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choochoodood

choochoodood

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 25, 2013
Messages
140
Location
Ohio
I'm riding the Texas Eagle from CHI to LAX in June. I've been doing some research into what legacy roads I will be travelling on, without a whole lot of luck.

About all I can find is that I'll be on the MoPac out of STL, and the Texas & Pacific between certain points in Texas. And I'm guessing its the SP from SAS on west.

I'm sure there's an expert out out there that can give me the detailed info for the entire CHI to LAX route.
 
The Missouri Pacific Texas Eagle originated in St. Louis as a consolidated Eagle, breaking apart in Longview, Texas with a section going to Palestine, Austin, San Antonio, Laredo, Another went Dallas, Ft. Worth, El Paso. A small section separated in Palestine for Houston.
 
Don't have the exact info for this routing, but you'll be on parts the Old Katy,Santa Fe and Mopac Route between Ft Worth and San Antonio.

Once you reach SAS, you'll do a Loooooong Loop around downtown to the West on the Katy/Mopac tracks, then East on the EX-SP tracks and into Sunset Station which is ex-SP.
 
The Chicago - St. Louis segment has changed ownership many times: Chicago and Alton, Alton RR, Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, Chicago, Missouri and Western, Southern Pacific, and currently Union Pacific. I think the Alton was actually owned by the Baltimore and Ohio.

And I probably missed a few.
 
All right; this will not be exact; there have been many small changes to routings in the last fifty years...I believe the trackage from Colton into Los Angeles is almost entirely "new". Also, operational routings may change; while 90% of the time Amtrak uses the MacArthur Bridge across the Mississippi into St. Louis there is always to this day a chance that you may be routed over the Merchants' Bridge a couple miles to the north. With that said:

Chicago to St. Louis: Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (former Alton Route; many ownership changes as stated above)

St. Louis to Texarkana: Missouri Pacific

Texarkana to Dallas: Texas & Pacific (Missouri Pacific Affiliate)

Dallas to Fort Worth: Rock Island

Fort Worth to Temple: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe

Temple to (north of) Taylor: Missouri-Kansas-Texas

Taylor to San Antonio: Missouri Pacific

San Antonio to Los Angeles: Southern Pacific
 
Last edited by a moderator:
PaulM said:
The Chicago - St. Louis segment has changed ownership many times: Chicago and Alton, Alton RR, Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, Chicago, Missouri and Western, Southern Pacific, and currently Union Pacific. I think the Alton was actually owned by the Baltimore and Ohio.

And I probably missed a few.
Click to expand...
PaulM

You are good!!!

The Illinois Central owned that section for some years after the GM&O and prior to the Union Pacific.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ehbowen said:
All right; this will not be exact; there have been many small changes to routings in the last fifty years...I believe the trackage from Colton into Los Angeles is almost entirely "new". Also, operational routings may change; while 90% of the time Amtrak uses the MacArthur Bridge across the Mississippi into St. Louis there is always to this day a chance that you may be routed over the Merchants' Bridge a couple miles to the north. With that said:

Chicago to St. Louis: Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (former Alton Route; many ownership changes as stated above)

St. Louis to Texarkana: Missouri Pacific

Texarkana to Dallas: Texas & Pacific (Missouri Pacific Affiliate)

Dallas to Fort Worth: Rock Island

Fort Worth to Temple: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe

Temple to (north of) Taylor: Missouri-Kansas-Texas

Taylor to San Antonio: Missouri Pacific

San Antonio to Los Angeles: Southern Pacific
Click to expand...
Thanks so much. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Illinois Central owned that section (Chi-STL) for some years after the GM&O and prior to the Union Pacific
Click to expand...
I forgot about that. But I think what happened was the GM&O and IC merged in the mid-70's to form the Illinois Central Gulf. Before long the ICG abandoned or sold off just about all of the former GM&O - the CHI-STL segment to something called Chicago, Missouri, and Western, which soon went bankrupt. I'm pretty sure it was next bought by the SP.

Of course, the OP asked about heritage roads. If the term refers to the owner at the time Amtrak took over, then GM&O is the answer.
 
PaulM said:
The Illinois Central owned that section (Chi-STL) for some years after the GM&O and prior to the Union Pacific
Click to expand...
I forgot about that. But I think what happened was the GM&O and IC merged in the mid-70's to form the Illinois Central Gulf. Before long the ICG abandoned or sold off just about all of the former GM&O - the CHI-STL segment to something called Chicago, Missouri, and Western, which soon went bankrupt. I'm pretty sure it was next bought by the SP.

Of course, the OP asked about heritage roads. If the term refers to the owner at the time Amtrak took over, then GM&O is the answer.
Click to expand...
Actually, ICG (now CN) retained ownership of the Chicago-Joliet section. This part of the line has many industrial shippers. The lack of the CHI-JOL segment helped lead to the short life of the CM&W.
 

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