What kinds of freight does the Kansas City Southern specialize in carrying?

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punchy71

New Member
Greetings,
What kinds of freight did the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad carry both in the past and present to make it such an overwhelming success that it is today? Is there a particular kind of freight that it specialized in that made it what it is today?
Thank you
 
KCS freight

Greetings,
What kinds of freight did the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad carry both in the past and present to make it such an overwhelming success that it is today? Is there a particular kind of freight that it specialized in that made it what it is today?
Thank you

KCS has always been big into hauling chemicals from the Gulf coast.
 
What is it carrying from out of deep in the heart of Mexico up into Kansas City?

KCS gets a lot of automotive industry traffic in and out of Mexico.

KCS really took off when they acquired the Mid-South Rail Corp (MSRC) in the mid-90s. After heavily upgrading the line KCS began running COFC/TOFC traffic between Shreveport, Louisiana and connecting with Norfolk Southern in Meridian, Mississippi.
 
KCS gets a lot of automotive industry traffic in and out of Mexico.

KCS really took off when they acquired the Mid-South Rail Corp (MSRC) in the mid-90s. After heavily upgrading the line KCS began running COFC/TOFC traffic between Shreveport, Louisiana and connecting with Norfolk Southern in Meridian, Mississippi.

They really didn't wait to upgrade the line before they start hauling intermodal on the MidSouth line. It MIGHT have been 6-months after the acquisition that the very 1st pig-train...known then as trains #7 & #8, and now known as the I-DAAT/I-ATDA respectively, ran through my hometown. I even took a picture of it that day.

Before the acquisition, the MidSouth and KCS ran a test train from Shreveport to Meridian, MS. It was pulled by solid-white KCS 4004 and had 6 trailers in tow. It took a little over 11 hours to make the trip! Needless to say no one was impressed by that performance.
 
KCS has direct lines to Mexico and serves the automobile industry on both sides of the border. Thru Texas, they carry coil steel into Mexico a lot, and loaded autoracks back north. As mentioned, they are strong in the chemical traffic around the Texas/Louisiana coast. I believe what made KCS the major player it is today is the merger of the US and Mexican railroads (KCS, TexMex and TFM) into a single, integrated carrier.
 
This is an interesting topic regarding the "forgotten Class I" - the KCS.

Now that they enjoy some kind of trackage arrangement over the former MILW, they are in a position to interchange traffic with the SOO (MILW) at either Twin Cities or Chicago affording participation in Lakes to Gulf traffic.

But the fact remains with KCS's "over hill over dale" through the Ozarks, they cannot handle a ton mile of freight as economically as can the CN/IC where the traffic "rolls on down to the sea" - and for NB traffic, maybe somewhere in Southern Illinois is at 1000ft elevation.

However, what could prove to be KCS's "Ace in the hole" is its acquisition of the NdeM lines in Mexico. In addition to the auto traffic they enjoy, and for that matter throw in some household appliances, the Ace can be the Port of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán . This deepwater maritime port "belongs" to KCS. While of course all West Coast maritime traffic is in jeopardy in a post-PANAMAX world, there remains a possibility that a lot of East Coast ports are getting ready to throw a big party. But will anyone come?

The West Coast ports, nor are the railroads serving them such as BNSF and UP, about to take that diversion lightly. For Asian manufactured goods, including "Frozen" dolls, better handling time should be reasonable for delivery than Trans Canal and to whatever East or Gulf port the maritime operators have in mind.

A Mexican port simply will have a more favorable cost structure than that of a US. Stevedorio Jose simply does not earn the same as does Longshoreman Joe - again KCS "owns" access to this port.

But alas, there is an "800lb gorilla" in the room - and that is the unstable political arena of contemporary Mexico - and the State of Michoacán is especially so.

disclaimer: author holds long position KSU
 
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