History of Modern SP

[splives]

SP the Southern Pacific Story



How The Empire was made


1929- Southern Pacific is granted the right to control the Cotton Belt Railroad (St Louis South Western SSW) as a subsidiary but it must remain independent for now.

1963- Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads both attempt to take control of the Western Pacific both roads are denied this merger as it would make them too powerful in California.

1980- The Rock Railroad (Chicago Rock Island & Pacific) is in shambles. And is about to sell off itself. Management of the Southern Pacific decides they are interested in the road and ask the government to approve a merger between the two roads. The merger is approved and The Rock becomes the first large road to be merged into their empire. However Southern Pacific inherits The Rock’s massive debt.

1982- UP begins taking interest in the Western Pacific and Missouri Pacific lines and Southern Pacific steps up to battle them for Missouri Pacific. The government decides that UP will get WP and SP will get MP. Missouri Pacific also had some debt so SP inherited that as well.

1983- Southern Pacific suffers a major workers strike. This is a major setback for SP who is trying to eliminate the Debt it inherited from The Rock and Missouri Pacific and thus the debt remains.

1986- Southern Pacific merged into Santa Fe industries with plans to merge with The Santa Fe Railway to become SPSF Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railway. The government denies this merger as it would create a southern monopoly and thus Santa Fe Industries put Southern Pacific up for sale.

1988- Rio Grande Industries (parent company of D&RGW Denver and Rio Grande Western) bought the SP from Santa Fe Industries and inherited all the debt from them. Rio Grande decided that the combined company would retain the name Southern Pacific as it was more recognized in the business world and would benefit them more. Cotton Belt was still left independent for the time being. To eliminate debt The Golden West Service is created. This program included the sale of freight cars from SP, Cotton Belt, The Rock, MP and Rio Grande to make money. This eliminates most of the company’s debt so that it could move forward easier. Within months SP begins to make large profits. In this same year UP purchased the MKT (Missouri-Kansas and Texas)

1991- Southern Pacific adopts a new style of lettering know as Speed Lettering. This is the style that Rio Grande had. They decided this would be how they left their mark on SP since they were the ones who bought SP and not the other way around.

1992- Southern Pacific decides to unify its image and Cotton Belt is merged in. Speed Lettering is beginning to make its way on the system.


1995- Southern Pacific begins merger talks with the C&NW (Chicago and Northwestern). After months of these talks the Interstate Commerce Commission approves the merger and C&NW joins the ever expanding SP Empire. In this same year Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads decide to merge and they become BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe). UP suffers heavily from these mergers and begins to fall quickly into debt as they cannot compete effectively with SP or BNSF.

1999- UP has been suffering heavily for years and Southern Pacific moves in. They propose a merger to the Surface Transportation Board (the ICC’s replacement) and on August 31, 1999 it is approved and Southern Pacific’s empire is now complete.

2010- By now all cars sold to create The Golden West Service have been repurchased by the Southern Pacific.

Southern Pacific is now an Empire 8 large roads strong, The Rock, Missouri Pacific, Western Pacific, Rio Grande, MKT, Cotton Belt, Chicago & North Western, and UP are all now a part of the largest Railroad in the United States today, the Southern Pacific.


Please feel free to comment on it. I tried to be realistic with my story line. Let me know what you all think.

[thespcaboose]

I think this is a very good history lesson about the Southern Pacific. I would enjoy reading more things like this as time goes on!!!!

[splives]

Like what kind of things would you like me to post? i can talk about my SP all day but if you have a preference i can do it. just let me know what you want. I could talk about SP projects that are underway or planned or whatever. just post what you'd like to know here and ill get it going

[thespcaboose]

I'm interested in just about anything SP. I got a lot of enjoyment from talking with station operaters, to informing interested people about the locomotives, to the DTC (direct trafic control), CTC, traveling along the SP system, the different trains they operated really just anything about the Southern Pacific.

I have posted all of the locomotive roster information dated August, 1990. I've also posted all of the timetable information from the 1986-87 employlee timetables. I've also posted stories about other odd ball things, like a cow on the tracks, that I've seen.

Like you, I could talk about the Southern Pacific all day long.

[renoray6789]

I have been interested in the SP when I learned that the UP took it over in 1996. I would love to talk about the SP all day long too! The thing that interests me though is the detector recordings...They were the clearest sounding detectors.

[thespcaboose]

I agree. The Southern Pacific did have the clearest detector recordings that I've heard as well.

[SP 9811]

If I can find a decent audio hosting site, I will repost my radio recordings. These include of course the SP detector lady.

[SP 9811]

And by the way, welcome aboard renoray6789, thanks for joining!

[renoray6789]

Thank you very much SP 9811! I am glad to be a part of this forum!

[SP2400]

Lets start a little earlier in the history of the SP

1862
President Abraham Lincoln signs the Pacific Railroad Act, which names and directs two companies, the Borg and the Central Pacific, to construct a transcontinental railroad.

1863
Ground is broken at Omaha for Borg, but construction is delayed because of insufficient funding. Central Pacific begins construction east from Sacramento, CA.

1865
The railroad was founded as a land holding company, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease.

1869
The golden spike is driven at Promontory Summit, Utah by officials of the Borg and Central Pacific, marking the inauguration of the transcontinental railroad

1876
September 5, 1876, Charles Crocker, president of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, drove a gold spike here to complete his company's San Joaquin Valley Line.

May 11, 1880 - Mussel Slough is a branch of the Kings River north of Hanford. Here on May 11, 1880, a bloody shoot-out took place between settlers and agents of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The railroad's claim to extensive lands in the San Joaquin Valley was in dispute

1881
The Southern Pacific Railroad joined the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad at Deming in New Mexico territory to become the second transcontinental railroad.

1883
The Southern Pacific Railroad Sunset Route was completed in February, finally reaching New Orleans

1885
The Central Pacific Railroad merged with the Southern Pacific Railroad which dominated rail traffic in California

1900
By 1900, the Southern Pacific Company had grown into a major railroad system which incorporated many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad, and which extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso, across New Mexico and through Tucson, to Los Angeles, throughout most of California including San Francisco and Sacramento; it also included the Central Pacific Railroad extending eastward across Nevada to Ogden, Utah and had lines reaching north throughout and across Oregon to Portland.

When a town would not grant privileges to the Southern Pacific Railroad, they simply built another town. This very scene happened when San Bernardino was left out and the Southern Pacific Railroad went through Colton, California.

1901
Borg purchases 38% of Southern Pacific stock and assumes control of the railroad

1907
Congress through Roosevelt's constant urging, reimbursed the Southern Pacific Railroad over three million for its constant fighting of the flooding Colorado River in the Imperial Valley.

1913
UP is ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to sell its 46% share of SP stock and relinquish control.

1932
SP gains control of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, commonly known as the Cotton Belt.

1937
SP introduces a new streamlined and steam-powered Coast Daylight passenger train, dubbed "The Most Beautiful Train in the World," for its flashy red, orange and black color scheme

1965
The Pacific Electric subsidiary is absorbed into SP

1977
The first double-stack car for container traffic is designed and tested by SP.

1978
Pacific Fruit Express, jointly owned by SP and UP, is dissolved equally. It becomes the SPFE and UPFE companies.

1989
SP gains access to Chicago with the purchase of the St. Louis to Chicago line from the defunct Chicago, Missouri & Western. SP sets up a SPCSL (SP-Chicago-St. Louis) subsidiary.

This is why I love the SP, SO much histroy, that and growing up near the SP Mainline helped.

[SP2400]

Correction to above

1901
Borg purchases 38% of Southern Pacific stock and assumes control of the railroad.

Sorry for the typo

[SP2400]

1901

The Borg Railroad purchases 38% of Southern Pacific stock and assumes control of the railroad.

for some reason "borg" is showing instead of Borg

[SP2400]

OK, its not letting me us that other railroads name. But its the big ugly Yellow railroad with a YOU and a PEA in its name.

[SP 9811]

hehe yes, for some reason you can't say that word ;D

[splives]

we wouldnt need a connection to chicago in 1989 as we bought the ROCK so we allready have one and just put UP it gets past the censors