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decline in traffic after 1887 and was abandoned as profitless by the Union Pa-
cific around 1890. This, however, was not the final end of the short line that
ran between Lawrence and Carbondale, Kansas.

The Kansas City, Wyandotte and Northwestern was chartered on November 23,
1885. The line was completed to Leavenworth in May, 1887 and to Seneca in Jan-
uary, 1888. January 18, 1888 marked the day that the first KCWENW train rolled.
into Seneca. The extensions to the terminals in Kansas City were completed on
February 18, 1888, and the road was opened on the same day for through business.
On March 28, 1887, it was consolidated with the Leavenworth and Olathe Railroad.
The consolidated railroads went into the hands of a receiver on March 24, 1890,
and were later sold to the Kansas City Northwestern. The Kansas City North-
western was chartered on December 29, 1893, to take over the property of the
Kansas City, Wyandotte and Northwestern, which it bought under foreclosure on
January 5, 1894. The receiver operated the road until July 1, 1894, when it turn-

ed over to the new company, and was owned and operated by the parent railroad,

-the Missouri Pacific.

Sometime before the demise of the KCW&NW into receivership, it incor-
porated the ex-Union Pacific "Carbondale Branch" into it's own system. The "North-
west Route" in 1893 operated two passenger trains over this line, #121 and #122.
#121 left Lawrence at 6:00 PM and arrived at Carbon Hill at 8:45 PM. The ret-
urning train, #122, left Carbon Hill at 9:45 PM and arrived at South Lawrence
(Nineteenth and Massachusettes) at 12:50 AM. Both trains were run every day
except for Sunday, a common practice on less than top revenue lines.

The Missouri Pacific chose to abandon the Lawrence to Carbondale branch
of the defunct railroads it had gained control over. Operation on the railroad
ceased and the railroad was permanently abandoned on March 22, 1894. In 1899,
the "Jerkwater" tracks were removed, leaving only ties and trestles in place.

Subsequent floods removed the trestles and time rotted away the ties so that

now, one may only find a spike or two to mark the existence of the L&C railroad.