Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad

Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, 1860
Overview
LocaleMissouri
Dates of operation1846–1883
SuccessorChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was the first railroad to cross Missouri starting in Hannibal in the northeast and going to St. Joseph, Missouri, in the northwest. It is said to have carried the first letter to the Pony Express on April 3, 1860, from a train pulled behind the locomotive Missouri.

The line connected the second and third largest cities in the state of Missouri prior to the American Civil War. The stage route that it paralleled had previously been called the "Hound Dog Trail".