Bingo - Buck Dean wins since he identified this line just ahead of ZO's reply. It was the IC's 19.4mi. Lorraine Branch running west from Shreveport to the Texas-Louisiana state line at the community of Lorraine (just east of Waskom, TX). It was completed in 1866 by the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas RR which subsequently became the VS&P, Y&MV and ultimately the IC.
In 1900 the Shreveport Sherman and Southern RR completed a 30 mile extension from Jefferson,TX to a connection with the VS&P at Lorraine. This was acquired by the MKT in 1901 and from that date until 1923 was part of the Katy's Greenville (near Dallas) to Shreveport line which reached Shreveport via trackage rights over the VS&P / Y&MY / IC from Lorraine. In 1923 the MKT sold this line to the LR&N of Texas which later became the Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, which was the L&A's Texas affiliate.
In 1956 the KCS completed it's new Deramus classification yard on the northern outskirts of Shreveport. At that time the last seven miles of the old LA&T line west of Lorraine was abandoned in favor of a new route that reached Shreveport via a connection with the KCS main just north of Deramus Yard at Texas Jct. When the L&A traffic was rerouted the IC's Lorraine Branch had no further purpose whatsoever and was promptly abandoned.
The last passenger service was a mixed train which ran between Shreveport and Greenville until its discontinuance in the late 1930's. This train was shown in the IC timetables of that era as No. 38 westbound and No. 51 eastbound. No. 51 covered the 19.4 miles from Lorraine to Shreveport in one and a half hours. Its average speed of 12.9mph gave it the distinction of being the slowest train listed in the IC passenger timetables.
Mark
Here's my 2 cents...
The IC route that would remotely qualify for the question would be the Meridian-Shreveport-Lorraine, Louisiana line (at the Louisiana/Texas border) where it connected with the Texas & Pacific. Apparently, this line was part of a grand, pre-Civil War plan to develop a Charleston, SC- San Diego transcontinental line that would follow the 32nd parallel. Unfortunately, the answer doesn't hold up in light of MKT and passenger service hints.
Actually...way back in the MK&T era, Katy would connect with IC, so to speak, in western Louisiana. The Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company of Texas was chartered on March 27, 1923, to acquire a line extending from McKinney to the Texas-Louisiana state line near Waskom. The LR&NT was affiliated with the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which operated a railroad between Shreveport and New Orleans. It was organized by Edenborn to acquire 181 miles of track between McKinney and the state line formerly operated by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company of Texas.
I could be wrong, but I think this is what Mark is looking for. I do not know; however, the underlying uniqueness of their passenger service.
Mark, I am really puzzled by your last hint. The April 25, 1954 IC timetable shows no line which runs to a state line and then stops, unless you count the line from Jonestown to Trotters Point, Miss. (crossing the main line of the Y&MV at Lula), and the IC had a ferry service across to Helena, Ark. And, this line was freight only before February, 1950. The only other lines that I see as being east-west are the Indianapolis-Effingham line (freight only before 1950), the Chicago-Fort Dodge line (passenger trains to the end), and the Meridian-Shreveport line (passenger service until in the late sixties).
The IC entered St. Louis over terminal roads, but I do not know of anything distinctive of a passenger train serving East St. Louis or the junction with the routes over the Merchants Bridge or the MacArthur Bridge. The train that connected from the Creole in Carbondale and the train that connected to the City of New Orleans and the City of Miami (through coaches to both main line trains) went through East St. Louis, using the Eads Bridge. The other trains to/from Carbondale used, I believe, the MacArthur Bridge. The Chickasaw and the train to the Panama and the Seminole ran through DuQuoin and not Murphysboro (the northbound Chickasaw carried the cars to St. Louis from the Panama and the Seminole.
There is also the line from Peoria to Evansville (freight only before 1950), but it does not seem to cross the Wabash in a due east-west direction.
I do not see any place other than the St. Louis area which could have had a connection with the MKT.
Johnny
Geographically. the IC branch that I have in mind was far away from Chicagoland.
Another hint - Both the IC line and the other railroad it connected with at the state line ran nearly due east - west.
daveklepper The MKT statement confuses me. In some respects the IC branch that connects with the South Shore could meet the requirement, but I am certain you have another branch in mind.
The MKT statement confuses me. In some respects the IC branch that connects with the South Shore could meet the requirement, but I am certain you have another branch in mind.
While the Kensington & Eastern did extend to the Illinois-Indiana line, I don't recall any IC service on that line beyond the occasional transfer job to Lake Calumet Harbor.
Another hint -
At one time this IC line was used by trains of the M-K-T.
Here's a hint. At the state line where the IC ended it connected with the mainline of a smaller railroad. This other road reached one of its endpoint terminals via trackage rights over the IC line.
Until 1956 the Illinois Central had a line that ran to the boundary of two adjacent states and stopped in the middle of nowhere at that point. AFAIK this was not duplicated anywhere else on the IC system. Passenger service on this line also held a dubious distinction that made it unique among all the the schdedules listed in the IC timetables at the time it was discontinued.
What were the end points of this line and what was the distinctive feature of the passenger service it hosted?
With the Spokane International added you got the eight. In addition to the Spokane the others, according to Trains Magazine facts and figures on the rails in the 50's... Ann Arbor, Bessemer & Lake Erie, Chicago & Illionois Midland, Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio, Norfolk Southern, Peoria & Eastern, Rutland, San Diego & Arizona Eastern, Texas Central, Virginian, and Western Maryland were the Class 1 roads all freight in 1959.
Congratulations, the next one is all yours.
K4s,
I know for a fact that the M&StL and IT ended passenger service prior to 1959, however, I'm not sure about the DM&IR. Are you telling me these roads were no longer Class I's by that time?
K4sPRR Go more to the west, way west.
Go more to the west, way west.
OK I'll go as far west as I can and throw the Pacific Electric and Northwestern Pacific into the pot. I also think the Spokane International may have been out of the passenger business but I have doubts about it being a Class I. Whenever this question is over please post the complete list of all 12 RR's.
I believe the last Minneapolis & St Louis passenger train ran in 1957 or maybe it was 1958 so I'll add that RR and for good measure throw in the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range.
Hey Mark,
Your now up to seven, come on think....just one more and its yours. As early Americans once trumped, Go west young man, go west.
Mark..the Association of American Railroads published a lot of materials which identified the Class Ones. So did the ICC. If you can check their archives you should find the list you are looking for.
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My problem is knowing which of the 17 roads I mentioned were still Class I in 1959 as I've been unable to locate a list of Class I's for that year. The ICC defined Class I roads at that time as those having annual operating revenues in excess of $3 million. Based on that I'd guess the five that you said I had correctly identified were the M-I, EJ&E, Clinchfield, P&WV and DT&I. I really don't know where to find any confirming info so If I'm wrong please post the correct five RR's. I'm certain that both the BRC and IHB met the ICC's annual revenue requirement but for some reason weren't considered to be Class I's. I'd guess that was because they were solely switching/terminal railroads and were owned by other RR's. In any event those two can be eliminated from my prior list.
The Virginian Rwy. was freight only in 1959 so I'll add it to my list (though it was mereged into the N&W that year). Also the Western Maryland ended passenger service sometime in 1959 so it was ffreight only for at least the latter part of that year. The Illinois Terminal which ended passenger service in 1956 comes to mind as another road that was likely still a Class I in 1959.
Other than those three additions, I'd strictly be guessing so I'll leave it up to you or someone else to identify the remaining roads.
Mark, thats like throwing darts at a board full of rail lines! You got five, three more.
K4sPRR In 1959 there were 12 class 1 railroads that were freight only, name 8 of them. (I would give extra credit if someone listed all 12, but hey, go for it.)
In 1959 there were 12 class 1 railroads that were freight only, name 8 of them. (I would give extra credit if someone listed all 12, but hey, go for it.)
I'm sure of some of these I'm just taking a SWAG at others.
Chicago & Illinois Midland
Missouri-Illinois
Texas-Mexican *
Alabama Tennessee & Northern *
Columbus & Greenville *
Belt Rwy. of Chicago
Indiana Harbor Belt
Elgin Joliet & Eastern
Clinchfield
Norfolk Southerm
Pittsburgh & West Virginia
Detroit Toledo & Ironton
Ann Arbor *
Green Bay & Western
Toledo Peoria & Western *
Rutland
Lehigh & Hudson River *
I've listed 17 RR's which is too many and I'm not at all sure that the asterisked (*) ones were Class I roads but I don't have the time right now to check them out.
Apparently the Michigan Central had the same thoughts as you and felt it was better to stay put at Central Station. Anyway....next question:
I'm trying to envision how Michigan Central would have moved its operations from Central Station to Union Station. Anyway, K4sPRR had the right answer, he gets the next question.
CSSHEGEWISCH Sorry, you both missed. Alton/GM&O was a tenant, not a co-owner.
Sorry, you both missed. Alton/GM&O was a tenant, not a co-owner.
The Chicago Union Station Company was owned by the Burlington, Milwaukee and two PRR lines, the Ft. Wayne and Panhandle lines of the Pennsylvania Company. I always forget the Alton was a tenant...oops. The Michigan Central would have been a fifth, but backed out at the last minute.
I think posted at almost the same moment although K4 beat me.
Pittsburgh, Ft Wayne & Chicago (PRR)
Chicago & Alton (GM&O)
Chicago , Burlington & Quincy
Milwaukee Road
CSSHEGEWISCH Jointly owned stations are quite common, the Chicago area has/had several. Name the four pre-Amtrak owners of Chicago Union Station.
Jointly owned stations are quite common, the Chicago area has/had several. Name the four pre-Amtrak owners of Chicago Union Station.
PRR, Burlington (CB&Q), Chi & Alton, Milwaukee Road.
CSSHEGEWISCH Since I'm in the middle of a question I posed on the other thread, I'll defer to whoever Mark chooses to ask the next question.
Since I'm in the middle of a question I posed on the other thread, I'll defer to whoever Mark chooses to ask the next question.
Would you care to reconsider since your other question about the GE Universal Line engines has been answered?
If not then K4sPRR who identified two roads gets to ask the next question.
The Midland Terminal is a good call Dave.
The remaining three roads that I know of are the:
Louisiana Midland which together withthe Mississippi Central formed the "Natchez Route"
Illinois & Midland which is a Genesee & Wyoming company road that currently operates most of the former C&IM.
The Illinois Midland whch was an obscure road that, until abandoned in 1967, ran only for 1.9 miles between Newark and a connection with the Burlington at Millington, IL.
CSSHegwich who named three roads is the "fustest with the mostest" and is our winner.
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