UP 9th Street Bridge (Nebraska City)

In 1876, the Missouri River Railroad (MR) constructed a 25 mile 5-foot 6-inch gauge railroad from Kansas City to Leavenworth, Kansas.  A 21 mile extension to Atchison, Kansas was made in 1869 by the Leavenworth, Atchison and North Western Railway (LA&NW) in 1869, and the MR converted to standard gauge the same year.  Both railroads were merged into the Kansas City, Leavenworth and Atchison Railway (KCL&A) in 1880.  The KCL&A was merged with several railroads later the same year to form Missouri Pacific Railway (MP).  In 1881, the Missouri Pacific Railway Company of Kansas completed an additional 48 miles to the Kansas/Nebraska border, and the Missouri Pacific Railway Company of Nebraska completed an additional 101 miles to Papillion, Nebraska, near Omaha.  Both railroads were promptly merged into the MP.  In 1892, the Omaha Belt Railway constructed an additional 13 miles into Omaha.  MP had amassed a large collection of railroad lines, particularly in Missouri and Kansas.  The Omaha Belt would be sold to MP in 1910.  The MP would be reorganized in 1909 and again 1917, becoming the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  This line served as the primary connection to Omaha for the MP, and also allowed for additional branch lines to be constructed.  The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982.  Today, UP continues to operate the route between Kansas City and Omaha as the Falls City Subdivision.  Portions of the line in Omaha were abandoned during the 1980s and 1990s.