KCS had one of the most colourful liveries in North America. Carrying the distinctive ‘Southern Belle’ livery reintroduced from 2007, after originally being used in the 1940s, GE ES44AC No. 4807 leads EMD SD70ACe No. 4012 at Amsterdam, Missouri, on the company’s main line south from Kansas City to Shreveport, Louisiana, on June 11, 2022. What the new CPKC livery will be (or whether there will be one) is unclear, however, it is likely the old KCS livery will still be seen for many years as North American locos are rarely repainted unless fully overhauled.
KEITH FENDER
THE smallest of the ‘Class 1’ freight railroads in the USA, the Kansas City Southern (KCS), will cease to exist after the $31 billion takeover and merger with Canadian-based Canadian Pacific (CP) was given final approval by American rail regulators in March.
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company was founded in 1887 and served the southern USA, connecting it with the mid-west railway hub of Kansas City and from there multiple other railroads.
In 1996, KCS took part in the privatisation of Mexican railways, forming a new company called Kansas City Southern de México, initially with Mexican partners who later sold their stake to KCS. As a result, KCS became the only company to operate directly in both the USA and Mexico at a time when free trade agreements between the two countries meant freight volumes between them increased substantially.