Smoke Above the Plains is full of maps and pictures of the famous Kansas Pacific Railroad.  The Kansas Pacific started out as the Leavenworth Pawnee & Western RR of Kansas.   The construction of the railroad started at Missouri River at the mouth of Kansas and was built through Lawrence, KS (1866), Manhattan, KS (1860) and then on to Denver, Co.  The Kansas Pacific has a rich history.  The Kansas Pacific Railroad eventually became the Kansas Division of the Union Pacific RR.  This book is signed by both authors.

Smoke Above the Plains is a presentation of the golden moments during the fleeting years of steam motive power.  The book is intended to recall and preserve much of the flavor and drama of a more photogenic age when the “Smoky Winds” were blowing across the Kansas division.

The beginning of Smoke Above the Plains outlines the branches of the Kansas subdivision with narrative and maps of the railroad in 1880. Inside the front and back covers are maps of the Kansas Division of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1933 and 1965, respectively.   Also, included are passenger time tables from 1892.  There are a few pictures of steam locomotives from the Leavenworth Pawnee & Western RR.  Some the pictures show steam engines meets of the Union Pacific and Rock Island.  Many of the pictures are show freight trains and passenger trains with steam power.  But also included in the pictures are gas-powered motor cars.  There are pictures of the steam locomotives that powered the trains along the Kansas Division over the years.  As the year 1955 ended, the long, dramatic era of steam on the Kansas Division was all but ended.

Smoke Above the Plains includes approximately 100 pictures of steam power, stations, roundhouses and structures along the right of way.  Railfans will enjoy looking the steam trains active in the 40s and 50s.on the Kansas Division of the Kansas Pacific Railroad.