Abandoned Rails: The Saint Louis Subdivision of the Rock Island Line - History & maps of the future Rock Island Trail

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This line started out as the Saint Louis, Kansas City and Colorado Railroad, who built the first vestige of the line between Saint Louis and Union in 1887. The intent was to build a line into Colorado via Kansas City. By 1901, the StLKC&C had further completed their line through Gerald and Owensville to Bland.

Meanwhile, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was interested in extending their empire westward from Saint Louis to Kansas City, and watched the development of the StLKC&C with a keen interest. They purchased the StLKC&C ourtight in 1902, and continued extending the line into Eldon (which would eventually become the subdivision's base of operations, complete with a roundhouse and large yard), Versailles, and Windsor (and a connection with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad there) in 1904. Trackage rights were utilized over the M-K-T to allow the Rock Island access into Kansas City from Windsor; the Rock Island finally completed their own line into Kansas City (via Pleasant Hill, Lee's Summit and Raytown) in 1905. The line was known as the Rock Island's Saint Louis Subdivision.

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Abandoned Rails: The Saint Louis Subdivision of the Rock Island Line - History & maps of the future Rock Island Trail

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