The Midland Railway has been purchased by a Lawrence Tourist and Event Entrepreneur and he intends to resume the once popular tourist excursion rides on the Baldwin City Line. Ryan Robinson has announced he bought the 12 mile line that connects Baldwin to Ottawa. Robinson says it’s his goal to have the tourist trains running in October, in time for Baldwin City’s Annual Maple Leaf Festival and the Halloween season. In a change from the past, Robinson says he plans to use the 50 acres of land Midland owns at Norwood, about five miles south of Baldwin City, to enhance the excursion ride experience. The coal car operation near Ottawa will continue.
Robinson plans to start discussions about restarting rides on the Kansas Belle Dinner Train, which offered rides featuring meals and entertainment, since 2013 on the Midland Line under an arrangement that makes use of Midland’s locomotives. The Kansas Belle has been idle since the March 2020 end of tourist rides. Robinson says he is committed to tourism and making the railroad have a real economic impact on Baldwin City, all year around.
