Private company

St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company

Logo: slimrr.com3

American railway company

The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (reporting mark SLOT), commonly known as the Iron Mountain, was an American railway company that operated from 1856 until 1917 when it was merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

May 6, 1874Founded1
St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Locomotive 635
Photo: Feral Boy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (reporting mark SLOT), commonly known as the Iron Mountain, was an American railway company that operated from 1856 until 1917 when it was merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad.2

The story

The Iron Mountain was initially established to deliver iron ore from Iron Mountain to St. Louis, Missouri. Once owned by Henry Gudon Marquand and his brother, Frederick Marquand. They were forced out through Jay Gould's railroad monopoly. In 1883 the railway was acquired by Jay Gould, becoming part of a 9,547-mile (15,364 km) system. On May 12, 1917, the company was officially merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which in turn was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad between 1982 and 1997. It was robbed twice, once by the James-Younger Gang, on January 31, 1874, at Gad's Hill, and once by the "One-Time Train Robbery Gang", on November 3, 1893, at Olyphant, Arkansas.

From Wikipedia’s article on St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded by Missouri Pacific Railroad1

Timeline

  1. May 12, 1917Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. May 6, 1874Founded Founded1