The St. Louis Southwestern Railway, better known as the Cotton Belt Route, was a regional carrier that served Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. The Southern Pacific Railroad acquired control of the Cotton Belt in 1932 but operated it as a separate entity until 1992, when it was fully merged into the parent railroad. With the acquisition of the Southern Pacific by the Union Pacific in 1996, all surviving lines of the Cotton Belt are now operated by the Union Pacific. For auction is a rule book from the Cotton Belt covering firemen, oilers, helpers, roundhouse and railway shop laborers. It is revised to September 1, 1954. The book covers such topics as work rules, rates of pay, assignments, shifts, furloughs, rest days and seniority, to name just a few.