Freeburg Tunnel

The Freeburg Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Missouri. Construction on what was then the St. Louis, Kansas City and Colorado Railroad began in 1901.[3][4][5][6] It was completed in 1903 by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and abandoned in 1980. The tunnel is part of the Kansas City to St. Louis, Missouri line. This is tunnel number one of four on this line.

Freeburg Tunnel
Overview
LocationBeneath the city of Freeburg, Missouri[1]
Coordinates38.3169°N 91.9233°W / 38.3169; -91.9233
SystemFormerly the Rock Island railroad
Operation
Work begun1901
Opened1903
Closed1980
Technical
Length700 ft (210 m)[2]
No. of tracksSingle

On June 7, 1917, westbound Rock Island passenger train number 23 collided head-on with a freight train at the tunnel, killing the engineer of No. 23, and injuring several others.[7][8]

In 1963 the floor of the tunnel was lowered by 8 to 10 inches (200 to 250 mm) to allow it to accommodate autoracks.[9][10] This work was completed in early July 1963.[11]

The tunnel is owned by Ameren, who was working in 2016 with the State of Missouri to convert the line to a rail trail connected on the west end to Rock Island Trail State Park.[12][13][14]

References
  1. Earngey, Bill (1995). Missouri Roadsides; the traveler's companion (e-book). Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-8262-1021-X – via Google Books.
  2. "(untitled)". The Railway Gazette. 119: 406. 1963 – via Google Books.
  3. "St. L., K. C. And Col. R. R." St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 27, 1901. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Iberia Impetus (June 28, 1901). "About the new railroad". Henry County Democrat. Clinton, MO. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Work on the St. Louis Line". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 9, 1901. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "The St. Louis Line Extension". Muskogee Evening News. Muskogee, OK. June 12, 1901. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Engineer Is Killed and 18 Injured in Freeburg Mo., Wreck". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 8, 1917. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Associated Press (June 8, 1917). "One killed and two hurt in train wreck". The Springfield News-Leader. Springfield, MO. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Rail Tunnels Enlarged for Automobile Shipping". The Kansas City Times. Kansas City, MO. April 30, 1963. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "To Enlarge Argyle, Freeburg Tunnels on Rock Island Line". The Bland Courier. Bland, MO. May 2, 1963. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Enlargement of three tunnels on Rock Island Line completed". Gerald Journal. Gerald, MO. July 12, 1963. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Train Tunnel Under Freeburg, Missouri". Unrestricted Travel. December 26, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  13. Thorsen, Leah (December 22, 2016). "Stretch of old Missouri rail line to be transferred to state for Rock Island bike trail". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. Ahl, Jonathan (June 9, 2019). "Rock Island Trail Gets Option To Raise Money, But No State Funds". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved June 1, 2020. The overgrown rail line and tunnel under U.S. 63 in Freeburg is part of the Rock Island Trail...
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