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<p>In 1851, the North Missouri Railroad (NM) began building a line from St. Louis, Missouri to Moberly, Missouri. The line reached the Missouri River opposite St. Charles in 1855, and reached Macon, Missouri in 1859. During the American Civil War, work on the railroad was halted. Work continued north in 1865 and by 1868, the line was extended an additional 65 miles to Coatsville, Missouri; located on the Iowa border. Between 1869 and 1870, the St. Louis and Cedar Rapids Railway (StL&CR) constructed an additional 43 miles from Coatsville to Ottumwa, Iowa. In 1872, the NM became part of the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern Railway (StLKC&N). The Stl&CR became part of the St. Louis, Ottumwa and Cedar Rapids Railway (in 1875. In 1879, the StLKC&N became part of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway (WStL&P). In 1887, the StLO&CR became part of the Wabash Western Railway (WW), and the Moberly to Coatsville segment was sold to the WW at this time. In 1889, the WW was consolidated into the Wabash Railroad Company. The Wabash was reorganized as the Wabash Railway in 1915. </p><p>The Wabash would become a respected railroad network in the Midwest, with a principal mainline connecting Detroit with Kansas City. While the Wabash was a smaller railroad, it also operated a number of branch lines to serve other railroad hubs in the Midwest. One of these branches served Des Moines, Iowa; and the southern portion of this line was important for connecting to that branch. Ottumwa was not a significant railroad hub, but access to Ottumwa allowed the Wabash to interchange with several railroads and serve industries in the town. The Wabash was controlled by the Pennsylvania from 1931 through the early 1960s. In 1964, the railroad was acquired by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W), which operated a sizable network of railroads in the eastern United States. In 1982, the N&W was merged with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). The segment between Moulton, Iowa and Ottumwa was abandoned in 1982. In 1993, the remainder of the line between Moberly and Moulton was abandoned. Today, much of the line has reverted to adjacent property owners, and been converted to farm fields.</p>
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