The Missouri and Western Railway (M&WR) completed a main line from Pierce City, Missouri through Sacoxie and Joplin, Missouri to Oswego, Kansas, with a branch line north from Joplin to Oronogo, Missouri, with a total length of 83.23 miles.[1][2] The trackage was finished in 1879, and the company was purchased by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) the same year.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Missouri and Kansas |
| Dates of operation | 1875–1879 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 83.23 mi (133.95 km) |
History
The M&WR, formed in 1875, was a consolidation of other railway companies under common ownership, namely the Pierce City and Kansas Railroad Company, a Missouri corporation, and the Oswego and State Line Railroad Company, a Kansas corporation, both formed earlier in 1875.[3] Those companies had been created to take over the franchises and properties of the Memphis, Carthage and Northwestern Railroad Company, an 1872 corporation which was itself a consolidation of earlier companies: the Memphis, Carthage, and Northwestern Railroad Company, and the State Line, Oswego and Southern Kansas Railway Company.[3]
The M&WR proceeded to complete a standard-gauge, single-line railroad between Pierce City and Oswego, about 73 miles, placing Joplin in the middle.[3][4] A branch line of about 9 miles was constructed between Joplin and the Oronogo junction.[3] The work was completed by 1879.[3] In July of that year, the M&WR’s franchises and properties were sold to the Frisco.[3][5]