Bentley, KS: A modern truck only grain elevator

(Satellite)

The old wood grain elevator was moved to the Old CowTown Museum.

Bob Summers posted two photos with the comment:

As recently as 50 years ago virtually all of the grain elevators in the western two thirds of Kansas were served by the railroads, and almost all shipments from the country elevators was by rail except for a little corn and milo to local feed lots. I can recall less than a half dozen elevators not on railroads - they were referred to as "inland elevators" that had never had rail service. By the '80's the railroads began abandoning marginal branch lines, then virtually all branch lines that did not have a significant industry other than grain elevators for them to serve. Today most elevators, even on major main lines, no longer load by rail unless they can load full 100+ car trains. We now see new elevators being built, like this example at Bentley Kansas, that have never had rail service and are designed to unload and load trucks very rapidly. This one is a branch of the recently merged co-ops at Halstead and Mt. Hope here in central Kansas.

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