IIRC, the proposed RI-UP merger in the 60’s included selling off some of the RI lines to the SP; I assume the Oklahoma City-Memphis, the Kansas City-Saint Louis and the Kansas City-Dallas-Galveston routes. What was the planned disposition of the Minneapolis-Kansas City route, UP or SP? Would SP have had any ownership or trackage rights Kansas City-Quad Cities-Chicago?
The UP would have gotten all lines north of Kansas City while the SP would have gotten everything south of Kansas City and the line from Kansas City to St. Louis.
I really wish the Oklahoma City - Memphis line would have been sold and saved. I think it would be wildly successful today.
Gabe
That I can agree with! The loss of that route has been felt for many, many years. UP however, could not save the line as they were in no position to do anything about it. The parallel MoPac route is often congested, and BNSF (ex-Frisco) has capacity issues, too.
The SP could have aquired the route during the Rock Island carve up meeting at the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC. However, they were faced with millions in expenses to fix up the lines from Tucumcari to St. Louis. This was such a burden that the KC to St. Louis segment never got done after the SP found they could get trackage rights on the MP as a UP+MP+WP merger condition. In addition there was very little traffic originating or terminating on the line and virturally none of that traffic moved east/west.
The party who really wants it is BNSF, which would really supplement the transcon service to Memphis.
Gabe
If the embargoed Rock Island lines were ever repaired they would be the perfect place to run steam without interupting freight service.
Andrew
hey guys: I managed a resurfacing gang on that line in 1977 out of Booneville, Ark. Although we put new ties and resurfaced many miles, that line was something out of the 1940’s. No signals, a lot of curves, no industry. You couldn’t get any velocity on that line unless you spent a whole lot of money. By the way, is that track pulled up or is it in use by a short line.
The Choctaw route through Booneville was torn up in 1980. It is in use east of Danville to Little Rock, and west of Howe, OK. as well. This article from 1977 talks about the work going on on that line.
http://storm.simpson.edu/~RITS/histories/TurningCorner/TurningCorner.html