Former Grand Trunk Western Railway
The Kansas Southwestern Railway (KSW) was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The company was incorporated on October 24, 1901, and the first main track built was 6.198 miles. The company had a small roster of former Grand Trunk Western Railroad engines that mainly were painted in a red, white, and blue paint scheme. By July 1914, it was controlled by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Later, much of the track was former Missouri Pacific Railroad, spun off by Union Pacific Railroad in 1991. It was merged into a sister railroad company, the Kansas Central Railway, in 2000.
In July 2001, Watco Company merged the Kansas Southwestern Railway and the Kansas Central Railway into the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO). Today, the line primarily moves grain, grain products, and industrial products such as chemicals and liquid petroleum gases. Its main interchange points along its 974.41 miles of the track include Abilene, Hutchinson, McPherson, Newton, Salina, Wichita, Kansas, and Towner, Colorado.
Compiled and edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, June 2024.
Also See:
Railroads & Depot Photo Gallery
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