Central Midland Railway
Encyclopedia
The Central Midland Railway is a railroad in the U.S. state
of Missouri
, operating under lease the line of the Missouri Central Railroad , the former St. Louis Subdivision of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
. The CMR only uses a small part of the 245 miles (394.3 km) line which used to stretch from St. Louis
through Union
to Pleasant Hill
. Today, the line only operates from St. Louis to western Union, Missouri. The route is owned by Ameren Corporation. CMR is owned by Progressive Rail, Inc.
(CRIP). The line was opened in 1905, and cut across the northern Ozark Mountains from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri. The entire route was 298 miles long, and featured several large bridges, as well as four tunnels. On March 31, 1980, the Rock Island ceased all operations as a condition of terminal bankruptcy, and the line was passed into the hands of the Kansas City Terminal Railroad. Soon after, it was sold along with the Kansas City to Tucumcari, New Mexico route (the entire line being known as the Golden State Route) to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway
(SSW), AKA the Cotton Belt. The SSW was already part of the Southern Pacific group and did not need access to St. Louis, it needed the Tucumcari line, but the entire route came as a package deal. The SSW had plans of refurbishing the line to be part of the new Golden State line, however due to the high cost of this, they instead acquired trackage rights over the parallel Union Pacific mainline. After the 1993 flood, reopening the line was a possibility briefly looked in to, but the tracks were in deplorable condition, and many shippers had been lost. As more shippers closed, local train service was cut back from Owensville, to Union in December 1995, and the SSW soon after filed to abandon the route between Union and Pleasant Hill, MO. However, a lawsuit filed by "The Save The Rock Island Committee" (or STRICT) reversed the application, and the rails went untouched. In 1996, the Southern Pacific and its subsidiary, the Saint Louis Southwestern, were merged into the Union Pacific Railroad
. The entire line, from Union to St. Louis, and Pleasant Hill to Kansas City, was now entirely owned and retained by the Union Pacific. After a lengthy court battle, the UP sold the line to the Ameren power Company, which owns the right of way from Vigus, MO, near Maryland Heights, to Pleasant Hill, MO, with the trackage into Kansas city and St. Louis being retained by The Union Pacific to regulate the railroad's competitive impact on their parallel route. The active portion of the route between Lackland Yard in St. Louis, and Union, MO is currently leased and operated by the Central Midland Railway, a division of Progressive Rail Incorporated of Lakeville, Minnesota. Union is serviced daily Monday through Friday, as needed.
Note that reference number 2 below is very out of date...
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, operating under lease the line of the Missouri Central Railroad , the former St. Louis Subdivision of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
. The CMR only uses a small part of the 245 miles (394.3 km) line which used to stretch from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
through Union
Union, Missouri
Union is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,204 at the 2010 census making Union the fastest growing community in Franklin County, Missouri. It is located on the Bourbeuse River. The city was founded in 1827 and is named after the...
to Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill, Missouri
Pleasant Hill is a city in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,582 at the 2000 census.Pleasant Hill is home for the Kansas City/Pleasant Hill National Weather Service Forecast Office, which serves 37 counties in northern and western Missouri and seven counties in extreme...
. Today, the line only operates from St. Louis to western Union, Missouri. The route is owned by Ameren Corporation. CMR is owned by Progressive Rail, Inc.
History
The Missouri Central Railroad is made up of trackage from the former 18th and 19th subdivisions of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
(CRIP). The line was opened in 1905, and cut across the northern Ozark Mountains from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri. The entire route was 298 miles long, and featured several large bridges, as well as four tunnels. On March 31, 1980, the Rock Island ceased all operations as a condition of terminal bankruptcy, and the line was passed into the hands of the Kansas City Terminal Railroad. Soon after, it was sold along with the Kansas City to Tucumcari, New Mexico route (the entire line being known as the Golden State Route) to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway
St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...
(SSW), AKA the Cotton Belt. The SSW was already part of the Southern Pacific group and did not need access to St. Louis, it needed the Tucumcari line, but the entire route came as a package deal. The SSW had plans of refurbishing the line to be part of the new Golden State line, however due to the high cost of this, they instead acquired trackage rights over the parallel Union Pacific mainline. After the 1993 flood, reopening the line was a possibility briefly looked in to, but the tracks were in deplorable condition, and many shippers had been lost. As more shippers closed, local train service was cut back from Owensville, to Union in December 1995, and the SSW soon after filed to abandon the route between Union and Pleasant Hill, MO. However, a lawsuit filed by "The Save The Rock Island Committee" (or STRICT) reversed the application, and the rails went untouched. In 1996, the Southern Pacific and its subsidiary, the Saint Louis Southwestern, were merged into the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. The entire line, from Union to St. Louis, and Pleasant Hill to Kansas City, was now entirely owned and retained by the Union Pacific. After a lengthy court battle, the UP sold the line to the Ameren power Company, which owns the right of way from Vigus, MO, near Maryland Heights, to Pleasant Hill, MO, with the trackage into Kansas city and St. Louis being retained by The Union Pacific to regulate the railroad's competitive impact on their parallel route. The active portion of the route between Lackland Yard in St. Louis, and Union, MO is currently leased and operated by the Central Midland Railway, a division of Progressive Rail Incorporated of Lakeville, Minnesota. Union is serviced daily Monday through Friday, as needed.
Note that reference number 2 below is very out of date...