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The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (reporting mark SP ), earlier Southern Pacific Railroad (1865-1885) and Southern Pacific Company (1885-1969), was an American railroad. The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, forming part of the Central Pacific Railroad empire. Southern Pacific's total route mileage has varied significantly over the years. In 1929, the system showed 13,848 miles (22,286 km) (on its own) of track. By 1994 this was down to 13,391 miles (21,551 km) of track, including smaller parent Rio Grande at 2,248 miles (3,618 km) and long time subsidiary Cotton Belt at 2,180 miles (3,510 km). This was mainly due to the pruning of branches and selling of subsidiaries like the 328 miles (528 km) Northwestern Pacific, the 1,331 miles (2,142 km) Southern Pacific Railroad Company of Mexico, and a variety of narrow gauge routes. By 1900, the Southern Pacific Company had grown into a major railroad system which incorporated many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad, and which extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso, across New Mexico and through Tucson, to Los Angeles, throughout most of California including San Francisco and Sacramento; it absorbed the Central Pacific Railroad extending eastward across Nevada to Ogden, Utah and had lines reaching north throughout and across Oregon to Portland.
On August 9, 1988, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the purchase of the Southern Pacific by Rio Grande Industries, the company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The Rio Grande officially took control of the Southern Pacific on October 13, 1988. After the purchase, the combined railroad kept the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both constituent railroads. The Southern Pacific subsequently was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1996 following years of financial problems. The railroad is also noteworthy for being the defendant in the landmark 1886 United States Supreme Court case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad which is often interpreted as having established certain corporate rights under the Constitution of the United States.