OLD WEST LEGENDS

Railroad Companies in American History

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, A.T.&S.F. (1859-1896) - More often simply referred to as the "Santa Fe Railroad," this organization was first chartered by the State of Kansas in February, 1859 and called the Atchison-Topeka Railroad. Four years later, "Santa Fe" was added to the name, but ironically, the railroad's main line never reached there as the terrain was too difficult  to lay the tracks. As the railroad was first being built, many of the tracks were laid directly over the wagon ruts of the Santa Fe Trail, and in 1871, when the line was extended to Newton, Kansas, the railroad assured its success by becoming a major cattle shipper. Later, it would also extend to Wichita and Dodge City, making those settlements into instant "cowtowns." The Santa Fe's first tracks reached the Kansas/Colorado state line in 1873, and connected to Pueblo, Colorado in 1876. As the railroad continued to expand, it increased its profitability by selling farm land from the land grants they had been awarded by Congress. Becoming one of the first major freight operators, the company remained a success until it ceased operations on December 31, 1996 when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. 

Central Pacific Railroad (1862-1959) - Chartered by Congress in 1862, the Central Pacific Railroad was the California-to-Utah portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Breaking ground in Sacramento, California, the organization was able to lay only twenty miles of track before running out of money. And, for the next three years, during the Civil War, funds would continue to be scarce. However, under the leadersip of Leland Stanford and Collis P. Huntington, progress was made eastward as the organization hired some 10,000 men, many of whom were Chinese immigrants, to work through blizzards, bore tunnels through mountains, and bridges over canyons. Finally on May 10, 1869 the Central Pacific Railroad met the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah.

In 1885 the Central Pacific Railroad was leased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, though it technically remained a corporate entity until 1959 when it was formally merged into Southern Pacific. Through the years, the line expanded to more than 13,000 miles of rail covering most of the southwestern United States.

In 1901, the Union Pacific Railroad took control of much of the Southern Pacific Railroad; however, it would be almost a century, before it was officially merged. In 1996, the Southern Pacific Railroad came to an end as all remaining operations were merged under Union Pacific's umbrella.

Though the automobile had much reduced railroad travel by this time, the company still continued on. In January, 1958, it finalized the acquisition of the Litchfield and Madison Railroad, in November of 1960, it acquired the rail properties of the 1,500-mile Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway.

It officially leased the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (Omaha Road), and merged it into the North Western in 1972. Mergers and acquisitions continued until the railroad finally ceased to exist when it was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in April, 1995. At its peak, the railroad operated more than 5,000 miles of track in seven states.

Chicago and Rock Island Railroad (1847-1980) - Also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, as simply “The Rock,” it originally began as the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad Company, incorporated in Illinois in February, 1847. In 1851, it was changed to the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Construction began October 1, 1851, in Chicago, and the first train was operated on October 10, 1852, between Chicago and Joliet, Illinois. The railroad eventually stretched across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Over the years, the railroad thrived and in 1937, it introduced Diesel power to its passenger service, with the purchase of six lightweight Rocket streamliners. In 1964, the Rock Island began the process of merging with the Union Pacific Railroad, but the merger was mired in red tape, studies, and court hearings that drug on for ten years. One of the most complicated mergers in the history of the Interstate Commerce Commission, it eventually failed, leaving the Rock Island in bad financial condition. When Amtrak formed in 1971, the Rock Island did not join the group, instead continuing to operate its own passenger trains. The railroad also operated an extensive commuter train service in the Chicago area.

In March, 1975, the Rock Island Railroad entered its third and final bankruptcy. This eventually led to a strike by railroad workers in August 1979. By January, 1980, it was determined that the Rock Island Railroad could not be successfully reorganized and it was ordered to be liquidated and sold. It was the largest bankruptcy liquidation in U.S. history up until that time.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (1870-1996) - Generally referred to as the Rio Grande Railroad, the company was founded in 1870 by General William J. Palmer, a Union veteran of the Civil War. The organization first started by building a narrow gauge line south from Denver in 1871 toward Mexico. At its height, around 1890, the Rio Grande had the largest operating narrow gauge railroad network in North America. Continuing to expand, the railroad operated nearly 6,000 miles of track by 1917. It's name was officially changed to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1920, serving primarily Colorado and Utah. Over the years, the railroad built some of the most difficult tracks in existence including the highest mainline rail line in the United States (over 10,000 feet) at the Tennessee Pass in Colorado, as well as the famed routes through the Moffat Tunnel and the Royal Gorge. Rio Grande Industries purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad in September, 1988,  operating under the name Southern Pacific. Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merged in September, 1996.

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