Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad | |
|---|---|
 MNA system map. Red lines are MNA trackage; blue lines are other railroads. |
|
| Reporting marks | MNA |
| Locale | Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri |
| Dates of operation | 1883–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Carthage, Missouri |
The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad (AAR reporting marks MNA) is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Carthage, Missouri.
MNA operates approximately 540 miles of line in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. Its main line extends 384.1 miles (plus 40 miles of trackage rights on Union Pacific Railroad lines) from Kansas City, Missouri to Newport, Arkansas (MNA interchanges with Union Pacific at both points). MNA also interchanges with BNSF Railway at Lamar, Missouri, Carthage, Aurora, Springfield, and Joplin, Missouri, and with Kansas City Southern Railway at Joplin.
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.
MNA traffic generally consists of coal, grain, frozen foods, minerals, steel, chemicals, asphalt, and forest products. MNA operates unit coal trains to major power plants at Independence, AR and Montrose, MO.
An excursion train (operated by other company) runs along portions of the route:
- The Branson Scenic Railway operates the "Ozark Zephyr" out of Branson, Missouri. Trains operate mostly south into Arkansas but occasionally north to Galena. The restored 1906 depot is next to Branson Landing in historic downtown Branson.
- The White River Scenic Railroad formerly operated an excursion train from Flippin, Arkansas to Calico Rock, Arkansas.
The line was initially chartered in 1883 and was part of the Missouri Pacific mainline between Kansas City and Memphis, Tennessee. The company organized in 1992 and purchased the 102 mile segment from Bergman to Guion, Arkansas from Union Pacific; the other lines are leased from Union Pacific and BNSF. The Ft. Scott (KS) to Nevada and Clinton, MO line was once part of the MKT mainline to Sedalia and St. Louis.
MNA is owned by RailAmerica, a short-line railroad holding company.
