Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad is a Class III
short-line railroad headquartered in Carthage, Missouri
.
MNA operates approximately 527 miles (848.1 km) of line in Arkansas
, Kansas
, and Missouri
. Its main line extends 384.1 miles (plus 40 miles (64.4 km) of trackage rights on Union Pacific Railroad
lines) from Kansas City, Missouri
to Newport, Arkansas
(MNA interchanges with Union Pacific at both points). MNA also interchanges with BNSF Railway
at Lamar, Missouri
, Carthage, Aurora, Springfield, and Joplin, Missouri
, and with Kansas City Southern Railway
at Joplin.
MNA also operates several miles of industrial trackage in the city of Springfield; this segment is disconnected from the rest of the MNA system and traffic is hauled via BNSF to and from the Aurora interchange.
MNA traffic generally consists of coal
, grain, frozen foods, minerals, steel
, chemicals, and asphalt
. MNA operates unit coal trains to major power plants at Independence, AR and Montrose, MO. The railroad hauled around 111,000 carloads in 2008.
An excursion train (operated by other company) runs along portions of the route:
The line was initially chartered in 1883 and was part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad
's mainline between Kansas City and Memphis, Tennessee
. The MNA began operations on December 13th, 1992 and purchased the 102 miles (164.2 km) segment from Bergman to Guion, Arkansas from Union Pacific. Other operated segments are leased from the Union Pacific and BNSF Railroads. The Ft. Scott, KS to Nevada and Clinton, MO route was once part of the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad's mainline from Parsons, KS to Sedalia and St. Louis, MO. The track between Nevada, MO and Ft. Scott, KS is out of service.
MNA is owned by RailAmerica
, a short-line railroad holding company
, having been purchased in 2000.
Class III railroad
A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...
short-line railroad headquartered in Carthage, Missouri
Carthage, Missouri
Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,378 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City."...
.
MNA operates approximately 527 miles (848.1 km) of line in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, 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...
, and 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...
. Its main line extends 384.1 miles (plus 40 miles (64.4 km) of trackage rights on Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
lines) from Kansas City, Missouri
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...
to Newport, Arkansas
Newport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County....
(MNA interchanges with Union Pacific at both points). MNA also interchanges with 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...
at Lamar, Missouri
Lamar, Missouri
Lamar is a city in Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,474 at the 2011 census. It is the county seat of Barton County. Lamar is well known as the birthplace of President Harry S. Truman.-Geography:...
, Carthage, Aurora, Springfield, and Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
, and with 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...
at Joplin.
MNA also operates several miles of industrial trackage in the city of Springfield; this segment is disconnected from the rest of the MNA system and traffic is hauled via BNSF to and from the Aurora interchange.
MNA traffic generally consists of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, grain, frozen foods, minerals, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, chemicals, and asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
. MNA operates unit coal trains to major power plants at Independence, AR and Montrose, MO. The railroad hauled around 111,000 carloads in 2008.
An excursion train (operated by other company) runs along portions of the route:
- The Branson Scenic RailwayBranson Scenic RailwayThe Branson Scenic Railway is a heritage railroad in Branson, Missouri.It operates tourist trains in the scenic Ozark Mountains between Branson north to Galena, Missouri, or between Branson south to the Barren Fork Trestle in Arkansas...
operates the "Ozark Zephyr" out of Branson, MissouriBranson, MissouriBranson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. Trains operate mostly south into Arkansas but occasionally north to Galena. The restored 1906 depot is next to Branson Landing in historic downtown Branson.
- The White River Scenic Railroad formerly operated an excursion train from Flippin, ArkansasFlippin, ArkansasFlippin is a city in Marion County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Flippin is located on a major non-interstate highway, US 412/62, in the Ozark Mountains near the South Shore of Bull Shoals Lake...
to Calico Rock, ArkansasCalico Rock, ArkansasCalico Rock is a city in Izard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 991 at the 2000 census. The town celebrates a unique feature...
.
The line was initially chartered in 1883 and was part of 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...
's mainline between Kansas City and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The MNA began operations on December 13th, 1992 and purchased the 102 miles (164.2 km) segment from Bergman to Guion, Arkansas from Union Pacific. Other operated segments are leased from the Union Pacific and BNSF Railroads. The Ft. Scott, KS to Nevada and Clinton, MO route was once part of the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad's mainline from Parsons, KS to Sedalia and St. Louis, MO. The track between Nevada, MO and Ft. Scott, KS is out of service.
MNA is owned by RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....
, a short-line railroad holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, having been purchased in 2000.