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Faye Graves
Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452.
Nostalgia
2007-05-01 08:28:00
Remember...
Question: Do you have any memories of the trains and depots of old Wichita?
Answer: Yes I do. In fact, I was driving on east Douglas the other day. I looked up at the tracks above the street and I thought how times have changed. There sits an old steam locomotive and a diesel engine, side by side. They are of course the property of the Train Museum that is located there. My mind raced back to the old Union Station that was the ‘hub’ of travel in Wichita for many years. As you walked in through one of the many front doors, you saw a giant shoeshine parlor. I remember the music playing. Isn’t it amazing how God made our minds to work? I can still hear that music. The shoe shiners would keep rhythm with their shine rags, always popping them at just the right time. You could sit and watch the travelers, carry everything from small attaché’ cases to giant trunks of things for long trips. There was a huge luncheon counter with people seated all around. The ticket booths were located on the east side of the huge lobby. Several railroad giants headquartered there. Dozens of passenger trains came and went, loaded with travelers bound for many points. The entry gates were on the west side of the building. You would go through those doors when your train was announced over the giant speaker system that reverberated throughout the building. I can recall boarding a train to Kansas City, when I went to the Navy. We stopped over in KC long enough to get on a troop train that picked up new Navy recruits all the way from Wichita to San Diego, CA. That train of course was totally equipped with dining cars and Pullman accommodations for sleeping. The trip to San Diego took five days and nights, because there were so many stops to load new recruits. I remember being so excited to see Las Vegas for the first time, with all the bright lights and people, as the train passed through late in the night. I remember learning in school that the Santa Fe, Union Pacific (east branch named the Kansas Pacific) and Missouri Pacific railroads all began in the two or three years following the Civil War. The government gave thousands of acres of land and vast sums of money to the railroads to aid in their construction. Depots were built at nearly every town the railroad would pass through. These depots were vital to the railroads. They served as communication centers, with their telegraph stations, and handled both passenger traffic and freight. The depot agent had responsibility for all of the many activities in the depot. At small stations he personally performed all of the duties. In a larger depot, like the Union Station and the Missouri Pacific Depot on west Douglas by the Broadview Hotel, he would have telegraphers, ticket sellers and others to assist him. When I was a News Director at Channel 12, I remember doing a documentary about the city of Newton, headquarters for Santa Fe Railroad. We met JP Spears, the superintendent for Santa Fe. He brought his private dining car to Wichita. JK Peterson (our news anchor) and I had dinner with Mr. Spears on the Douglas overpass, with his private server taking care of all the food and beverages. It was quite a thrill. Today trains are much more involved in the transportation of goods due to the high fuel prices. The trains are long with multiple engines. The Cabooses though have pretty much gone by the wayside. Lots of memories about days gone by...have a great month.
 
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