Kansas City Southern Railway — Corporate Overview

Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS) was a U.S. Class I freight railroad chartered in 1887 and headquartered in Kansas City MO. Through the asbestos era, KCS operated a distinctive north-south main line from Kansas City MO through Pittsburg KS, Joplin MO, De Queen AR, Shreveport LA, Beaumont TX, and Lake Charles LA to the Gulf of Mexico at Port Arthur TX and New Orleans LA, with major mechanical facilities at Kansas City MO (Knoche Yard), Shreveport LA (Deramus Yard), Pittsburg KS, and Beaumont TX. KCS subsidiaries and predecessors included the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway, the Texarkana & Fort Smith, and MidSouth Rail.

In 2023, KCS was acquired by Canadian Pacific to form Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) — the first single-line freight railroad connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Kansas City Southern remains subject to publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under FELA for pre-merger operations.

Documented ACM Footprint

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) that the Kansas City Southern Railway exposed the railroad workforce to asbestos through the following documented pathways:

  • Steam locomotive era: allegedly asbestos block boiler lagging, asbestos-cement smokebox insulation, and asbestos rope firebox packing on KCS 2-10-4 Texas-types, 4-8-4 Northerns, and 2-8-0 Consolidations (through 1950s dieselization)
  • Diesel-electric locomotive era: allegedly asbestos-fabric traction motor winding insulation, asbestos arc chute plates in traction control cabinets, and asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets on EMD F-units, GP7/GP30/GP40, SD40-2, SD70MAC, and GE U-boat / AC4400 locomotives
  • Passenger car: allegedly asbestos-cement body insulation panels, asbestos-fabric heating duct lagging, and Vapor Clarkson steam generators on the Southern Belle, Flying Crow, and Southern Belle streamliners between Kansas City MO and New Orleans LA
  • Freight car: allegedly asbestos brake shoe friction with WABCO / New York Air Brake / Symington-Gould brake components on KCS unit coal trains, grain trains, boxcars, and intermodal well cars
  • Roundhouse / shop: allegedly asbestos pipe covering on shop steam mains, asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in shop switchgear, and asbestos-block bay lagging in Kansas City MO (Knoche), Shreveport LA (Deramus), Pittsburg KS, and Beaumont TX shop complexes
  • FELA note: Railroad workers may pursue Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claims for occupational asbestos exposure — a broader remedy than state workers’ compensation.

Workers Allegedly Exposed

  • Locomotive machinists, boilermakers, pipefitters, and electricians at Kansas City MO Knoche Yard, Shreveport LA Deramus Yard, Pittsburg KS, and Beaumont TX shops
  • Diesel-service and roundhouse workers servicing EMD and GE locomotives across the KCS system
  • Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing asbestos brake shoes at KCS freight yards
  • Locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, and yard switchmen on KCS trains
  • Shop electricians (IBEW) working on asbestos arc chutes in traction control cabinets and yard switchgear
  • Insulators (HFIAW) applying and stripping asbestos pipe covering on shop steam distribution

If You Worked for Kansas City Southern

If you or a family member worked for Kansas City Southern Railway — or its predecessor and subsidiary carriers (Louisiana & Arkansas, MidSouth Rail) — at any yard, shop, roundhouse, or locomotive-service facility during the asbestos era and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) — a broader remedy for railroad workers than state workers’ compensation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

Kansas City Southern operated shops, yards, roundhouses, and locomotive-service facilities across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages: