From The Webmaster: In 1988, my family relocated
from Springfield, MO (BN country) to Sedalia, MO.
Exitingly, the house my parents chose to buy was
just within a stone's throw from the Katy's mainline from Parsons, Kansas to Sedalia. Being that
I was only eight years
old at the time, I had no contact with the rest of the "railfan" world and railroad news.
I was just a kid that was obsessed with trains.
Each time I'd here the horns of the Katy's two daily freights through town,
I'd rush out of the house and down the street to watch the green-and-yellow diesels pass with
their mixed freights. I had no clue why the MKT green and yellow suddenly
turned to UP yellow in 1988, and why the trains eventually stopped running altogether.
I am now 21 years old, and am an avid fan of all railroads.
I have travelled the country and seen every major railroad. But my favorite is
still the Katy; the railroad I knew so little about at the time
I saw it, and that I now have no access to now that I know so much about it.
Long ago, after I "grew up" and "joined" the railfan community, I finally
learned about the fate of
Miss Katy, and why suddenly the green turned to yellow and
why the trains that brought me a few moments of exitement each day ended their entertaining
parade past my house in 1989. Over ten years have past, and now I have
only but a few faded childhood memories to cherish.
I eventually moved back to Springfield in 1992; I had been in
Sedalia just long enought to see the last months, the merger and the abandonment of the Katy.
Though I only had the
chance to see her on her
deathbed, I am truly honored to have experienced such a great railroad! -Michael A. Landis
A "New" Line To St. Louis
Having spend millions of dollars over several years fighting floods and
rebuilding washed-out track and roadbed,
the Katy began to look for an alternative to reach St. Louis.
It had been apparent for many years that the line
was poorly engineered and had been built wasy to close to the river.
But now it was obviously too late to make changes.
The only viable option,
of course, was Union Pacific's parallel ex-MP Sedalia Subdivision
from Kansas City to St. Louis. UP's line intesected the MKT at Sedalia,
and paralleled the Katy just south of the Missouri River for the trek into St. Louis.
After several month of negotiations, trackage-right agreements
between the two companies were finalized
and on October 4,
1986, the last trains (101 and 102) made their was across Katy's trans-state route.
Ironically, it was originally the MP Sedalia Sub that gave MKT
direct access to St. Louis until the Katy completed it's own line in the late 1800's!
Interesting how history seems to run in full circles!
The End
On May 13th, 1988, the Interstate Commerce Commission finally granted the
Union Pacific and Katy permission
to consumate their planned merger, and by August of that year, the merger was completed.
While the
buy-out meant salvation for the Katy, it meant
death and decline to the remainder of the
former MKT opeations in Missouri. For a breif period after
the merger, Union Pacific continued to operate
former MKT symbols 101 and 102 between
St. Louis to Parsons, via and
Sedalia and Clinton.
However, being that UP already had it's
own major ex-MP mainlines from St. Louis to Texas,
(via southeastern Missouri and Arkansas)
the MKT St. Louis Division mainline was deemed redundant.
All St. Louis traffic
that had previously been handled by trains 101
and 102 was consolidated with other UP trains through Sedalia into Kansas City,
thus rendering the ex-MKT void of any through traffic.
In 1989, the Union Pacific began proceedings
to abandon two segments of the old MKT St. Louis Subdivision:
the first segment from Sedalia to FPE Siding north of Clinton, and a
second segment from Ft. Scott, KS to Parsons. KS.
A short segment through
Sedalia was retained by UP for industrial switching.
UP could still access the middle segment (Ft. Scott to Clinton)
via it's Carthage Subdivision,
which crossed the MKT at Nevada, MO.
The sole salvation for the
middle segment was the KCPL plant at Ladue,
and it's need for weekly coal trains.
In addition to the coal trains from the BN at
Ft. Scott to Ladue, Union Pacific locals continued to serve the on-line
industries and grain elevators on an as-needed basis.
MNA Enters the Scene
In 1994, Union Pacific sold and leased it's
downgraded Carthage and White River Subdivisions to
Railtex (now RailAmerica)
(Ironically, UP downgraded the Carthage
Sub partly as a result of it's
acquisition of MKT's more-direct lines
to Texas - you win some, you lose some!).
This spin-off included the former MKT line from
Ft. Scott through Nevada to Clinton.
Traffic patterns changed little after MNA began operation,
however, two additional downgrades/abandonments have taken place
since 1994. Firat of all, MNA abandoned and tore out
the northern-most three remaining miles
of track, between the former Frisco junction at Clitnon to FPE Siding,
which was home to a agricultural fertilizer distribution plant.
The right-of-way joined the
ranks of the rest of the abandoned St. Louis Division lines
and was donataed to the Missouri Department of Natural
Rescouses to become an additon to the Katy Trail State Park.
Secondly, in 1997, MNA was successful in moving the LaDue coal
trains off the BN and onto it's own lines. Formerly,
the BN handed over it's coal trains to the MKT/UP/MNA at
Ft. Scott, where they were then taken to Ladue and vice-versa.
Since the coal trains now operate
from KC to Nevada via the MNA,
the old MKT trackage from Ft. Scott to Nevada was rendered useless,
and is now used by the MNA to store surplus rail cars.
In 1998, BNSF removed the ex-MKT diamonds in Ft. Scott,
thus severing it's connection with the MNA.
The Sedalia "Stubs"
In 1996, Union Pacific finally abandoned the southern Sedalia stub segment of the
old MKT trackage, which ran from the UP mainline to the MFA elevator on
the south end of town. Refered to in UP timetables as
the "Campbell Stub", the sole customer on the line was the MFA elevator
(which only received a few cars per year), and Sutherland's Lumber.
Sutherlands built a new mega-store on U.S. 65 in 1996,
and the closed it's smaller store on U.S. 50, alongside the tracks.
After traffic to the MFA elevator dropped off, UP threw in the towl and removed the tracks,
donating the right-of-way to the State of MO for the Katy Trail.
The north segment, known as the Alcoalac Stub, runs from the UP mainline north to the old Alcolac plant is still in place.
UP has kept the line in place to serve the chemical plant,
should a new owner reopen it. The factory was shut
down in the early 1990's after two major
chemical leaks (that made national news and forced community evacuations)
forced the plant to discontinue operations.
Currently, UP uses the line for surplus car storage.
Operations Today
Today, MNA continues to operate an as-needed local turn to Clinton,
or as far
as traffic dictates the need to travel.
Frequency varies by month and season, but is usually every 5-10 days.
Trains on the once-40 m.p.h. mainline between LaDue and Clinton now trundle along
the rusty, weedy, decepit track at 10 m.p.h.
The Farmer's Elevator in Clinton now uses trucks,
therefore, the only remaining rail customers in Clinton are
the Rival Mfg.
plant (receives hoppers of plastic pellets for crock-pot construction)
and a Lowe Champion, which is located near the old Frisco
junction (receives bulk tank cars).
Several smaller
grain elevtors and industries along the way continue
to ship and receive various goods by rail. Most of these
are agriculture-related businesses that ship and
recieve only during the spring, summer and fall months of the year. However, the lifeblood of the old
St. Louis Division is the KCPL power plant at LaDue.
Train operate several times per month from Nevada to the plant,
which
is located on a three-mile long spur off the "mainline" at LaDue.
In 1998, KCPL contructed a new balloon track and unloading
facility in order to more quickly and efficently unload trains.
With this kind of investment, KCPL
will probably keeping the old MKT St. Louis Division alive for many, many more years.
