RAILROAD TALES

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.

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.

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