Great shot of a beautiful spot.
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There's a bit of sad history for both the KCS and this little town of Noel tucked away in a beautiful, remote corner of the Ozark plateau near the Missouri/Arkansas/Oklahoma border (where a marker denotes the western end of the Mason-Dixon line at Southwest City a few miles west of here). In 1969, some boxcars loaded with fertilizer exploded here. It's likely they were on a train as I don't think there have been any industrial customers here for some time. Locals say it nearly leveled the town, killing some and maiming others. I recall hearing that one of the two-axle trucks of one of the cars landed atop a hill probably as high as this one, such was the force of the explosion).
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Went looking for a story on the web and found this: http://www3.gendisasters.com/missouri/15457/noel-mo-violent-explosion-aug-1969 .
Noel is just one county south from Joplin, Missouri so this area is, sadly, familiar with massive tragedy. However, I cannot imagine an 800 pound railcar wheelset crashing through the roof like a meteor toward my wife and I. God bless all the rescuers, as well as the KCS crew who had to suffer as well while doing their best to avoid the disaster.
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A beautiful, under photographed location. Thanks for posting.
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