San Antonio Southern

Company History: The San Antonio Southern Railway Company was chartered on January 2, 1920. The railroad took over the Artesian Belt Railway, which ran from Macdona in Bexar County to Christine in Atascosa County, forty-three miles of line. That year four miles of line was abandoned between Macdona and Kirk. The San Antonio Southern planned to extend the railroad from Atascosa County to Simmons City in Live Oak County, about seventy miles, and in 1922 requested authority to extend its line to Rio Grande City and Sam Fordyce. However, the extensions were never built.

According to the original articles of incorporation the railroad had a capital stock of $250,000. The principal place of business for the railroad was San Antonio. The members of the first board of directors were Harry Landa, of New Braunfels; J. E. Jarrett, T. B. Baker, Leo M. J. Dielmann, W. R. Wiseman, J. H. Savage, and Henry P. Drought, all of San Antonio; Joseph B. Dibrell, of Seguin; and Thornwell Fay. Most of the San Antonio Southern's earnings came from freight operations, but passenger service was also provided. In 1926 the line reported passenger earnings of $6,000 and freight earnings of $217,000, and the railroad owned three locomotives and eighteen cars.

The New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway acquired the San Antonio Southern on January 1, 1927, but continued to operate the line as a separate company. In 1933 ten miles of track were abandoned between Jourdanton and Christine. In 1952 the railroad reported freight earnings of $42,000 and gross earnings of $43,000. That year the railroad rented all of its rolling stock. On March 1, 1956, the San Antonio Southern was consolidated with the Missouri Pacific, which abandoned the line between Kirk and Jourdanton in 1965.

Successor/Parent History: The Missouri Pacific Railroad (reporting mark MP), commonly abbreviated MoPac, with nickname of The Mop, 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 (SLIMS), Texas and Pacific Railway (TP), Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI), St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway (SLBM), Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G), Midland Valley Railroad (MV), San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad (SAU&G), Gulf Coast Lines (GC), International-Great Northern Railroad (IGN), New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway (NOTM), Missouri-Illinois Railroad (MI), as well as the small Central Branch Railway (an early predecessor of MP in Kansas and south central Nebraska), and joint ventures such as the Alton and Southern Railroad (AS).

In 1967, the railroad operated 9,041 miles of road and 13,318 miles of track, not including DK&S, NO&LC, T&P and its subsidiaries, C&EI and Missouri-Illinois.

On January 8, 1980, the Union Pacific Railroad agreed to buy the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Lawsuits filed by competing railroads delayed approval of the merger until September 13, 1982. After the Supreme Court denied a trial to the Southern Pacific, the merger took effect on December 22, 1982. However, due to outstanding bonds of the Missouri Pacific, the merger with Union Pacific become official only on January 1, 1997.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.