ironeagle2006
Active Member
Actually the Great Northern CB&Q SP&S Frisco were all built WITHOUT any Land Grants. Northern Pacific had land grants however by the time of the Merger to create the Burlington Northern in 1970 they had sold all the land off. Santa Fe only had land grants when it reached Colorado not before they had to build everything in Kansas with no help at all. They also had to build from Kansas City to Chicago with NO HELP. Their primary line across the panhandle of TX was built with their own cash. Any and all grants they did get they sold to Farmers for less than what the Goverment wanted them to. The goverment wanted 2 bucks an acre the Santa fe sold it for 1 dollar and acre. You do the math.
They also built into cities and broke up the stranglehold the Southern Pacific had on LA San Fran and other cities in California on their own. By 1920 they had no land grant holdings left. BTW everyone thinks that the Western RR were all so called land grant roads. Less than 8% of all the rail laid out west had any grants attached to it. The RR's that got the most were Union Pacific Central/Southern Pacific combined recived 85% of all the grants issued Northern Pacific got 12% and Santa Fe only got 3%. Yet of the RR's listed the Santa Fe was the one that built the best track work and also never was charged with trying to gouge customers.
They also built into cities and broke up the stranglehold the Southern Pacific had on LA San Fran and other cities in California on their own. By 1920 they had no land grant holdings left. BTW everyone thinks that the Western RR were all so called land grant roads. Less than 8% of all the rail laid out west had any grants attached to it. The RR's that got the most were Union Pacific Central/Southern Pacific combined recived 85% of all the grants issued Northern Pacific got 12% and Santa Fe only got 3%. Yet of the RR's listed the Santa Fe was the one that built the best track work and also never was charged with trying to gouge customers.