The Santa Fe main line between Chicago and California was the main railroad through Kansas City, and Amtrak continues to operate over this line. West of Kansas City, two different Santa Fe routes existed between Holliday and Emporia. The more direct route operated via Ottawa, while the older line operated via Topeka. Amtrak continues to operate via Topeka, with service via Ottawa having been discontinued in 1979. Kansas City Terminal Railway operated Union Station, and much of its route was actually the Santa Fe alignment. The KCT main line trackage extended south from Fifth Street to Santa Fe Jct. (Tower 3), and east to Rock Creek Jct. (Tower 9). Missouri Pacific was the second most significant railroad serving Kansas City. The Sedalia Subdivision extended east to Jefferson City and St. Louis, while the River Subdivision was a primarily freight alternate route to Jefferson City. The River Subdivision used trackage rights via Santa Fe. Amtrak continues to operate over the Sedalia Subdivision. The Carthage Subdivision diverged south from the Sedalia Subdivision at Pleasant Hill, towards Joplin. The Atchison Subdivision extended north to Omaha. Chicago Great Western served Kansas City using trackage rights via MP's Atchison Subdivision. The Kansas City Subdivision extended south from Sheffield (Tower 8) through Leeds to Osawatomie, where one line continued south and east to Little Rock, while another line diverged west to Pueblo. Also extending south from Sheffield to Leeds was St. Louis San Francisco's Clinton Subdivision, to Springfield MO. Clinton Subdivision trains had trackage rights over MP's Kansas City Subdivision from BV Jct. to Dodson. Rock Island had trackage rights over the Kansas City Subdivision to Leeds Jct., the beginning of its own line east to St. Louis. SLSF's Kansas City Subdivision was its main line out of Kansas City, extending south to Fort Scott and points beyond. Missouri Kansas Texas had trackage rights over this line south to Paola, where its own line continued south into Texas. Also operating south was Kansas City Southern, to New Orleans. KCS connected with KCT at Sheffield, and extending north of Sheffield was a KCS line used by Rock Island and Milwaukee Road trains operating northeast to Chicago. Milwaukee Road had trackage rights over Rock Island from Airline Jct. to Polo. West of Kansas City, Union Pacific's Kansas Division main line extended west to Denver. Rock Island had trackage rights over UP to Topeka, where its own line continued southwest to a junction Herington, where lines continued southwest to Tucumcari or south into Texas. Burlington Route operated in three directions from Kansas City. One line operated east from Rock Creek Jct. (Tower 9) to St. Louis, via trackage rights over a Gulf Mobile & Ohio former Alton line. GM&O also operated trains on this line. The two other Burlington lines began in North Kansas City, one line north to Omaha and the other line northeast to Quincy and Chicago. The line northeast actually was jointly operated with Wabash, with Burlington controlling the segment from North Kansas City to Birmingham, and Wabash controlling the segment from Birmingham to Maxwell. At Maxwell, the Wabash line continued east to Moberly and St. Louis. One unusual train was the Wabash train "City of St. Louis", which continued west via Union Pacific. This train instead used the Rock Island and Kansas City Southern route between Birmingham and Kansas City. Possibly so that the train could be pointed in the right direction at Union Station, when operating through with UP.
Significant Locations and Distances from Station
Maxwell (28 miles NE) - east end CB&Q/WAB joint line.
Birmingham (13 miles NE) - junction and crossing of CB&Q/WAB joint line, CRI&P.
North Kansas City (4 miles N) - junction of CB&Q to Omaha, CB&Q/WAB joint line.
Fifth Street (4 miles N) - north end KCT, connect with CB&Q to North Kansas City.
Holliday (13 miles W) - junction of AT&SF lines via Ottawa or Topeka.
Topeka (68 miles W) - junction of UP Kansas Division, CRI&P with trackage rights.
Terminal Jct. (3 miles W) - west end KCT, connect with UP Kansas Division.
Leavenworth (27 miles NW) - junction of MP Atchison SD, CGW with trackage rights.
North Cypress Jct. (4 miles NW) - west end KCT, connect with MP Atchison SD.
Hi Line Jct. (2 miles W) - junction of lines to North Cypress Jct., Terminal Jct.
Tower 3/Santa Fe Jct. (2 miles W) - junction with KCT route to High Line Jct., AT&SF
Paola (42 miles S) - junction of SLSF Kansas City SD, MKT with trackage rights.
Tower 4/Frisco Crossing (1 mile W) - junction with SLSF Kansas City SD.
Tower 5/Penn Avenue - west end Union Station.
Tower 6/Grand Avenue - east end Union Station.
Tower 8/Sheffield (5 miles E) - junction with AT&SF, KCS, SLSF Clinton SD, MP.
Leeds Jct. (7 miles SE) - junction of MP Kansas City SD, CRI&P with trackage rights.
BV Jct. (10 miles SE) - connection of SLSF with MP Kansas City SD for trackage rights.
Dodson (15 miles SE) - junction of MP Kansas City SD, SLSF with trackage rights.
Airline Jct. (6 miles NE) - junction of KCS, CRI&P with trackage rights.
Birmingham (13 miles NE) - junction and crossing of CRI&P, CB&Q/WAB joint line.
Polo (48 miles NE) - junction of CRI&P, CMSP&P with trackage rights.
Tower 9/Rock Creek Jct. (6 miles E) - east end KCT, connect with GM&O, MP Sedalia SD.
Eton Jct. (15 miles E) - junction of AT&SF, MP River SD with trackage rights.
Pleasant Hill (35 miles SE) - junction of MP Sedalia SD and Carthage SD.