Peter D. Wrote:
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> Does U.P. still own the right of way, or by giving up on the infrastructure they default on the property?

Generally, I think if the railroad is abandoned, and the right-of-way is not preserved in the form of a rail trail, it is handed off to the surrounding land owners and they can do with it what they wish. If MP or UP buried a fiber optic cable underground, they probably retain rights to that and a consideration is made for that. In this aerial photo west of McCracken, it looks like a farmer has been doing his best to erase the railroad right-of-way:

[goo.gl]