HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While Hutchinson has numerous grain elevators served by the nation’s two largest railroads, many small towns west of Hutchinson relies on short lines railroads to move the harvest.
The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad serves many of the small cities west of Hutchinson. Tracie Van Becelaere with Watco Transportation says they are looking good for moving the harvest out of the area. The railroad serves Nickerson, Haven, and Yoder in Reno County as well as Sterling, Lyons and Geneseo to the north before heading into western Kansas from there.
The railroad then transfers grain to the major railroads in Hutchinson and Wichita. Both BNSF and Union Pacific also say they expect no car shortages with the harvest and with better weather should be able to move product faster than last year.
The railroad says they don’t foresee a car shortage this year. K and O typically move about 4,000 carloads during the summer harvest.