SKOL Verdigris River Bridge (Neodesha)

In 1872, the Memphis, Carthage & Northwestern Railroad (MC&NW) constructed a 26 mile railroad line, extending from Pierce City, Missouri to Carthage, Missouri.  The following year, an additional 20 miles was constructed to Brownsville, Kansas.  The MC&NW would be sold to the Missouri & Western Railway (M&W) in 1877.  The M&W would construct an additional 27 miles to Oswego, Kansas; before it was merged into the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Company (Frisco) in 1879.  In 1879, the St. Louis, Wichita & Western Railway (StlW&W) constructed 61 miles of new railroad to New Albany, Kansas; followed by 81 miles to Wichita, Kansas in 1880.  The StlW&W would be sold to the Frisco in 1882.  An additional 106 miles was constructed to Ellsworth by the Kansas Midland Railway, which would be acquired by the Frisco in 1900.  The railroad reorganized as the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad in 1896, and reorganized again as the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway in 1916. The Frisco would build and acquire a respectable railroad network in the south central United States, with significant connections through Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.  This route served as the primary route through southern Kansas for the Frisco. 

The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1980.  This route became downgraded through the 1980s, as it paralleled other routes.  In 1986, segments from Medora to Lyons and Lorraine to Ellsoworth were abandoned, followed by the Valley Center to Medora segment in 1994.  A segment from Lyons to Lorraine would be sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in 1994.  BN merged with the ATSF in 1996 to form BNSF Railway.  In 1997, BNSF sold the Columbus to Severy segment to the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL), as well as the Lyons to Lorraine segment to the Central Kansas Railway.  A portion of the line near Carthage was sold to the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad (MNA) in 1998.  The Central Kansas Railway became part of the Watco owned Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad in 2000.  In 2000, the Augusta to Severy segment would be abandoned, followed by the Lyons to Lorraine segment in 2001, the Carthage to Columbus segment in 2002, the Wichita to Valley Center segment in 2003 and Fredonia to Severy segment in 2004.  Today, BNSF operates a segment from Pierce City to near Carthage as the Pierce City Industrial Lead.  From that point to Carthage is operated by the MNA.  In addition, SKOL operates a segment from Columbus to Fredonia.  A portion of the line from Fredonia to Severy was abandoned in 2004.  Portions of this line have been railbanked for future trail use.