Panhandle and Gulf Railway
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Founder | Arthur Edward Stilwell |
| Defunct | 1928 |
| Fate | Purchased by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States, Mexico |
Key people | William T. Kemper (receiver) |
| Products | Rail freight and passenger transport |
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway was established in 1900 by American businessman Arthur Edward Stilwell and served as the forerunner to the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. Its primary objective was to create a rail connection from Kansas City to the Pacific Ocean port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa.
Formed in the United States in 1900, this railroad completed its route linking Wichita, Kansas with Alpine, Texas. The initial maintenance facilities were set up in Fairview, Oklahoma but were moved to Wichita following a fire in 1910. The company faced bankruptcy in 1912; nonetheless, under the management of receiver William T. Kemper, it gained considerable advantage from oil reserves discovered beneath its railway lines. The enterprise reorganized as KCM&O Railroad in 1914 and returned to its original designation by 1925. It was popularly referred to as The Orient railroad.
By the end of 1925, KCM&O along with its Texas subsidiary operated roughly of track spanning over of right-of-way, producing freight revenues amounting to 330 million net ton-miles and passenger traffic totaling 8 million miles. In 1928, the railroad was purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway mainly to secure access to oil fields in West Texas; the Santa Fe later sold off the Mexican portions. By 1930, the line had been extended to Presidio, coinciding with the building of the Presidio–Ojinaga International Rail Bridge.
The operating rights for the stretch from San Angelo Junction (located northeast of San Angelo, Texas) to Presidio—known as the South Orient Rail Line—were eventually assigned to Texas Pacifico Transportation.
See also
- Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway – another rail project aimed at reaching Topolobampo
- List of Mexican railroads
- List of defunct Texas railroads
- Defunct Kansas railroads
- Defunct railway companies of Mexico
- Defunct Oklahoma railroads
- Defunct Texas railroads
- Former Class I railroads in the United States
- Predecessors of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
- Fort Stockton, Texas
- Railway companies established in 1900
- 1928 disestablishments in Mexico
- Railway companies disestablished in 1928
- 1928 mergers and acquisitions
- Mexican companies established in 1900
- American companies established in 1899