Missouri Pacific Corporation - 100 Pieces!

Company History: The discovery of gold in California in 1848 began an era of railroads for the West and Missouri. The first railroad west of the Mississippi River was the Pacific Railroad, chartered in 1849 to extend from St. Louis to the western boundary of Missouri and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean. Delays plagued the railroad with a fire and a cholera epidemic in St. Louis. The railroad finally made its maiden trip in December 1852. Aboard the “Pacific,” a steam locomotive from Taunton, Massachusetts, were railroad officials. By 1858 the line was completed to Tipton, MO. Financial difficulties forced the reorganization of the railroad, and when it emerged from receivership it was named the Missouri Pacific Railway Co. In 1917 it merged with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern and became the Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.

In 1937 the first diesel locomotives ran on the tracks. These early switch engines were followed by lightweight, streamlined trains. By 1955 all steam locomotives had been retired from service. Missouri-Pacific (Mo-Pac) invested heavily in upgrading key freight yards to streamline traffic patterns. Since the early 1960s, Mo-Pac has increased its traffic share of major commodities. Coal was the first commodity Mo-Pac hauled in unit train service, and added grain and ore. It also operated special trains that carried parts for automobile assembly and finished vehicles to distribution plants along strategic trackside locations. The railroad’s “total transportation” used all transport modes that a shipper would need. In December 1982 Mo-Pac merged into Union Pacific Corp.

Locomotive & Pipeline vignette by American Bank Note. 100 Pieces.