Background
The St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad (SJ&GI) had its start as the St Joseph and Denver City Railroad which, after several
changes of destination, was completed as the St Joseph and Western (SJ&W) between St Joseph, Missouri and Hastings, Nebraska
in 1872.
Seven years later, the Hastings and Grand Island Railroad was built between its namesake cities and promptly sold to the SJ&W,
giving that railroad a connection to the Union Pacific Railroad at Grand Island.
The SJ&W ran into financial difficulties, eventually falling into bankruptcy in 1884. The Union Pacific brought the railroad
out of bankruptcy in 1885, reorganizing it as St Joseph and Grand Island Railroad.
The SJ&GI became an essential part of UP's system, providing a connection from the transcontinental mainline to the eastern
Kansas area, and UP undertook several steps to improve it. In 1914 a connection was made between the UP mainline at Gibbon
and Hastings, providing a more direct route than through Grand Island. Also, a connection was made between Marysville on the
SJ&GI and Topeka in 1906, from whence the UP's Kansas Pacific mainline gave access to Kansas City. [Wikopedia]
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