UP Purina Drive Bridge

In the early 1850s, the Pacific Railroad charted a new 5-foot 6-inch gauge railroad, extending from St. Louis, Missouri to Kansas City, Missouri.  Construction began on the railroad in 1852, and the first 5 miles from downtown St. Louis to the Maplewood neighborhood were completed that year.  An additional 30 miles to Pacific opened in 1853, followed by an additional 41 miles to Hermann in 1855.  An additional 45 miles to Jefferson City were completed in 1856, followed by an additional 37 miles to Tipton in 1858, 5 miles to Dow in 1859, 13 miles to Smithton in 1860, 8 miles to Sedalia in 1861, 7 miles to Dresden in 1863, 22 miles to Warrensburg in 1864 and 65 miles to Kansas City in 1865.  By 1869, the line would be converted to standard gauge to improve operations.  The Pacific Railroad would be seized by the State of Missouri in 1868, and sold to the Missouri Pacific Railway in 1876.  MP had amassed a large collection of railroad lines, particularly in Missouri and Kansas.  This line served as a principal mainline for the company, serving as the primary route across Missouri.  The railroad reorganized to the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917.  Between 1926 and 1929, the line between Jefferson City and St. Louis would be upgraded, with double tracks and realignments.   Additional improvements west of Jefferson City would be made in the late 1940s.  The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1982.  Today, Union Pacific continues to operate the St. Louis to Jefferson City segment of this line as the Jefferson City Subdivision, and the Jefferson City to Kansas City segment as the Sedalia Subdivision.  The route continues to serve as a mainline for the Union Pacific Railroad.