Did towns build tracks to themselves?

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

blue streak 1

Without a doubt Cincinnati's CNO&TP building has been the most prominent of the City built RRs. It was built in competition with Louisville's L&N going from Louisville to New Orleans. The CNO&TP went through a very mountainous areas and got its nickname the "RAT HOLE" for all its small narrow tunnels. When it got to Chatanooga it was able to join up with the AGS (Alabama Great Southern) and NO&NE (New Orleans and Northeast) to form the Queen (Cincinnati -  queen city) and Cresent route.These RRs all became part of the Souther RR but remained separate corporations because of Alabama and Mississippi laws requiring state corporations be based in their state much like the Cotton Belt (SSW) in Texas. When those laws finally repealed all integrated into NS.

Sometime I don't remember when SR went to the city of Cincinnati and got them to partially pay to daylight or expand the tunnels so they could carry double stacks. this resulted in an increase in their payments to the city. Anybody in Cinci know what they get each year from NS?  

[emphasis added - PDN.]

"NOTE: In accordance with the supplemental agreement dated January 1, 1987 between the Cincinnati Southern Railway and The C.N.O. & T.P. Railway Company (Lessee), funds received were $16,211,233. This amount is used to service City of Cincinnati bonds and notes."

Source:  Financial Summaries, 2003-2004 Biennial Budget, City of Cincinnati, Ohio, about 2/3 of the way down page 238 (Page 82 of 90 of the PDF version), captioned as "GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDED DEBT OF THE CITY OF CINCINNATI - December 31, 2002", at:

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cmgr/downloads/cmgr_pdf5252.pdf

For the 338 mile (if I recall correctly [EDIT:  Yes, per April 1976 Trains, pg. 23, col. 1] ) length of the CNO&TP, that amounts to $47,962 per route-mile, or $9.09 per route-foot, per annum.  Not too shabby !

I'll leave it to someone else to dig out more current figures, if desired.

- Paul North.

EDIT:  In 1974, the CS lease payment to the City was $4,122,000, per April 1976 Trains, pg. 24, col. 2)

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

EDITing one of my previous posts (for the 3rd time !), because the usual method doesn't seem to be working for me this afternoon: 

No major physical changes occurred to the Rathole in the 1940s - only dieselization.  After completion, and until the early 1960s improvements, the major physical changes were the re-gauging - from 5 ft. to standard - of the entire 338-mile line and all of its equipment in 1 day on Sunday, May 30, 1886, and the replacement of the "High Bridge" over the Kentucky River in 1911.  Also, all of the presently remaining tunnels have at least 30 feet of vertical clearance, for a possible future electrification catenary installation. 

Source: April 1976 Trains as above, at pg. 24, col. 1; pg. 25, col. 3; and, pg. 30, col. 3.

- PDN.