History of the Katy Railroad

American Rails has an excellent summary of the history of the MKT/Katy Railroad - many interesting tidbits for anyone planning a trip on the Katy Trail:

Map of the MKT (Katy) Railroad System

As its name implies, the MKT linked its namesake states with key connections to St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Waco, San Antonio, and Galveston/Houston.  Much of its growth across Texas occurred during the Jay Gould era, one of the industry's most notorious tycoons.  

After escaping his grasp the Katy spent the 20th century as a well-managed, if not highly profitable, railroad.  Due to its regional nature and many competitors it did not enjoy the success of its larger neighbors but was nonetheless a respected carrier. 

During the late 1960's, legendary railroader John Barriger III took the reins and guided the Katy through a brief bout of prominence.  He had always envisioned it joining a stronger system, which came true in 1988 when it was acquired by Union Pacific. . . .

[I]t was hoped that Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth, and Fort Gibson could be directly connected by rail. 

There were three railroads incorporated for this purpose; the Kansas & Neosho Valley Railroad (K&NV); Leavenworth, Lawrence & Fort Gibson Railroad (LL&FtG); and finally the Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch (UPRSB). 

The latter, formed during February of 1865, is the Katy's genesis, envisioned to link all three forts as well as Fort Smith in Arkansas (never accomplished).  The first to complete the task and reach Indian Territory (the state of Oklahoma after November 16, 1907) would be declared the winner. . . .

By the 1980's most of Katy's important interchange connects were gone as it found itself surrounded by the transcontinental Santa Fe, Burlington Northern, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific. After brief negotiations, MKT officially became a division of Union Pacific in 1988. 

While much of the original network has since been either abandoned or railbanked some of its lines persevere under Union Pacific today. 

More:

• MKT Railroad History along the Katy Trail - things you can still see and visit (BikeKatyTrail.com)
• Katy Trail connectors, side trips, and loops (MoBikeFed)
• Katy Trail - Rocheport-Boonville Salt Creek Bridge Outage Bypass - the Salt Creek Bridge has been out 2018-2022. This is a scenic, low-traffic bypass for that area that completely avoids riding on busy Hwy 40.
• Katy-Rock Island Greenwood Gap Connector - ride the complete Katy Trail-Rock Island Trail route from the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City to the eastern terminus of the  Katy Trail in Machens, using this low-traffic, low-stress bypass route for the longest gap remaining in the statewide trail system.
• Bike MOPAC - experience the history and culture of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and MOPAC railroad towns all across Missouri.
• Many more historical & cultural oriented bicycle routes across Missouri