Missouri Pacific Railroad — Corporate Overview

Missouri Pacific Railroad Company (“MoPac” — founded 1849 as the Pacific Railroad of Missouri, historic St. Louis MO base) was one of the principal 20th-century Class I freight railroads serving the U.S. central and southwestern states. Chartered in Missouri as the first railroad west of the Mississippi River, MoPac grew through a century of consolidation to operate a system spanning Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Illinois. Missouri Pacific was merged into Union Pacific Railroad in 1982, and its legacy corridors are today operated by UP.

Through the asbestos era, Missouri Pacific operated principal shop and mechanical complexes at St. Louis MO (De Soto Shops in Jefferson County MO — historically the largest MoPac locomotive-repair facility), North Little Rock AR (Jenks Shop), Kansas City MO, Sedalia MO, Palestine TX, Houston TX, San Antonio TX, Alexandria LA, and dozens of intermediate roundhouse, diesel-service, and freight-yard facilities.

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 Missouri Pacific Railroad — and its successor Union Pacific — 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 (through 1950s dieselization at De Soto and Sedalia)
  • Diesel-electric locomotive era: allegedly asbestos-fabric traction motor winding insulation, asbestos arc chute plates in traction control cabinets, and asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets (Alco 251, EMD 645, GE turbocharger)
  • Passenger car: allegedly asbestos-cement body insulation panels, asbestos-fabric heating duct lagging, and Vapor Clarkson steam generators (Missouri Pacific Eagle streamliners — Texas Eagle, Colorado Eagle, Missouri River Eagle)
  • Freight car: allegedly asbestos brake shoe friction with WABCO / New York Air Brake / Symington-Gould brake components
  • Roundhouse / shop: allegedly asbestos pipe covering on shop steam mains at De Soto and Jenks (North Little Rock), asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in shop switchgear, and asbestos-block bay lagging
  • 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 De Soto Shops MO, North Little Rock (Jenks) AR, Sedalia MO, and Palestine TX
  • Diesel-service and roundhouse workers servicing EMD, GE, and Alco MoPac locomotives
  • Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing asbestos brake shoes at MoPac freight yards
  • Locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, and yard switchmen on Missouri Pacific 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 Missouri Pacific Railroad

If you or a family member worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) — or for its successor Union Pacific after the 1982 merger — at any yard, shop, roundhouse, or locomotive-service facility during the asbestos era, including the De Soto Shops MO or the North Little Rock Jenks Shop, 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

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