Kansas City Southern - C. Vision’s Tribute to the Mighty KCS

In this video, C. Vision Productions explores the Kansas City Southern in the colorful 1990s, with footage provided by videographer Dan Hadley. We'll follow the railroad's mainline from Kansas City, Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico, with additional coverage of the Meridian Speedway and Texas Subdivision also included. KCS EMDs wearing their white “ghost” paint scheme, as well as the newer gray paint scheme with yellow safety stripes, are seen operating on a variety of trains throughout the video. In addition to KCS, you’ll see locomotives from Burlington Northern, Norfolk Southern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Illinois Central, TFM, Texas Mexican, MidSouth, Gateway Western, TO&E, and Kiamichi. Locomotive models seen include SD40, SD40A, SD40X, SD40-2, SD40M-2, SD45T-3, SD50, SD60, GP7, GP9, GP10, GP30, GP35, GP38, GP38AC, GP38-2, GP40, GP40-2, GP40-2L, GP49, GP60, B23-7, C30-7, C39-8, C40-9, C40-9W, FP9A, F9B, SW14, SW1500, and NW2. This was a period of significant growth for the KCS, as the company swiftly transformed into a well-connected class one powerhouse shortly before the turn of the century. This footage was edited at the studios of C. Vision Productions in September of 2023, and is used with permission from Dan Hadley. If you are interested in purchasing full programs that include many of these scenes, they are available in DVD format from Pentrex.
We hope that you enjoy this retro look at the Kansas City Southern. If you like what you see, more C. Vision content awaits you in the links below…
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[@ellisjackson336]

Those grey KCS units are the ones I remember seeing. They look good with such a simple paint scheme

[@CVisionProductions1]

We absolutely agree with you. The gray scheme with yellow safety stripes was simple, yet attractive. It represented KCS well. Thank you for the comment.

[@andrewdiesel487]

Loving that KCS Before CPKC

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!!! The KCS was a great railroad, in more ways than one.

[@gregginter5867]

Yeah, I agree! Lots of great color schemes…wish CP had kept before altering to their mono-color n non-descript color scheme! Borrrring!!!

[@PaulRosencrantz]

It’s great that KCS gets to continue on as CPKC! I live in Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 a few hundred meters away from Canadian Pacific railroad tracks, and it’s a common sight to see CP locomotives hauling Kansas City cargo. It’s great that Canadian Pacific gets to expand its lines down to Mexico, and KCS is playing a key role in that. Great Video 💯🚂😎

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much, Paul! And yes, the CPKC network is quite impressive! The possibilities are nearly endless with the new combined system. We appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@PaulRosencrantz]

@@CVisionProductions1 Thank you! I look forward to watching more of your excellently produced railroad documentaries 😀

[@CVisionProductions1]

More videos will be on the way shortly! Thank you for the kind words.

[@CenTexRailfan]

Amazing stuff! I really enjoy the plethora of S5T's horns along with the early white paint scheme. I especially liked the lashup at 44:25 too and that sweet P5 horn.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much! The horns that KCS employed in those days were pretty awesome. And all those EMDs… Gotta love it!

[@derrickwong5337]

Looking good tribune to Mighty KCS! Hello to CPKC railroad!🎉

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for watching, Derrick! We’re glad that you enjoyed the video. More to come. Stay tuned!

[@derrickwong5337]

​@@CVisionProductions1OK 👌

[@jamesrichardson559]

I liked the white/red KCS paint scheme.

[@RailfanVal]

Long Live KCS! You have the best paint scheme ever!

[@CVisionProductions1]

The KCS certainly had some interesting paint schemes over the years. They’ve all looked pretty good! Thanks for the comment.

[@PapawMule]

Lived most my life along KCS.. remember the SOUTHERN BELLE, mail cars and mailbags thrown from train..

[@CVisionProductions1]

It would have been pretty incredible to see that era of the KCS. The days of passenger service and fast freights. Although, it’s hard to not be impressed by today’s heavy tonnage railroading on the modern CPKC. Thank you for sharing a little of your story with us.

[@andrewcrumb8027]

Wow! I have the Pentrex program of the Kansas City Southern in the early 90's on DVD! It's really amazing!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yes! Mr. Hadley provided them footage as well. Thank you for watching, Andrew.

[@andrewcrumb8027]

@@CVisionProductions1 You're very welcome.

[@michaeljudge860]

So do I.

[@user-lq4mo8dw1p]

Love that first train with the rare SD50S on the SD40-2 platform ....way back around 1993-1994 i modeled those in HO for a guy....was a heck of a kitbash

[@CVisionProductions1]

Those units would have been quite the challenge to model! Did you do the KCS SD40X version? Or the actual SD50S units that were delivered to the Norfolk & Western?

[@user-lq4mo8dw1p]

@@CVisionProductions1 the KCS version...it was for a man that worked at BN when my dad was there....I spent a good portion of highschool custom painting SDs and GPs for him and freight cars....

[@CVisionProductions1]

Very cool! Those sound like fun projects. It’s all in the details…

[@SkyhawkACE123]

Gotta love all the footage of those original SD40X units. Thank you for posting!

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome! Those SD40X units were pretty cool. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@DylanRailVids04]

1:03:22 - 1:09:11 that’s pretty much most of my home territory I railfan in! At 1:07:38 besides the second track on the far left that use to be there going past the DeQuincy Station and a little junction office building being there now, a real good bit of that scene has changed dramatically. Definitely glad he had the foresight to film some of that rail action out there around then. It’s really appreciative that he did this!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Dylan! Mr. Hadley always seemed to find the coolest locations for filming. We give him plenty of credit for that. The KCS was such a neat railroad… Thanks for checking out the video.

[@DylanRailVids04]

@@CVisionProductions1 anytime!

[@richardwoodward3949]

Wonderful video as always!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much, Richard! We appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@Nicola636128]

Amazing video, as always!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much! We always appreciate your comments on our videos.

[@Med0sproductions]

Cant wait to watch this 🤙

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Ethan! We hope that you enjoy it.

[@xray606]

Unique subject... Great job.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much! We’re glad that you enjoyed the video.

[@GEVOlutionCPKC]

Great work ✨👌🏽👉🏽🥇👈🏽

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much! We appreciate you tuning in.

[@TrainRail_01]

Awesome video, i miss the once of KCS got merge with CPKC on month ago.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you! We appreciate you watching.

[@jds1342]

Gotta love the S5Ts on these KCS units

[@CVisionProductions1]

So many great ones back then! Then come the P5s and K5LAs… Can’t go wrong there. Thanks for the comment.

[@kevinschofield7864]

i loved the caboose trains but i will just have keep up with the times so i will keep on railfanning.!

[@CVisionProductions1]

We were happy to share some neat caboose scenes in this video. Trains don’t feel complete without a caboose. Maybe we should get with the times too! Anyway, thank you for the comment.

[@floydfanTN]

44:40 Amazing that they were still using Cab units in the early 90s

[@CVisionProductions1]

Although the F-unit fleet on KCS had been converted into road slugs by the early 1990s, they were still neat to see in operation. They looked quite interesting paired up with GP40-2s on those Texas intermodal runs. Thank you for watching the video.

[@mjrodriguez8670]

I liked the area that the KCS traveled through...too bad that it never amalgamated with Chicago Great Western, though.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for watching, MJ! The KCS travelled through some interesting areas, that’s for sure. It’s nice that quite a bit of the railroad is off the beaten path.

[@oubrioko]

1:02:52 Typical rear-end road crew change, where you had to board the moving caboose with multiple grips, hoping the engineer wasn't in a hurry ...or a practical joker. Very nice footage. Cheers

[@CVisionProductions1]

Railroading back then certainly was exciting, if nothing else. Getting all of your grips (and yourself) onto a moving caboose at higher than the “recommended” speed must have been an interesting experience… Thank you for the comment.

[@colinmulder6806]

Well done here once again giving out a tribute to another 90'S favorite by many fans & followers. Give my thanks & best regards to Dan Hadley. If possible, be sure to tell him I'd like to acquire a few of his RAW FOOTAGE tapes sometime in the future starting with the following: 1. MONTANA RAIL LINK. 2. KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN. 3. TODAY'S CHICAGO RAILROADS. 4. EASTERN KENTUCKY COAL. 5. THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much, Colin. We do have the footage from all of those shows. Mr. Hadley really did a great job covering the best of American railroading throughout the 1990s. We’ll be sure to pass the message along to him. As we said previously, thank you for taking the time to write this comment. You are always very thoughtful.

[@colinmulder6806]

@@CVisionProductions1 Thanks very much once again.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome.

[@treniat69]

Grazie.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much!!! We are very grateful for your support.

[@Med0sproductions]

Those KCS sd40’s are some of the baddest looking ones out there

[@CVisionProductions1]

Agreed! They are awesome. All of those older KCS EMDs absolutely rocked.

[@williammckenzie1941]

Wow.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, William! We appreciate the comment.

[@JMCQProductions]

KCS 663 SD40-2 Is Now Panama Canal Railway SD40-2 1867

[@CVisionProductions1]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing that.

[@brandancruz2696]

@cvisionproductions thank you for uploading this video. I had not seen it in over 20 years. Any chance we could get some MKT action now that I'm reliving my childhood through y'all channel? 😁

[@CVisionProductions1]

We’re glad that you enjoyed the video! We are using raw footage from Mr. Dan Hadley to produce these programs. From what we can tell, he did not shoot the MKT. Please let us know if you have any other requests. Thank you for watching.

[@brandancruz2696]

@@CVisionProductions1 what about some South Pacific action?

[@CVisionProductions1]

We have that! SP is on the list. Stay tuned…

[@killersopinion1829]

I have this video on VHS tape somewhere. The only difference is missing narration and the addition on the red location labels. Long live the Midsouth!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for watching the video! As you may know, this project was put together using raw footage provided by the original videographer. Some of those locations were difficult to figure out, but we believe that all of the graphics were correct. Mr. Hadley did a fantastic job covering the KCS (twice!)

[@killersopinion1829]

@@CVisionProductions1 I noticed the "new" (to me) footage from the Meridian Speedway in Mississippi. That was not part of the original video I referred to. So much has changed in the last 30 years since this video was taken.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You got that right. KCS is now a fallen flag, and railroads have changed the way they do business. We miss the old days…

[@kennethphillips318]

Huzzah! 🎉

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Kenneth!

[@anb7408]

1:36:16 This scene should look familiar at Edwards, MS. It was the final closing scene with George Clooney in “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” Sadly, the wooden bridge was eventually replaced with an ugly, corrugated pipe abomination.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Sure enough! Thank you for pointing that out. Edwards is a beautiful small town. We can see why Mr. Hadley and the movie producers both decided to film there. And yes, it does appear that the old bridge is gone. That is sad to see. Thanks again.

[@wildbill9919]

9:28 Blue GN hopper.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yes! On that southbound grain train at Eve. Pretty neat. Thank you for pointing that out.

[@BNSF4706]

Can i use the DD audios on these cuz others do this and i want to join in but dont have a scanner, also no one recorded this (i mean the DDs)

[@CVisionProductions1]

Not sure what “the DD audios” would be, but you can do whatever is legal that would not violate the copyright.

[@michaeljudge860]

What type of F Unit was that on that KCS Train seen at Texas Junction?

[@CVisionProductions1]

The F-units seen in this video were road slugs. They appeared to be paired up with the 790-series GP40-2s.

[@austenrhoads]

30:49 What was the point of the truck driving behind the rear helpers?

[@CVisionProductions1]

Hello, Austen. That was most likely just a track inspector. Thank you for asking.

[@austenrhoads]

@@CVisionProductions1That makes sense. Thanks!

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re welcome.

[@Tony-1950]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Tony!!!

[@TraincraftmcOficial]

TFM It's Kansas City Southern from Mexico

[@kevinschofield7864]

i still think that u.s. and canadian railways should bring the cabooses back because when you take away the caboose you take away the love of trains.

[@jamesrussell6123]

I feel the same way

[@Conraildan]

Did you get copyright permission from Pentrex?

[@CVisionProductions1]

Hello. Pentrex does not own the copyright on this footage. It is owned by the original videographer, Dan Hadley. We have an agreement in place with Mr. Hadley for use of his footage. The finished product that you see here is owned by us, just as Pentrex owns the KCS programs that they released back in the 90s. Thank you for asking. Let us know if you have any further questions.

[@anb7408]

Illinois Central getting rid of what became the “Meridian Speedway” was one of the dumbest sell offs ever. They got in the 80’s abandonment/sell off craze, and this one cost them dearly. They tried to get it back, but KCS outbid them.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You bring up an interesting topic. The 80s seemed to be full of shortsighted sell offs. The SOO selling off their Chicago to Superior mainline to the Wisconsin Central in 1987 (fully completed in 1992) was probably one of the biggest blunders. IC’s “Meridian Speedway” sale to MidSouth is definitely on the same level. How about Burlington Northern’s sale of the Stampede Pass route to Washington Central? They got it back, but it was still out of their hands for a decade. MRL probably couldn’t be placed in the same category, since the BN ensured that they’d never fully lose that trackage. We appreciate your comments.

[@chrischoice2707]

KCS still use f-7 wonder site to see

[@CVisionProductions1]

The only KCS F-units still in service are the refurbished FP9s that are used on the business train. The old F-unit slugs seen in this video were retired many years ago. Thank you for watching.

[@chrischoice2707]

@@CVisionProductions1 yes I seen the old f- unit before it was rare but thank you for posting this video it was a treat to see

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re very welcome. Thanks again.