Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway

The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacífico

Chihuahua al Pacífico

The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico , also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, or Ferrocarril Chihuahua-Pacífico is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa and its port Topolobampo...

railroad in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

at Topolobampo

Topolobampo

Topolobampo is a port on the Gulf of California in northwestern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest town in the municipality of Ahome , reporting a 2005 census population of 6,032 inhabitants....

, Sinaloa

Sinaloa

Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....

.

The United States portion was incorporated in 1900 as the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, and completed between Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

and Alpine, Texas

Alpine, Texas

Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...

. Grading took place between El Dorado, Kansas

El Dorado, Kansas

El Dorado is a city situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County, located in south-central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Butler County...

and Bazaar, Kansas

Bazaar, Kansas

Bazaar is an unincorporated community in Chase County, Kansas, United States. The community is part of the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is notable for being near the place of the 1931 Trans World Airlines Flight 599 crash that killed University of Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne...

. Primary shops were located in Wichita. It was forced into bankruptcy in 1912, but its receiver William T. Kemper was to make a fortune when oil was discovered under its tracks. In 1914 it was reorganized as the KCM&O Railroad. Another reorganization in 1925 returned it to its original name. It was popularly called The Orient railroad.

The KCM&O was acquired by the 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...

in 1928, mainly to gain access to the west Texas oil fields. The Santa Fe then sold the Mexican portions. Operating rights on the portion (South Orient Rail Line) from San Angelo

San Angelo, Texas

San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...

to Presidio

Presidio, Texas

Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande , on the opposite side of the U.S.-Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census....

later were awarded to Texas Pacifico Transportation

Texas Pacifico Transportation

Texas Pacifico Transportation Ltd. is a railroad operating company in West Texas that is owned by Grupo México. The company operates over the South Orient Rail Line under a lease and operating agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation and the South Orient Rural Rail Transportation...

See also