The Santa Fe was always looking for a better route west. This route was probably the best solution and if World War II had not occured it would have become a major coal route to the east. However, we will save that story for the "Clayton" District.
The topography of the line is one of near desert conditions. The western end of this line is where the dust bowl was at its most severe. While there are farms in the area they must be managed and crop losses are frequent due to the arid conditions. When in wet periods the area is beautiful. There are few trees outside of the towns along the route. However you can see an approaching train for miles. This is the land of grain elevators, wheat, dust, trains, and little else. The line is now owned by the Cimarron Valley Railroad.
Some depots on this district had a tendency to move far from home. Others wound up altered significantly. Montezuma wound up in Ingalls and also was covered in imatation siding. Moscow wound up in Bucklin painted barn red. Keyes is reported to have been moved ot Lake Optima. Satanta and Sublette had imatation siding applied. Elkhart had new wooden siding applied and a portion of it was combined with the Ulysses depot to form a restaurant in Hugoton.
Ancient trestle between Elkhart and Hugoton on the Cimarron Valley District Spring 1996.
Timetable from November 29, 1942
Distance from Dodge City
MP 0.0 DODGE CITY
MP 0.2 C.R.I.&P. CROSSING
MP 1.1 CIMARRON VALLEY JCT
MP 10.3 SAYRE
MP 14.3 ENSIGN
MP 19.3 HAGGARD
MP 26.5 MONTEZUMA
MP 37.4 COPELAND
MP 43.0 TICE
MP 49.8 SUBLETTE
MP 58.2 SATANTA
MP 58.6 SATANTA JCT
MP 66.3 SPAR
MP 74.3 MOSCOW
MP 87.0 HUGOTON
MP 94.3 FETERITA
MP 100.3 ROLLA
MP 111.3 WILBURTON
MP 119.9 ELKHART
MP 126.2 LIBBEY
MP 132.3 STURGIS
MP 138.4 McCULLOUGH
MP 143.8 KEYES see Wheat Lines and Super Freights p. 89
MP 144.8 B.M.&E. JCT
MP 159.5 BOISE CITY