kwch.com/news/kwch-bh-news-construction-crew-unearths-decadesold-rail-tanker-20130219,0,5479384.story
by Brian Heap
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
1:37 PM CST, February 19, 2013
(WICHITA, Kan.)
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There's not usually much to see at the corner of 1st & Waco in downtown Wichita. But drivers were stopping Tuesday just to catch a glimpse of recently uncovered history.
"Never seen nothing like this before in my life," said Will Miller.
"I think it's really neat," added Barbara Kinney, "I had to come and see it."
Last Friday construction crews working on a new apartment project unearthed what is believed to be an old railroad fuel tanker.
The site is part of what used to be Missouri Pacific train depot, from the early 1900s, until it was torn down in the mid-1960s.
Based on the riveted design, experts at the Great Plains Transportation Museum say it's probably from the 1930s, or earlier.
It was common back then to bury a single dome tank underground and use it to refuel locomotives.
Why it was never removed when the depot was destroyed is still a mystery.
City environmental officials are aware of the find. It's unclear when or how the tanker will be removed.
Calls to the City of Wichita and Builders Inc., co-owners of the property, were not immediately returned Tuesday.
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