Gerald,
Thank you once again for this interesting information. I have found the
following:
P. L. Cable was Ransoms' uncle, he owned Coal Valley Mining, which ran a 12
mile railroad between
Coal Valley, IL and Rock Island. As a young man, Ransom worked for his uncle as
a brakeman and
conductor on this line, but Ransom became an investor and entrepreneur with
stong banking
connections. The Coal Valley railroad was extended through to Peoria in the
late 1860's/early
1870's and, through Ransoms' connection to the R, RI & St. L, used their
equipment to assist in this
construction. R, RI & St L trains were allowed to use the Peoria railroads'
trackage between Orion
and Rock Island for a time as well, before they had their own track to Colona.
Coal Valley Mining
was a huge operation, and drew the attention of the Rock Island Lines almost
immediately. Ransom, as
you may know, became President of the Rock Island Lines in 1883, and served on
its board until
(about) 1907(?) so it seems there was always a close association between these
two (three including
the Peoria & Rock Island RR?) railroads. The Rock Island almost certainly
controlled the Peoria
road, including Coal Valley Mining long before officially absorbing the line
into the RI System in
1903. Later, the Peoria roads' track was taken up between Rock Island and
Orion, and the trains
travelled on the Rock Island to Colona (R,RI & St L crossing) and then up the
old R, RI & St. L to
Orion, and onto their own tracks.
Near as I can tell, all successful railroads of that era either owned coal
mines or had ready access
to cheap coal. Your statement about P. L. Cables' involvement in the Orion &
Minersville mining RR
has me very curious now, didn't know about that one. Early railroad politics
(and fortune-seeking)
is extremely interesting, but at times makes discovering the truth and the
logic of events very
difficult! The Cables are fascinating examples of this, and operated right in
my own backyard.
Very interesting topic for me, and it really does have a "Q" content!
Wade
----- Original Message -----
From: "Virginia Edgar" <vje68@h...>
To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:00 PM
Subject: [BRHSlist] Re: R, RI & StL RR
>
> Per the Q's Documentary History, Overton's works & Joe Gross' all-time list
> of N.A. RR's, there was no St. L, Rockford & Chicago - must have been a typo
> in the article. As for Ranson Cable not being appointed the receiver,
> courts then & now are supposed to choose someone best able to salvage the
> company but of course politics does enter in! I cannot find anything as to
> where William Ferry, the RRI&StL's receiver was from nor Heyman Osterberg
> who was appointed Trustee but ultimately the St.L, R&C ended up with a Mr.
> Ladd of Massachusetts running it - no doubt an ally of the CB&Q's Boston
> financiers. At the time the RRI&StL was dissolved in 1875, they had the
> following rolling stock per court records: 30 locos, 14 coaches & sleepers,
> 15 waycars*, 6 baggage & mail cars, 391 frt cars (box cars?). 99 stock cars,
> 90 flat cars & 317 coal cars (gons?). Shops were @ Beardstown with engine
> houses @ Rock Island Jct., Sagetown (Gladstone) & Keithsburg.
> A related RR (part of the RRI&StL), the Orion & Minersville, had a P. L.
> Cable (Ransom's brother?) as Pres.. The RRI&StL at time it was sold by
> Osterberg to the newly organized StLRI&C had the following track: 39.4 mi RI
> Jct to P.t Byron Jct., 1.4 Colona to Minersville, 3.5 from Rock River Jct to
> some coal mines @ Cleveland, 161.6 from Monmouth to Alton Jct., 17.9 from
> Keithsburg to Sagetown (Gladstone), the Orion & Minersville (7.6 mi). Also,
> trackage rights with C&NW between RI Jct & Sterling & with CRIP from Colona
> to RI & with the Indianapolis & St. Louis from Alton Jct to E St. L (21
> miles) and depot privileges. Note coal mines are mentioned several times
> among the RRI&StL assets; I know there was such mining south of RI yrs ago -
> a little short line (Rock Island Southern) served some & I believe it had
> some 2nd hand Q equipment as well as from CRIP - lasted at least into
> 1950's.
> Another small RR that became part of the RRI&StL (& ultimately the Q) was
> the St. L, Alton & RI which began as the RI & Alton in 1855 with the name
> change in 1859 & with sale to RRI&StL in 1868.
>
> NOTE: Even in 1876 court records of CB&Q predecessors use the term way cars,
> NOT cabooses! Gerald
>
>
>
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