The Cairo & St. Louis built a narrow gauge railroad from East St. Louis to Cairo through Murphysboro, IL. "When completed on February 19, 1875, at 146 miles it was the second largest in the country." It went bankrupt in 1877 when the Kaolin Tunnel collapsed. But after reorganization in 1881 as the St. Louis & Cairo, it proved a profitable hauler of coal from the Big Muddy coalfield near Murphysboro. [American Narrow Gauge Railroads and hit the previous button]
It was in a position to connect two other narrow gauge railroads --- Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis (TC&StL) to the northeast and Texas & St. Louis to the southwest to form the Grand Narrow Gauge Trunk. See American Narrow Gauge Railroads for a map. This trunk line effectively was the route that I-69 is supposed to be built to serve --- Houston/Mexico to Detroit/Toledo. Judging from the map, at least part of the TC&StL must have become part of the Cloverleaf, which became part of the Nickel Plate.
"In 1886 the M&O acquired the narrow-gauge St. Louis and Cairo Railroad and changed it to standard gauge, thus making possible a through haul from Mobile to St. Louis (except for the ferry service at Cairo)." [acmeme written by James H. Lemly]
(Update: referenced)
The first railroad which served the American Bottom of Illinois was the Cairo and St. Louis Railroad. The narrow gauge railroad was chartered February 16, 1865, but did not reach the county seat in Waterloo until December of 1872. Work was started on the road on September 1, 1871, and the line was opened from Cairo to East St. Louis, a distance of 147 miles, on March 1, 1875. The name was changed to St. Louis and Cairo Railroad Company on May 31, 1881.
ReplyDeleteThe Mobile and Ohio Railroad, whose tracks extended from Mobile, Alabama to Cairo, Illinois, acquired the St. Louis and Cairo Railroad Company on February 1, 1886, and at once set to work to broaden the gauge. This was accomplished in November of 1886, when Mobile and Ohio trains were operated on the wider tracks. The Mobile and Ohio merged, in 1940, with the Gulf, Mobile and Northern to become the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
In December of 1872, when the first railroad reached the county seat, the Waterloo Advocate reported the event as follows: “A ride on the still incomplete line is much more comfortable to make the trip to St. Louis now than in any other time in the history of Waterloo. We feel repaid for the $100,000 subscription Monroe County voted to the capital stock of the Cairo St. Louis Railroad Company by a majority of 1092 votes in the month of February, 1868. It gave the enterprise its first valuable lift into existence. In June, 1869, the town of Waterloo voted $50,000 to the capital stock of the narrow gauge. It is destined to become the road of the future.”
Waterloo prepared for the coming of the first train by macadamizing Park Street so it would be ready for the depot when it was built. A continuation of sidewalks and a crossing was also completed so patrons could reach the depot in all kinds of weather “without losing the polish on one’s shoes.” In March of 1873, the first depot was erected at the foot of Park Street on the east side of the tracks and the freight business began. T. A. Huey was the freight agent, and Waterloo received the first shipment of freight via the new railroad.
December 25, 1863. The Cairo and St. Louis Railroad Co. erected a station house and depot on the Darfee farm, one and one-half miles east of Burksville and named it Burksville Station. The Railroad announced that it was ready to receive and deliver freight as it does at other stations. The Railroad Company also proposed to offer free lots to any person who was willing to erect a dwelling or business building on the lot, and offered to deliver all the building materials for the structure free of freight charges. December 25, 1863. The Cairo and St. Louis Railroad Co. erected a station house and depot on the Darfee farm, one and one-half miles east of Burksville and named it Burksville Station. The Railroad announced that it was ready to receive and deliver freight as it does at other stations. The Railroad Company also proposed to offer free lots to any person who was willing to erect a dwelling or business building on the lot, and offered to deliver all the building materials for the structure free of freight charges.
Dennis Patton, my notes from local history