Sitting down today to send my dues renewal to the Kansas City Southern Historical Society (KCSHS) and thinking about the past and future of the KCS.

I’ve been a very proud member of the KCSHS since 1997. The picture is of the Southern Belle, the KCS business train outside of DeQueen, Arkansas in June of 1999. This was on a KCSHS sponsored excursion and fully supported by the KCS. This was right about the time that the Southern Belle was brought back as the business train.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of the white KCS engines switching the Baton Rouge yard. This was always visible from the I-110 going past the the LA state capitol and governor’s mansion. I’ve watched the paint schemes change to the gray and the current classic Belle scheme. But it has still been the KCS.

I also was witness to the changes in the Illinois Central. Of course these changes involved a bit more than just paint changes. But what we see now that is left of IC paint after the merger with CN, well not much. On my recent trip on the City of New Orleans, I did see a “death star” in a siding near Chicago.

Paint schemes come and go, and that is to be expected. But my sincere hope is that the Southern Belle is kept in it’s current state and continues to be used on the “classic” KCS division, if it would be called that. Further, the annual Christmas train is well liked and hopefully we will continue to see it on an annual basis.

KCSHS will always be there to help us remember the KCS. It is even more important now.

In the next few days before the merger is made final, I will be watching and documenting the last days of the KCS.

Steve