Kansas City Southern Industries
Encyclopedia
Kansas City Southern Industries is the former diversified
parent company of the Kansas City Southern Railway
, a Class I railroad
headquartered in the Quality Hill
neighborhood of Kansas City
, Missouri
, USA
. It is also sometimes known as "The NAFTA Railroad" in reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement
because its operations carry goods between the midwest and Mexico
.
Kansas City Southern was founded in 1887 by Arthur Edward Stilwell, with the goal of connecting the U.S. heartland to the Gulf of Mexico
. An early slogan for the company was "The shortest route from Kansas City to salt water." Its original network linked Kansas City with Port Arthur, Texas
. Although it remained financially strong, it did not add routes until the 1930s, when it expanded to Louisiana
. From 1940 to 1969, KCS offered luxury passenger service between Kansas City and New Orleans, but ceased passenger operations due to the growing popularity of auto and air travel.
KCS' next large expansion did not take place until 1993, when it purchased the MidSouth Railroad, which provided its first east-west route, connecting Dallas, Texas
to Meridian, Mississippi
.
Due to KCS' geographic placement, the railroad has benefited from the passage of NAFTA in 1995.
KCSI also attempted to purchase the Southern Pacific Transportation Company from Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad
Company, in 1988 only to be defeated by the Rio Grande's parent company Rio Grande Industries
Diversified
Diversified technique is the most commonly used adjustment technique by chiropractors. Like many chiropractic and osteopathic manipulative techniques, Diversified is characterized by a high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust...
parent company of the Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
, a Class I railroad
Class I railroad
A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
headquartered in the Quality Hill
Quality Hill
Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, situated on a 200-foot-high bluff which overlooks the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River in the West Bottoms below....
neighborhood of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is also sometimes known as "The NAFTA Railroad" in reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
because its operations carry goods between the midwest and 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...
.
Kansas City Southern was founded in 1887 by Arthur Edward Stilwell, with the goal of connecting the U.S. heartland to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. An early slogan for the company was "The shortest route from Kansas City to salt water." Its original network linked Kansas City with Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
. Although it remained financially strong, it did not add routes until the 1930s, when it expanded to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. From 1940 to 1969, KCS offered luxury passenger service between Kansas City and New Orleans, but ceased passenger operations due to the growing popularity of auto and air travel.
KCS' next large expansion did not take place until 1993, when it purchased the MidSouth Railroad, which provided its first east-west route, connecting Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
to Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Due to KCS' geographic placement, the railroad has benefited from the passage of NAFTA in 1995.
KCSI also attempted to purchase the Southern Pacific Transportation Company from Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad
Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad
In the 1980s, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Southern Pacific Transportation Company attempted a merger. It began with the merger of holding companies Santa Fe Industries and Southern Pacific Company on December 23, 1983 to form the Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation , which...
Company, in 1988 only to be defeated by the Rio Grande's parent company Rio Grande Industries
Rio Grande Industries
Rio Grande Industries was the diversified parent company, headquartered in Denver, of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Formed in 1968, its non-railroad operations included construction, real estate, and energy units...