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Railroad

Current Railroad

Valuation Section(s)

Subdivision(s)

State

South/West Terminal

North/East Terminal

Description

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<p>In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas &amp; Nebraska Railway (CK&amp;N) 
constructed a 48-mile branch line, extending from Herington, Kansas 
to Salina, Kansas.&nbsp; This route was one of several constructed in the
 mid to late 1880s by the CK&amp;N.&nbsp; The CK&amp;N was almost exclusively
 funded by the Chicago, Rock Island 
&amp; Pacific Railway (Rock Island).&nbsp; The Rock Island sought to expand 
west through Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado, where they saw an entrance 
to the Denver market as vital for the railroad. This route served as a branch line, mainly serving small towns.&nbsp; In 1891, 
the CK&amp;N failed to make a payment to the Rock Island.&nbsp; As a
 result, the Rock Island took over ownership and operations entirely.&nbsp; 
The Rock Island had constructed and acquired a large railroad network 
throughout the Midwest.&nbsp; After World War II, the Rock Island struggled 
to survive, proposing 
mergers and deferring maintenance on their routes.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Rock Island struggled to compete with a stronger and better constructed Union
 Pacific system.&nbsp; By 1964, the Rock Island began attempts to merge with 
Union Pacific, and
 restructure railroads west of the Mississippi River.&nbsp; This merger was 
eventually denied, and Rock Island turned its last profit in 1965.&nbsp; In 
the mid-1970s, the railroad was in serious decline.&nbsp; The railroad 
received loans to attempt to fix slow orders, received new equipment and
 turn a profit.&nbsp; By 1978, the railroad came close to profit, but 
creditors were lobbying for a complete shutdown of the Rock Island.&nbsp; 
During the fall of 1979, a strike crippled the railroad, and by January 
of 1980, the entire system was ordered to be shut down and liquidated.&nbsp; 
Many of the lines and equipment were scrapped.&nbsp; Profitable sections of 
railroad were prepared for sale.&nbsp; A small segment of this line was sold to the Abilene &amp; Smoky Valley Railroad, a tourist railroad.&nbsp; Today, the A&amp;SV operates a segment between Abilene and Woodbine, while the remainder of the line is abandoned.<br></p>

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