DCF&B Railroad Then and Now

While the Urban Renewal Project undoubtedly wins the Sorest Subject Award in Dodge City, the demise of the DCF&B easily makes the Top Ten. People are still bitter.

After the Rock Island Railroad failed in the 1970s, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific bought the spur from Dodge City to Bucklin. There wasn’t enough freight moving along that line to justify maintaining the rails so service was discontinued.

The Ford County Historic Railroad Preservation Foundation was formed on December 21, 1982 with plans to start an excursion railroad on the abandoned spur. Understanding this was an extremely expensive endeavor, the group intended to accommodate overnight grain traffic for additional revenue.

Dick and Peg Ranney of the Dodge City CVB were the public faces of the project, which was originally to be called the Boot Hill Express. Fundraising and publicity campaigns began immediately.

The railroad’s name was changed to the Dodge City, Ford, and Bucklin Railroad in early 1985.

The group was able to obtain the 26.5 miles of right-of-way for $1 (or $2 depending on which newspaper you believe) later that year.

The excursion was meant to be a three-hour round-trip ride with music and other entertainment.

The Ranneys hoped to include staged train robberies and other Wild West themed events for tourists’ amusement.

Locomotives and passenger cars began arriving in 1986 and the group worked on a color scheme, which ended up being navy blue and white with yellow pinstripes.

In September of 1986, the DCF&B received a federal grant of $86,000 to repair the tracks.

Senator Bob Dole also helped direct a ton of money toward restoration through the omnibus spending bill that October.

A Baldwin steam locomotive was purchased for $50,000 in 1988 but it had to be moved all the way from Hill City, South Dakota. That cost another $14,000. This article says it was built in 1914 but a later article said it was the No. 14 locomotive which was built in 1913. Either way, it was old.

The Ranneys both lost their jobs at CVB in the Fall of 1988 due to *gestures vaguely* reasons and they bought the railroad the following year. That was when they formed the Dodge City Ford & Bucklin Railroad Company.

The railroad had all kinds of creative promotions. Passengers boarded at the old Water Sports Campground and were usually fed and entertained.

The blue and white color scheme with subtle yellow pinstriping was very striking, as shown in this photo from 1991.

The DCF&B also acquired a couple depots. I believe the Old Depot Gift Shop in Ford was previously a Santa Fe depot in Moscow, Kansas.

The depot they purchased for Bucklin came from Holcomb and it doesn’t seem like that one was ever completely finished. Most of the time the DCF&B operated, it either turned around at Wilroads or Ford. By 1995, the Ranneys still hoped to do the full ride to Bucklin.

By 1998, the DCF&B was running For Sale ads in Trains Magazine. The last annual report was filed for 1999 and operations ceased the following year.

Boot Hill & Western Railway Co., owned by the Right Cooperative Association, was formed on September 1, 2000. Later that month, a four-day DCF&B sale was held at the Ford depot.

BH&W ended up operating the line for agriculture and most of the rolling stock landed in Guthrie, Oklahoma. But again, the traffic wasn’t there so the rails were pulled from just past the Wilroads elevator to Bucklin around 2005.

A new entity called Boot Hill & Western Railway Holding Co., Inc. was formed on April 7, 2015. This company is owned by MidWest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics of Missouri which still operates the BH&W. The old Rock Island branch between Dodge City and Wilroads is mainly used for railcar storage. Every once in a while, you’ll see WTLR91 moving cars across South Second. I believe the BH&W still has active interchanges with the BNSF and Cimarron Valley Railroad in Dodge.

These are current photos of the 1941 Alco S1 which was pictured pulling the caboose in 1991.

Here is the 1950s EMD GP7 which is used to move stored cars.

And this is how the old Rock Island line appears from the old Watersports Campground looking toward Wilroads Gardens.

One can’t help but think the DCF&B was a terrific concept about a decade ahead of its time. I’ve gone many hours out of my way for murder mystery train rides, Oktoberfest train rides, scenic train rides…you get the idea. There’s no going back now but I have nothing but respect for the people who tried to make it work. It wasn’t for nothing.

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe (way at the bottom of the post on mobile devices) to receive an email each time a new post is published and share on social media. You can also support my work by donating below. This content is 100% funded by history fanatics such as yourself. Thanks for reading!

Some of you have requested additional donation options. If you would like to send a direct donation, you can now do so by clicking here.