Kansas City Southern Railway EMD SD40-2 Pack

History

The Kansas City Southern’s story is actually quite recent when compared to the railroad industry as a whole; the road’s immediate ancestry began on January 8, 1887 with incorporation of the Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad, promoted by Arthur Stilwell.

The terminal line served the local Kansas City region, connecting Argentine with nearby Independence via the downtown area.

In all, the KCSB utilized 40 miles of track serving packing houses, grain elevators, stockyards, and various other industries. According to the Kansas City Southern Historical Society it officially began operations on August 18, 1890.

The other early component was the Texarkana & Northern Railway. At first, this system had no actual ties to the Stilwell’s operations. It had originally been chartered on June 18, 1885, intended as a logging operation that opened 10 miles from Texarkana north to the Red River.

On July 9, 1889 it changed its names as the Texarkana & Fort Smith Railway, opening an additional 16 miles to Wilton, Arkansas by 1892.

The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) notes that year, on December 13th, the railroad was acquired by the Arkansas Construction Company, a subsidiary of Stilwell’s Kansas City, Pittsburgh & Gulf Railroad.

The KCP&G had been organized on November 6, 1889 and Stilwell had plans for the railroad to provide the shortest route to the Gulf of Mexico, connecting its namesake city with the coast.

The system’s purpose was two-fold; to give farmers a means of exporting their goods as well as handle imported products.

Unfortunately, this plan was never successful although not before Stilwell had completed his vision. During the Panic of 1893 the KCP&G lost its financial backing after having only reached Pittsburg, Kansas.

Undaunted, Stilwell looked anywhere for possible monetary backing to complete his project. As Mike Schafer’s, "More Classic American Railroads," notes he was able to do this by garnering help through close friend George Pullman, head of the powerful Pullman Palace Car Company; together they raised $3 million in securities from Holland.

With new capital in hand, Stilwell opened coastal facilities on the Gulf at a location he named for himself, Port Arthur, Texas while "Last Spike" ceremonies were held at Beaumont on September 11, 1897.

Only two years after it all began the KCP&G fell into bankruptcy in 1899, emerging on April 1, 1900 as the Kansas City Southern Railway. The receivership forced Stilwell out and his involvement with the company ended.

As previously mentioned, his railroad’s dream was not particularly successful as, even after reorganization, it struggled to earn a profit.

There was little in the way of consistent, high-volume traffic which forced the KCS to rely upon local agriculture, grain, and less-than-carload freight for most of its income. In addition, passenger traffic was thin.

As it turns out, fate had a bright future for the company when its savior came in the way of "black gold," oil. As it turns out the railroad’s main line was situated right next to a discovery made near Beaumont, Texas.

In 1892 George O’Brien, George Carroll, Pattillo Higgins, Emma John, and J. F. Lanier, founded the Gladys City Oil, Gas & Manufacturing Company.

Within a few years nearly half the group had given up but in 1895 a determined Anthony Lucas signed a lease with the remaining partners, believing strongly that oil was located in the Gulf Coast’s salt domes.

Here we have the Kansas City Southern EMD SD40-2’s.

• Kansas City Southern SD40-2 637 & 638
• Kansas City Southern SD40-2 651 & 652
• Kansas City Southern SD40-2 687 – 690
• Kansas City Southern SD40T-2 3167 & 3170
• Kansas City Southern SD40-2 3200 & 3201 (KCS 3200 is ex-637 & 3201 is ex-638)
• Kansas City Southern SD40T-2 6102 & 6110

[Author’s note: this mod was started 2 years ago and info wasn’t reliable, since then units are either stored, sold or a different model/railroad.]

You will need the Zukzf’s SD40-2 to make this work.

• Group listed
• Model by SD70M & MaikC
• Info from American-Rails.com
• Credit to Railsimstuff for the fonts
• Custom sounds by Mr. Cheesecake