South Orient

Company History: The SORR was established in 1992 with the purchase of the former Kansas City Mexico & Orient line from San Angelo Junction to Presidio, Texas from the Santa Fe. There was an international interchange at Presidio with FerroMex and the new company was hoping that international trade would fill their coffers. SORR leased a handful of ex-Rio Grande hi-hood GP9’s and painted them in a nice gray, red and yellow scheme not unlike that of Erie Lackawanna. In mid-1994, the leases expired and these units were returned to their owners. The replacements were also EMD geeps but this time with low noses. They were painted in a scheme reminiscent of Missouri Pacific’s Jenks Blue scheme.

Also in 1994, SORR picked up another discarded Santa Fe line from Ricker to Fort Worth and established Centex Rail Link to operate it. SORR had trackage rights on Santa Fe to link the two lines. Centex locomotives were patched ex-C&NW low nose geeps and they frequently ran through onto the South Orient. In 1999, South Orient sold Centex Rail Link to Fort Worth & Western. By 1998, it became clear that the international business was not going to materialize and on line customers were disappearing. South Orient applied for permission to abandon the line. They were allowed to cease operations but not to pull up the track. Three years later, the new Texas Pacifico (a subsidiary of mining giant Grupo Mexico) acquired the line from Presidio to San Angelo Junction and resumed service.

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