The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including interstate bus lines and telephone companies. Congress expanded ICC authority to regulate other modes of commerce beginning in 1906. Throughout the 20th century several of ICC's authorities were transferred to other federal agencies. The ICC was abolished in 1995, and its remaining functions were transferred to the Surface Transportation Board.
Stoddard County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,968. The county seat is Bloomfield. The county was officially organized on January 2, 1835, and is named for Amos Stoddard, the first American commandant of Upper Louisiana.
Wyatt is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 319 at the 2010 census. It is the easternmost city west of the Mississippi River.
The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, also known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. for 104 years between 1876 and April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated 4,547 miles (7,318 km) of road on 6,574 miles (10,580 km) of track, not including subsidiaries Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway or the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad; that year, it reported 12,795 million ton-miles of revenue freight and no passengers. It was purchased and absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1980. Despite its name, it never came close to San Francisco.
The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois.
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", is a former US Class I railroad which operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas from 1891 to 1980. In 1980 the Cotton Belt began operating the Rock Island's Golden State Route which added the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico to the operation. It operated as a Southern Pacific subsidiary from 1932 until the operation of the Cotton Belt was assumed by Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1992.
Bird's Point is an unincorporated community in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. It lies on an island or former island in the Mississippi River, near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and is situated directly across from Cairo, Illinois. This is the point where the U.S. Route 60 bridge connects with Cairo.
Perkins is an unincorporated community in western Scott County, Missouri, United States. It is located sixteen miles northwest of Sikeston.
Memphis Union Station was a passenger terminal in Memphis, Tennessee. It served as a hub between railroads of the Southwest, the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and railroads of the Southeast, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway and the Southern Railway. The terminal, completed in 1912, was built in the Beaux-Arts style and was located on Calhoun Street, between south Second Street and Rayburn Boulevard. It was demolished in 1969. This location in south Memphis was approximately two blocks east of the other major Memphis railroad terminal, Memphis Grand Central Station.
Little Rock Union Station, also known as Mopac Station, is a train station in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system.
The Lone Star was a passenger train operated by St. Louis Southwestern Railway between Memphis, and Dallas, with through connections via Cotton Belt parent, Southern Pacific, for San Antonio, El Paso, and ultimately Los Angeles. There were also through cars operating between Memphis, Lewisville and Shreveport. At various times during the train's operation, connecting services were also provided from Brinkley to St. Louis. The train was discontinued on November 1, 1952, as a part of extensive passenger train restructuring by St. Louis Southwestern. The Lone Star was replaced by trains number 107 and 108 which connected with the Cotton Belt mainline at Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Arkansas Railroad Museum is located on Port Road in Pine Bluff, Arkansas at the former Cotton Belt (SSW) yard.
The Diplomat was a named passenger train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) during the 1930s–1950s connecting New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, via Washington, D.C. Other B&O trains on the route during that period were the premier National Limited and the workhorse Metropolitan Special. The train was inaugurated in August 1930 after several changes to trains along the St. Louis Route. After World War II, the Diplomat operated as Train No. 3 westbound, and No. 4 eastbound. It was timed to provide connections to several western railroads that terminated in St. Louis, including the Frisco, the Santa Fe, Cotton Belt and Missouri Pacific, among others.
The Morning Star was a passenger train operated by St. Louis Southwestern Railway between St. Louis and Dallas, designated as train numbers 5 (southbound) and 6 (northbound). From 1941–1950, the Morning Star also carried through cars from Memphis to Dallas, connecting with the main train at Brinkley, Arkansas. The Memphis connection for the Morning Star was added to permit Cotton Belt passenger trains to readily connect with the new Tennessean which had been inaugurated by Southern Railway in 1941. The Morning Star was replaced by unnamed train numbers 7 and 8 in November 1952, as a part of extensive passenger train restructuring by St. Louis Southwestern. The #7/#8 trains continued to the mid-1950s along the St. Louis - Dallas route, with coach and sleeping car service; however, food concession cars were eliminated.
The Stephenville North & South Texas Railway (SN&ST) was incorporated in Texas on February 4, 1907 by Stephenville and Hamilton business interests. Its original standard gauge 43 mile line was built between Stephenville and Hamilton and completed in late 1907. The first train operated between Stephenville and Hamilton on Christmas Day 1907. Regular service began in January 1908. Four apparently identical wooden depots of a standard design were built at Hamilton, Carlton, Spurlin, and Alexander. The SN&ST shared a union station with its original primary railroad connection, the long established Fort Worth & Rio Grande Railroad at Stephenville.
The Cotton Belt Freight Depot in St. Louis, Missouri in the Near North Riverfront neighborhood. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas, operated the lines of its parent company, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway within the state of Texas. The St. Louis Southwestern, known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply the Cotton Belt, was organized on January 12, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short rail lines founded in 1870 in Tyler, Texas, that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Construction of the original Tyler Tap Railroad began in the summer of 1875. The St. Louis Southwestern of Texas merged with the property of the Tyler Southeastern Railway on October 6, 1899. The property of the Texas and Louisiana Railway was acquired and merged on July 2, 1903.
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Relief Train is a railroad rescue and recovery train, its elements now on display at the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The train's principal feature is a large steam crane, built by Industrial Brownhoist of Bay City, Michigan in 1940. Other elements of the train include a boom car, generator flat, kitchen car, tool car, and crew sleeper. The boom car, a low gondola car, was attached to the train below the projecting section of the train; the other elements of the train supported the crew and the operation of the crane to clear derailments. The relief train was assembled by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and remained in active service until 1996, when it was given to the museum.
Frisco is an unincorporated community in Stoddard County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.
The Southwestern Limited was a passenger train service operated by the New York Central Railroad between New York City and St. Louis, from 1889 to 1966. The Southwestern Limited was one of the New York Central's luxury passenger trains. This passenger train competed with the other major railroad in the northeast, the Pennsylvania Railroad and its Blue Ribbon named passenger trains the St. Louisan, the Jeffersonian, the Penn Texas, and the Spirit of St. Louis.
St. Louis Southwestern Railway Northern Division Time Table No. 10 dated August 18, 1935
Cotton Belt Memories by Paul B. Wooldridge self-published in 2006 by the Arkansas Railroad Club.
