Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjoint segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri
with Tulsa, Oklahoma
, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico
with Southern California
. It was incorporated
by the U.S. Congress in 1866 as a transcontinental railroad
connecting Springfield, Missouri
and Van Buren, Arkansas
with California. The central portion was never constructed, and the two halves later became parts of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
systems, now both merged into the BNSF Railway
.
, incorporated by the Missouri General Assembly
in 1849 to connect St. Louis and a point south of Kansas City across the center of the state. In response to an 1852 federal law granting
public lands to Missouri to aid in constructing two cross-state railroads, the state approved an amendment to the 1849 Pacific Railroad law in December 1852, adding a Southwest Branch that would receive the grants. The new branch, defined by state law to lie south of the Osage River
, began at Franklin (now Pacific
) on the main line and headed west-southwesterly across the state. Construction on 71 miles (114.3 km) from Franklin to Dillon was completed in 1860, and a further 6 miles (9.7 km) to Rolla were opened in 1861. The company graded 12 miles (19.3 km) more to Arlington, but after it default
ed on bonds that had been issued for the branch, the state seized the road from Franklin to Rolla and incomplete roadbed to Arlington in March 1866. The property was sold in June for $1.3 million to explorer and politician John C. Frémont
, who reorganized it as the Southwest Pacific Railroad in September. (The main line of the Pacific Railroad was not sold, and would later become the Missouri Pacific Railroad
.)
In July 1866, Congress passed a law incorporating the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad under control of Frémont and associates. The company was given the power to build near the 35th parallel
from Springfield, Missouri
west to the Pacific, with a branch from Van Buren, Arkansas
. In exchange for its completion by 1878, the railroad would receive land grants along its route. The same conditions were applied to the Southern Pacific Railroad
of California, which could build a branch to connect to the A&P near the eastern border of that state. The A&P purchased the Southwest Pacific in January 1867, and that year rails were laid on the grade to Arlington. That company, too, defaulted on its payments, and the state of Missouri again seized the property in June 1867, selling it to a new South Pacific Railroad in July 1868. Ownership of the A&P was also transferred to the new owners, which included Clinton B. Fisk
of St. Louis. Another 164 miles (263.9 km) to Pierce City and 39 miles (62.8 km) of grading to Seneca on the state line were completed in 1870, when, in October, the South Pacific sold its property to the A&P. That company laid rails to Neosho that year and to Seneca, and beyond to Vinita, Oklahoma
, in 1871, and in June 1872 it leased the Pacific (later Missouri Pacific) Railroad, which operated a line to Kansas City and branches, including several into Kansas
. The A&P's only branch, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to a mine near Granby, Missouri
, was built in 1875.
But this incarnation had similar financial problems; its Missouri division (Franklin to Seneca) was placed under receivership
in November 1875, and the Pacific Railroad lease was canceled. The owners of the A&P incorporated the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway in September 1876, and immediately acquired the property of the Missouri division, and a lease on the Central division (Seneca to Vinita). Extensions beyond Vinita for 64 miles (103 km) to Tulsa (1882), 4 miles (6.4 km) to Red Fork (1885), and 10 miles (16.1 km) to Sapulpa (1886) were included in the lease. The SL&SF also constructed a direct line into St. Louis in 1883, ending its dependence on the Missouri Pacific for access to that city.
In January 1880, the SL&SF came to an agreement with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which had recently entered New Mexico
from the north, whereby the two companies would jointly control the A&P. The SL&SF would continue to operate the Central division, and a new Western division would begin on the AT&SF at Isleta, New Mexico and head west to meet the Southern Pacific at Needles, California
. Construction began that year, and in 1882 the SP began building a branch from Mojave east to Needles, where the two met on August 9, 1883. The A&P, then essentially an operating subsidiary
of the AT&SF, leased the line from the SP in August 1884, and in November 1885 the AT&SF-owned California Southern Railroad
completed its line over Cajon Pass
to the SP's Needles branch at Barstow, giving the AT&SF access to the coast. In addition to its lease of the SP to Mojave, the A&P operated via trackage rights
over the AT&SF from Isleta to Albuquerque.
The AT&SF gained control of the SL&SF in 1890, but both companies entered receivership
in the December after the Panic of 1893
, and the A&P followed in January 1894. That road's Western division was sold to the newly-created AT&SF subsidiary Santa Fe Pacific Railroad in June 1897, and the remaining Central division was sold under foreclosure
to the reorganized SL&SF, which was again independent of the AT&SF, in December 1897, ending the A&P's existence. Through the Santa Fe Pacific, the AT&SF acquired trackage rights
in January 1899 over the SP's Tehachapi Pass
line, giving it access to the Central Valley of California and San Francisco Bay Area
. The Santa Fe Pacific left the SP at Kern Junction, where the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railway - another AT&SF subsidiary - began, and operated into Bakersfield via SF&SJV trackage. The AT&SF bought the railroad property of the Santa Fe Pacific in July 1902, and its non-operating subsidiary California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway
bought the leased Southern Pacific line between Mojave and Needles in December 1911, but the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad continued to own its land grants from the A&P, and in fact still exists as a subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, successor to the AT&SF. The gap across Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico was eventually filled in 1904, when the Arkansas Valley and Western Railway
, an SL&SF subsidiary, completed its line from Tulsa to Avard, Oklahoma
, on the AT&SF's line through the Texas Panhandle
. The line was joined under one company in 1995, when the AT&SF merged with SL&SF successor Burlington Northern Railroad
to form the BNSF Railway
, and remains a main line.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
with Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
with Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. It was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
by the U.S. Congress in 1866 as a transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
connecting Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
and Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
with California. The central portion was never constructed, and the two halves later became parts of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
The St. Louis – San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to 1980.-History:...
and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
systems, now both merged into the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
.
History
The A&P's earliest predecessor was the Pacific RailroadPacific Railroad
The Pacific Railroad was a railroad based in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 1849 to extend "from St...
, incorporated by the Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
in 1849 to connect St. Louis and a point south of Kansas City across the center of the state. In response to an 1852 federal law granting
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
public lands to Missouri to aid in constructing two cross-state railroads, the state approved an amendment to the 1849 Pacific Railroad law in December 1852, adding a Southwest Branch that would receive the grants. The new branch, defined by state law to lie south of the Osage River
Osage River
The Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of . The watershed includes an area of east-central Kansas and a large portion of west-central and central...
, began at Franklin (now Pacific
Pacific, Missouri
Pacific is a city in Franklin and St. Louis counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pacific is located at . The city straddles the Franklin County/St. Louis County line, which lies halfway on the blocks between Elm and Neosho streets. St...
) on the main line and headed west-southwesterly across the state. Construction on 71 miles (114.3 km) from Franklin to Dillon was completed in 1860, and a further 6 miles (9.7 km) to Rolla were opened in 1861. The company graded 12 miles (19.3 km) more to Arlington, but after it default
Default (finance)
In finance, default occurs when a debtor has not met his or her legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g. has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a loan covenant of the debt contract. A default is the failure to pay back a loan. Default may occur if the debtor is either...
ed on bonds that had been issued for the branch, the state seized the road from Franklin to Rolla and incomplete roadbed to Arlington in March 1866. The property was sold in June for $1.3 million to explorer and politician John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
, who reorganized it as the Southwest Pacific Railroad in September. (The main line of the Pacific Railroad was not sold, and would later become the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
.)
In July 1866, Congress passed a law incorporating the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad under control of Frémont and associates. The company was given the power to build near the 35th parallel
35th parallel north
The 35th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 35 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean....
from Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
west to the Pacific, with a branch from Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
. In exchange for its completion by 1878, the railroad would receive land grants along its route. The same conditions were applied to the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
of California, which could build a branch to connect to the A&P near the eastern border of that state. The A&P purchased the Southwest Pacific in January 1867, and that year rails were laid on the grade to Arlington. That company, too, defaulted on its payments, and the state of Missouri again seized the property in June 1867, selling it to a new South Pacific Railroad in July 1868. Ownership of the A&P was also transferred to the new owners, which included Clinton B. Fisk
Clinton B. Fisk
Clinton Bowen Fisk , for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer during Reconstruction in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. He endowed Fisk University with $30,000...
of St. Louis. Another 164 miles (263.9 km) to Pierce City and 39 miles (62.8 km) of grading to Seneca on the state line were completed in 1870, when, in October, the South Pacific sold its property to the A&P. That company laid rails to Neosho that year and to Seneca, and beyond to Vinita, Oklahoma
Vinita, Oklahoma
Vinita is a city in south-central Craig County, Oklahoma. As of 2009, the population estimate was 6,057. It is the county seat of Craig County.-Geography:...
, in 1871, and in June 1872 it leased the Pacific (later Missouri Pacific) Railroad, which operated a line to Kansas City and branches, including several into Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The A&P's only branch, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to a mine near Granby, Missouri
Granby, Missouri
Granby is a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Granby is located at ....
, was built in 1875.
But this incarnation had similar financial problems; its Missouri division (Franklin to Seneca) was placed under receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in November 1875, and the Pacific Railroad lease was canceled. The owners of the A&P incorporated the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway in September 1876, and immediately acquired the property of the Missouri division, and a lease on the Central division (Seneca to Vinita). Extensions beyond Vinita for 64 miles (103 km) to Tulsa (1882), 4 miles (6.4 km) to Red Fork (1885), and 10 miles (16.1 km) to Sapulpa (1886) were included in the lease. The SL&SF also constructed a direct line into St. Louis in 1883, ending its dependence on the Missouri Pacific for access to that city.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
from the north, whereby the two companies would jointly control the A&P. The SL&SF would continue to operate the Central division, and a new Western division would begin on the AT&SF at Isleta, New Mexico and head west to meet the Southern Pacific at Needles, California
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
. Construction began that year, and in 1882 the SP began building a branch from Mojave east to Needles, where the two met on August 9, 1883. The A&P, then essentially an operating subsidiary
Operating subsidiary
An operating subsidiary is a business term frequently used within the United States in corporate profile descriptions. In the railroad industry, for example, it refers to a company that is a subsidiary but operates with its own identity and rolling stock...
of the AT&SF, leased the line from the SP in August 1884, and in November 1885 the AT&SF-owned California Southern Railroad
California Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
completed its line over Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
to the SP's Needles branch at Barstow, giving the AT&SF access to the coast. In addition to its lease of the SP to Mojave, the A&P operated via trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over the AT&SF from Isleta to Albuquerque.
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in the December after the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, and the A&P followed in January 1894. That road's Western division was sold to the newly-created AT&SF subsidiary Santa Fe Pacific Railroad in June 1897, and the remaining Central division was sold under foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
to the reorganized SL&SF, which was again independent of the AT&SF, in December 1897, ending the A&P's existence. Through the Santa Fe Pacific, the AT&SF acquired trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
in January 1899 over the SP's Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California in the United States. The route over the pass connects the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert...
line, giving it access to the Central Valley of California and San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The Santa Fe Pacific left the SP at Kern Junction, where the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railway - another AT&SF subsidiary - began, and operated into Bakersfield via SF&SJV trackage. The AT&SF bought the railroad property of the Santa Fe Pacific in July 1902, and its non-operating subsidiary California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway
California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway
The California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway was a non-operating subsidiary of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that was incorporated in 1911 and was merged into the ATSF in 1963...
bought the leased Southern Pacific line between Mojave and Needles in December 1911, but the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad continued to own its land grants from the A&P, and in fact still exists as a subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, successor to the AT&SF. The gap across Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico was eventually filled in 1904, when the Arkansas Valley and Western Railway
Arkansas Valley and Western Railway
The Arkansas Valley and Western Railway was built as a short line railroad operating within the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was founded in 1902 to link the city of Tulsa with the main transcontinental line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Avard. The line was built in sections,...
, an SL&SF subsidiary, completed its line from Tulsa to Avard, Oklahoma
Avard, Oklahoma
Avard is a town in Woods County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 26 at the 2000 census and is sometimes considered a ghost town. After initial growth Avard began declining in the 1930s...
, on the AT&SF's line through the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. The line was joined under one company in 1995, when the AT&SF merged with SL&SF successor Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
to form the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, and remains a main line.