Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad

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This article is about the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad (1992). It is not to be confused with the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (1906-1946).
Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad
Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad logo.png
MNA 1023 SD20.jpg
MNA #1023, an EMD SD20
Overview
HeadquartersCarthage, Missouri
Reporting markMNA
LocaleArkansas, Kansas, Missouri
Dates of operation1992–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length527 miles (848 km)
Other
Websitehttps://www.gwrr.com/mna/

The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad (reporting mark MNA) is a Class III shortline railroad headquartered in Carthage, Missouri. It is not to be confused with the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad which connected Joplin, Missouri with Helena, Arkansas from 1906 to 1946.

MNA is owned by Genesee & Wyoming, a shortline railroad holding company, having been purchased in 2013 with the acquisition of RailAmerica who bought the MNA back in 2000.[1]

Operations[]

MNA operates approximately 527 miles (848 km)[1] of trackage in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. Its mainline extends 384.1 miles (618.1 km) from Pleasant Hill, Missouri through Carthage, Missouri to Daiz, Arkansas. 40 miles (64 km) It also has trackage rights on Union Pacific Railroad lines for 32 miles (51 km) between Pleasant Hill and Kansas City, Missouri and 2 miles (3.2 km) between Daiz and Newport, Arkansas. On the mainline, MNA interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad at Pleasant Hill, MO and Daiz, AR, and with the BNSF Railway at Aurora, Missouri. The line no longer[as of?] interchanges with the BNSF Railway at Lamar, Missouri or Carthage, Missouri.[2][3]

MNA operates a 78.3-mile (126.0 km) secondary line from just east of Fort Scott, Kansas east to Clinton, Missouri. This secondary line interchanges with MNA's Pleasant Hill–Diaz mainline in Nevada, Missouri.[3] It formerly interchanged with BNSF at Fort Scott, Kansas in 1998. Along this track, MNA serves an ADM Bio-Diesel Plant located to the west of Deerfield, Missouri. MNA uses its track between Nevada, MO and Clinton, MO to serve a few customers in Clinton and the Montrose Generating Station, an Evergy coal-fired power plant near La Due, Missouri.[2][4]

MNA also operates a 16.7-mile (26.9 km) branch line from Carthage, MO to Joplin, MO that interchanges with MNA's Pleasant Hill–Daiz mainline At Carthage, with the Kansas City Southern Railway in Joplin, and with the BNSF in Joplin. A 6-mile (9.7 km) MNA branch line that branches off of the Carthage–Joplin branch line originates from an interchange in Webb City, Missouri and terminates in Atlas, Missouri.[3][2]

MNA also operates several miles of industrial trackage in the city of Springfield; this segment is disconnected from the rest of the MNA system and traffic is hauled via BNSF to and from the Aurora interchange. Here MNA interchanges with BNSF at Springfield, MO.[3][2]

Other operated segments are leased from the Union Pacific and BNSF Railroads. MNA has rail yards in Carthage, MO, Nevada, MO, Joplin, MO, Aurora, MO, Cotter, AR, and Batesville, AR.

MNA traffic generally consists of coal, grain, frozen foods, minerals, steel, chemicals, and asphalt.[1] MNA operates unit coal trains to a major power plant in Newark, AR. In 2008, the railroad hauled around 111,000 carloads.[1]

The Branson Scenic Railway, which runs on track owned by the MNA, operates the "Ozark Zephyr" from Branson, Missouri. Trains operate mostly south into Arkansas but occasionally north to Galena, Missouri, depending on MNA traffic and/or track work. The restored 1906 depot it operates out of is across from Branson Landing in historic downtown Branson.

From 1997 until the early 20th century,[as of?] The White River Scenic Railroad had operated an excursion train from Flippin, Arkansas to Calico Rock, Arkansas.[3]

Unit grain trains sometimes run from the interchange at Pleasant Hill, MO to the Tyson Foods feed mill at Bergman, AR and back empty.

MNA also runs Union Pacific unit coal trains to unload at the Independence Power Plant in Newark, AR, then hands them back to UP in Kansas City, MO.

History[]

The MNA mainline between Kansas City and Newport originated as the former Missouri Pacific Railroad's White River Line, which was initially chartered in 1883 and was part of the MoPac's mainline between Kansas City and Memphis, Tennessee. The MNA began operations on December 13, 1992 and purchased the 102-mile (164 km) segment from Bergman, Arkansas to Guion, Arkansas from MoPac.[3] The secondary line from Fort Scott, Kansas through Nevada, Missouri to Clinton, Missouri was once part of a former Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad mainline from Parsons, Kansas through Sedalia, Missouri to St. Louis, Missouri. The disused track between Nevada, Missouri and Fort Scott, Kansas, was an important link between the MNA and BNSF's Fort Scott subdivision; In 1998 it was completely abandoned west of 240th Street just east of Fort Scott.[5]

Roster[]

MNA 4081, an EMD SD40-2.
MNA 3026, an EMD GP40.

As of July 2021, All locomotives in use by the MNA were manufactured by Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) a former division of General Motors. Listed are all locomotives on MNA property, including those of Branson Scenic Railway.

Number Model Disposition Reporting Mark
751 SW1200 Out of service sitting in Springfield, MO. MNA
1714 GP9 Active service in Springfield, MO. GC
2745 SD40M-2 Active service MNA
2762 SD40M-2 Active service MNA
2765 SD40M-2 Active service MNA
3025 GP40-2 Active service on the Dallas, Garland and Northeastern MNA
3026 GP40-1CU Yard power out of Carthage, MO MNA
3070 GP40-3 Active service in Springfield, MO MNA
3071 GP40-3 Yard power out of Carthage, MO MNA
3072 GP40-3 Yard power out of Carthage, MO MNA
3073 GP40-1CU Active service on the Kiamichi Railroad MNA
3096 SD45T-2 Deadlined at Miller yard in Carthage, MO MNA
3200 SD40M-2 Active service TNER
3201 SD40-2 Active service KRR
3202 SD40M-2 Active service KRR
3203 SD40M-2 Active service KYLE
3204 SD40M-2 Active service KYLE
3205 SD40M-2 Active service KYLE
3207 SD40M-2 Active service KYLE
3210 SD40M-2 Active service MNA
3300 SD40T-2 Active service MNA
3301 SD40T-2 Active service BPRR
3302 SD40T-2 Undergoing repair in Carthage, MO BPRR
3330 SD40-3 Active service BPRR
3332 SD40-3 Active service BPRR
3363 SD40-2 Active service MNA
4010 GP40 Active service MNA
4081 SD40-2 Active service MNA
7000 SD40-2 Active service MNA
8055 SD40-2 Active service MNA
9333 SD45T-2 Deadlined at Miller yard in Carthage, MO KYLE
9391 SD45T-2 Deadlined at Miller yard in Carthage, MO MNA
98 F9PH Active excursion service out of Branson, MO BSRX
99 GP30M Active excursion service out of Branson, MO BSRX

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Karczewski, Shana (7 Nov 2017). "MNA: Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad" (PDF). Kansas City Southern.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad MNA #508". www.up.com. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  4. ^ "Katy Trail - a possible 51-mile extension from Clinton to Nevada? Maps & information". Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  5. ^ "MKT Railroad - The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad". The Sedalia Katy Depot. Retrieved 2021-08-09.

External links[]

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