Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway, also known as the Leaky Roof Railway, is a now abandoned rail line that ran from Olathe, Kansas
, near Kansas City, through Clinton, Missouri
, and on to Ash Grove, Missouri
, where it tied in with the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railway, later the Frisco Railroad. A short branch line served Pleasant Hill, Missouri. It was founded in 1884, as a subsidiary of the KCFS&G; on February 12, 1885, the railroad was incorporated in Missouri. The line was later bought by the Frisco (St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
) in 1928. After consolidation with the Frisco, the route was deemed redundant to the parallel and better constructed Frisco "Highline". Seeking to cut costs, the Frisco chose to abandon the line in 1934. Because it ran parallel to the Frisco's Highline, the two railroads intersected at many places. Thus, the Frisco chose to consolidate the two lines into one by keeping the track of whichever railroad had the favorable route between these numerous crossings. The less favorable sections were then removed. Service continued over these portions of the line with a daily except Sunday local until the mid 1970s, when dam construction and bridge fires ended through service on the route between Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri. Operating for a while as a North and South branch line, services were cut and the line was, section by section, successively abandoned. Although the rails are now gone, traces can be found along Route 7 and Route 13, however along most sections, little remains to be seen.
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
, near Kansas City, through Clinton, Missouri
Clinton, Missouri
Clinton is a city in Henry County, Missouri, United States. The city was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 9,311 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henry County.-Geography:Clinton is located at...
, and on to Ash Grove, Missouri
Ash Grove, Missouri
Ash Grove is a city in Greene County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2009 census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ash Grove is located at ....
, where it tied in with the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railway, later the Frisco Railroad. A short branch line served Pleasant Hill, Missouri. It was founded in 1884, as a subsidiary of the KCFS&G; on February 12, 1885, the railroad was incorporated in Missouri. The line was later bought by the Frisco (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:...
) in 1928. After consolidation with the Frisco, the route was deemed redundant to the parallel and better constructed Frisco "Highline". Seeking to cut costs, the Frisco chose to abandon the line in 1934. Because it ran parallel to the Frisco's Highline, the two railroads intersected at many places. Thus, the Frisco chose to consolidate the two lines into one by keeping the track of whichever railroad had the favorable route between these numerous crossings. The less favorable sections were then removed. Service continued over these portions of the line with a daily except Sunday local until the mid 1970s, when dam construction and bridge fires ended through service on the route between Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri. Operating for a while as a North and South branch line, services were cut and the line was, section by section, successively abandoned. Although the rails are now gone, traces can be found along Route 7 and Route 13, however along most sections, little remains to be seen.