M A P O F T H E M O N T H

KANSAS CITY TONNAGE, 1971 / 2003
MKT
MP
SLSF
Springfield SLS
F
Carthage
MP
Afton
KCS
MKT
Vinita
To SLSF
Tulsa
To Little Rock and Texas
M I S S O U R I
To Diaz, Ark.
To Shreveport, La.
Freight densities on mainline routes serving Kansas City (in millions of gross ton-miles per year)
1971 RAILROAD
LINE
1971 TON-MILES
2003 RAILROAD
2003 TON-MILES
to North Platte, Neb.
to Denver
to Denver
to Tucumcari, N.M.
to Topeka, Kan.
to L.A./Texas
37
7
7
23
3
57
UP Kansas Sub
Severed west of McFarland, Kan.
UP Salina Sub
UP Topeka Sub
BNSF Topeka Sub
BNSF Emporia Sub
190
0
29
36
4
135
to Osawatomie, Kan.
to Parsons, Kan./DFW
to Springfield, Mo.
to Shreveport, La.
to Carthage, Mo.
to Springfield, Mo.
25 (18 south)
13
26
12
7
>1
UP Coffeyville Sub
UP Parsons Sub
BNSF Fort Scott Sub
KCS Pittsburg Sub
Missouri & Northern Arkansas
Abandoned
42
83
51
42
>1 (est.)
0
LINES SOUTH
Missouri Pacific (south, west)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas
Frisco (via Fort Scott)
Kansas City Southern
Missouri Pacific (south)
Frisco (via Clinton)
Tre
nto
n
UP
Su
b
Sub
K.C.
Sub
C&
N
(CG W
W)
Osawatomie
BNSF
Ft. Scott
Sub
K A N SA S
UP
Parsons
Sub
UP Coffeyville Sub
Neodesha
Oswego
Coffeyville
Clinton Former Rock Island (embar-
goed; in place, out of service)
KEY TO MAPS
100 MGT/year and above
70 - 100 MGT/year
35 - 70 MGT/year
18 - 35 GT/year
Lower density lines
Nevada
Lamar
BNSF
Pittsburg
Parsons
Ft. Sc
ott
Springfield
Carthage
To Memphis
BNSF
Vinita
To Tulsa
O K L A H O M A
To St. Louis
Sub
Joplin
MN
Neosho
To Little Rock
and Texas
Sedalia
Afton
To Little Rock
and Texas
A
M I S S O U R I
To Shreveport, La.
LINE
Jefferson
City
To St. Louis
RI
MNA
Carthage Sub
Ft. Scott
Mexico
UP Sedalia
Sub
F
To Texas and California
1971 RAILROAD
LINES WEST
Union Pacific
Rock Island
Union Pacific (Kansas Pacific)
Rock Island (Golden State Rte.)
Santa Fe (via Topeka)
Santa Fe (via Olathe)
Em
KCS
To Decatur, Ill., Ft. Wayne, Ind.,
and Detroit
To St. Louis
To St. Louis and Springfield, Ill.
ver
SLS
ub
ia S
por
UP
To Memphis
SLSF
Neosho
Paola
F
BNS
Emporia
Moberly
UP Ri
Harrisonville
KCS
KCS
MP
SLSF
Joplin
Coffeyville
To Fort Worth and
Little Rock, Ark.
SLS
F
Pittsburg
Parsons
Oswego
O K L A H O M A
25
To St. Louis
Lamar
Neodesha
20
Chicago might have more
trains — and St. Louis a big
shiny arch — but Kansas City
is the ton-mile king, with over
1 billion tons passing through
the city (or above it, on
flyovers) in 2003. That’s 15
percent more tons than
Chicago. What is remarkable
about K.C. is its sheer growth,
from 378 million gross tons in
1971, to 1.1 billion in 2003.
Mergers may have reduced the
number of Class I railroads
serving Kansas City, but not
the routes into town. Of the 24
main lines to K.C. in 1971, the
four that are gone were never
more than minor players.
Instead, mergers made modest
routes more important. Union
To Chicago
Marceline
Pleasant Hill
Ottawa
KCS Pittsburg Sub
15
Not all lines shown
SLSF
MP
10
© 2005 Kalmbach Publishing Co.,
TRAINS; Robert Wegner
This material may not be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher.
Nevada
Ft. Scott
To St. Louis
MP
B
Sub
Sub
exico
KCS M
KCS
Miles
0
5
MP
SLSF
Emporia
To Texas and California
To El Paso, Tx.
Olathe
BNSF
NS Kansas City District
Marshall
UP
ILW
C&NW
(CGW)
SLS
F
To St. Louis
Clinton
F
ATS
K A N SA S
MP
MP
RI
KCS
Osawatomie
Jefferson
City
B
BNSF
U
Sedalia
F
NS
eld
okfi
Bro
F
NS
KANSAS CITY
Topeka UP
Sub
ka
M
Bucklin
Carrollton
ub
UP Salina S
ope
PT
F
Paola
To Pueblo, Colo.
Mexico
MP
MP
Harrisonville
Su
b
To Denver
BNSF
MP
Pleasant Hill
SLS
Ottawa
RI
MP
ATSF
F
ATS
GM&O
MP
)
(Alton
To Chicago and St. Louis
Brookfield
b
Su
To Tucumcari, N.M.
and Denver
Olathe
O
GM&
Marshall
To St. Louis
(Alton)
e
elin
arc
E
IC&
Polo
Atchison
UP
ATSF
MP
RI
ts)
Carrollton
UP Falls
City Sub
St.
SF Sub
BN eph
Jos
Topeka UP (R KANSAS CITY
I righ
(RI rights)
ATSF
N&W
N&W
St. Joseph
sas
Kan
(KP)
(CB
&Q
)
N&W (Wabash)
UP
UP
BN
Leavenworth
B
To North
Platte, Neb.
To Chicago, Ft. Wayne, Ind. and Detroit
Moberly
Marceline
)
B&Q
N (C
To Chicago
Sub
Polo
Atchison
To Denver
UP
W
MIL
Hiawatha
UP
BN (CB&Q)
Bucklin
ka
St. Joseph
MP
UP
Brookfield
BN (CB&Q)
2003
To Chicago
To Davenport
and Chicago
To Des Moines
To North Platte, Neb. Falls City
Top
e
UP
RI/
M
UP
To North Platte, Neb.
1971
To Omaha, Neb.
To Lincoln, Neb.
BN
Hiawatha
RI
BN
Falls City
To Chicago
To Chicago
SF
AT
C&
N
(CG W
W)
N E B R A S K A
To Des Moines and Chicago
SF
To Lincoln and
Omaha, Neb.
To Omaha, Neb.
M A P O F T H E M O N T H
1971 TON-MILE
MNA to Diaz, Ark.
Pacific brings Powder River
Basin coal in on the Kansas
Subdivision (better known as
the Marysville Cutoff), while
the empties file back on the
Falls City Sub. South of town,
UP splits traffic between
parallel MP and MKT routes to
Wagoner, Okla.
Wyoming coal is the big
engine of tonnage growth,
entering the city on BNSF’s St.
Joseph Sub and UP’s Kansas
Sub, then segregating onto
three UP lines, one BNSF line,
and the Kansas City Southern.
Intermodal dominates BNSF’s
Transcon, while Norfolk
Southern is a conduit for
westbound autos and auto
parts. — Mark W. Hemphill
S2003 RAILROAD
2003 TON-MILES
35
115
0
27
8
17
100
34
7
95
28
0
LINES NORTH
Missouri Pacific
Burlington Northern (CB&Q)
Chicago & North Western (CGW)
to Omaha, Neb.
to Lincoln, Neb.19
to Des Moines
19
9
UP Falls City Sub
BNSF St. Joseph Sub
Abandoned
to Des Moines/Chicago
to Chicago
to Chicago
to Chicago
to Decatur, Ill./Ft. Wayne
to Chicago/St. Louis
to St. Louis
to St. Louis
to St. Louis
19
10
6
43
15
5
15
10
4
UP Trenton Sub
Iowa, Chicago & Eastern K.C. Sub
BNSF Brookfield Sub
BNSF Marceline Sub
NS Kansas City District
KCS Mexico Sub
UP River Sub
UP Sedalia Sub
Embargoed
LINES EAST
Rock Island
Milwaukee Road
Burlington Northern (CB&Q)
Santa Fe
Norfolk & Western (Wabash)
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (Alton)
Missouri Pacific (via Marshall)
Missouri Pacific (via Sedalia)
Rock Island
*NOTE: Ton-miles are measured beyond last common point as lines diverge away from Kansas City.

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