Does the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad still exist to this day?
No. It was merged into the the SP and the SP merged into the UP.
The former SSW is the southbound track on the UP’s route from Texas to Illinois. The former MP is the northbound track.
Dave H.
If I remember correctly, the Rock Island’s “Cotton Rock” (Tucumcari, NM to somewhere in Kansas) was technically bought by SSW. There are still Cotton Belt (which is what SSW was commonly know as) locomotives and cars around.
The Cotton Belt existed as a corporation until September 30, 1997. A little over a year after SP was merged into UP. Source Cotton Belt Color Pictoral by Steve Allen Goen. This was most likely done for some corporate financial reason. [;)]
Cotton Belt had a better financial status than its larger parent. That is one of the prime reasons it existed as a subsidiary corporation as long as it did. That is also a reason why there are still Cotton Belt locomotives around, they were buying them off the shelf instead of financing them.
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If I remember correctly, the Rock Island’s “Cotton Rock” (Tucumcari, NM to somewhere in Kansas) was technically bought by SSW. There are still Cotton Belt (which is what SSW was commonly know as) locomotives and cars around.
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Was there some financial reason why SSW bought all of the new locomotives from 1988 through 1990 (the 8-40Bs, 95 of the first 115 GP60s), while SP bought (or leased) most of the locomotives ordered in 1991 and all subsquent locomotives?
Here, for reference, is a list of locomotives bought or leased since 1970, it is from the August 1990 Southern Pacific roster and railfan magazines in the 1990s…
1970
SP bought 25 SW1500s (2553-2577)
SSW bought 5 SW1500s (2578-2582)
1971
SP bought 22 SW1500s (2591-2612)
SSW bought 8 SW1500s (2583-2590)
1972
SP leased 67 SW1500s (2613-2679)
1973
SP bought 7 MP15s (2690-2696), 6 SD38-2s (2971-2976)
SP leased 10 SW1500s (2680-2689)
1974
SP bought 5 MP15s (2697-2701), 3 GP40P-2s (7600-7602), 14 SD40T-2s (8300-8306 & 8350-8356)
1975
SP bought 58 MP15ACs (2702-2759)
1978
SP bought 4 GP40Xs (7200, 7201, 7230, 7231), 20 GP40-2s (7608-7627), 24 B30-7s (7800-7823), 75 SD40T-2s (8307-8321, 8357-8371, and 8489-8533)
SSW bought 10 SD40T-2s (8322-8326 and 8372-8376)
1979
SP bought 60 B30-7s (7824-7883), 70 SD40T-2s (8327-8341, 8377-8391, and 8534-8573)
SSW bought 30 GP40-2s (7628-7657)
1980
SP bought 45 GP38-2s (4800-4844), 15 B23-7s (5100-5114), 40 GP40-2s (7658-7677 and 7940-7959), and 70 SD40T-2s (8230-8299)
SSW bought 4 B36-7s (7770-7773) and 26 B30-7s (7774-7799)
1984
SP leased 8 GP40-2s (7240-7247) and 16 B36-7s (7754-7769)
SSW leased 26 GP40-2s (7248-7273)
1987
SP bought 40 8-39Bs (8000-8039)
1988
SP bought 20 GP60s (9600-9619)
SSW bought 35 8-40Bs (8040-8074) and 15 GP60s (9620-9634)
1989
SSW bought 20 8-40Bs (8075-8094) and 30 GP60s (9635-9664)
1990
DRGW bought 3 GP60s (3154-3156)
SSW bought 30 GP60s (9665-9714)
From 1991 on I do not know if the locom