Missouri Pacific Railroad

Missouri Pacific Railroad
MP system map, c. 1891
Overview
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri
FoundersThomas Allen
Wayman Crow
John O'Fallon
Daniel D. Page
Reporting markMP
LocaleArkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas
Dates of operation1872–1997
PredecessorPacific Railroad
SuccessorUnion Pacific Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Missouri Pacific Locomotive #152

The Missouri Pacific Railroad (reporting mark MP), commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad operated 9,041 miles of road and 13,318 miles of track, not including DK&S, NO&LC, T&P, and its subsidiaries C&EI and Missouri-Illinois.

Union Pacific Corporation, the parent company of the Union Pacific Railroad, agreed to buy the Missouri Pacific Railroad on January 8, 1980. Lawsuits filed by competing railroads delayed approval of the merger until September 13, 1982. After the Supreme Court denied a trial to the Southern Pacific, the merger took effect on December 22, 1982. However, due to outstanding bonds of the Missouri Pacific, its full merger into the Union Pacific Railroad did not become official until January 1, 1997.