out an old spot that has changed quite a bit since the last time I was…
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KDOT Lettings: June, 2020
Here’s what’s up for bids at the June monthly letting.
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KDOT Lettings: May 2020
Here is the list of projects up for bids at the May 20 letting.
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KDOT Lettings: April, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the ability of KDOT to put projects up for bids. However, KDOT did post the following note with the list of projects for the April letting: The Kansas Department of Transportation April 22, 2020 Letting WILL remain as scheduled with possible procedural changes to accommodate public building restrictions due…
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KDOT lettings: March 2020
Technically, there were two KDOT lettings in the month of March. The first one, on March 10, was the delayed February lettings. The projects in this list were put up for bids on March 25.