Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Detroit and Mackinac Railway
Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 121
Detroit & Mackinac Railway[edit]
Location and General Description of Property[edit]
The railroad of the Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company, hereinafter called the carrier, is a single-track standard-gauge steam railroad, located along the northeastern coast of the southern peninsula of Michigan. The main line extends northerly from Foss, via Alpena, to Cheboygan, a distance of about 195 miles. There are numerous branch lines, the most important of which extend from Emery Junction to Rose City, from Au Sable Junction to Comins, and from Hillman Junction to Hillman. The carrier operates from Bay City to Foss, 1.80 miles, by means of trackage rights over the road of the Pere Marquette Railway Company.
The carrier wholly owns and uses 359.605 miles of road. It also jointly owns and uses with the Pere Marquette Railway Company 0.260 undivided mile of road and a bridge over the Saginaw River at North Bay City, Mich. In addition, it owns but does not use 4.259 miles of road between Alabaster Junction and Alabaster, Mich., that is leased to the Erie & Michigan Railway & Navigation Company.
The carrier wholly owns and uses 486.664 miles of all tracks, wholly owns but does not use 4.924 miles of all tracks, and jointly owns and uses with another carrier 0.260 undivided mile of all tracks. These tracks, consisting of main tracks and yard tracks and sidings, are classified in the trackage table in Appendix 1.
Introductory[edit]
The carrier is a corporation of the State of Michigan, having its principal office at Alpena, Mich. The records reviewed do not indicate that it is controlled by any individual or corporation on date of valuation, nor, on the other hand that it controls any other common-carrier corporation. The property of the carrier has been operated by its own organization during its entire life, except the portion extending from Alabaster Junction to Alabaster, Mich., that has been operated by the Erie & Michigan Railway & Navigation Company from about 1904 to date of valuation.
Corporate History[edit]
The carrier was incorporated December 29, 1894, under the general laws of the State of Michigan for the purpose of acquiring the property, rights, and franchises of the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company. Pursuant to the above purpose, the carrier acquired the property, rights, and franchises of the company named. The carrier itself and that corporation, together with their predecessors, total eight different corporations, of which one underwent a change of name, and comprise the line of corporate succession culminating in the carrier as at present constituted. The following chart shows the names of the corporations, the respective dates of incorporation, and for each predecessor the date of succession, the immediately succeeding corporation, and the manner of succession. Reference to each of these corporations is made in the last column by its respective number shown in the first column.
| No. | Name | Incorporation | Succession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Dec. 29, 1894. | |
| 2. | Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company. | See 3. | Sold at foreclosure Nov. 8, 1894, after receivership begun Nov. 1, 1893, and reorganized Feb. 1, 1895, as 1. |
| 3. | Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Jan. 18, 1881. | Name changed to 2 Apr. 2, 1883. |
| 4. | Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Feb. 19, 1880, for a period of 30 years. | Sold to 2 Apr. 2, 1883. At date of valuation this corporation is extant. |
| 5. | Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Mar 4, 1879. | Sold at judicial sale Oct. 1, 1879, after receivership begun May 23, 1879, and acquired Sept. 1880, by 4. |
| 6. | Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Jan. 8, 1908. | Sold to 1 June 6, 1914. |
| 7. | Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, July 17, 1891. | Sold Jan. 2, 1906, to H. M. Loud's Sons Company, and acquired June 5, 1914, by 6. |
| 8. | Potts Logging Railway Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Aug. 5, 1887. | Sold to 7 July 17, 1891. |
| 9. | Alpena and Northern Railroad Company. | Under general laws of Michigan, Nov. 1, 1893. | Sold to 1 Apr. 15, 1895. |
Development of Fixed Physical Property[edit]
The owned mileage of the carrier, amounting to 363.864 miles, was acquired partly by purchase and partly by construction, as indicated below. Of the seven corporations that comprise the line of succession culminating in the carrier as at present constituted, one corporation, the Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company, did not construct any road or other common-carrier property.
The property constructed by the remaining corporations and by the carrier itself, the years when the various portions of the line were constructed, and the manner in which the carrier acquired the property are indicated in the following table, wherein to facilitate comparison with the table showing the corporate succession, previously given, the same order of corporations is maintained:
| [Subtotal mileage] |
Recorded mileage | |
|---|---|---|
| Acquired by construction, constructed by the carrier: | ||
| Emery Junction to Saginaw River Bridge, Mich., May 16, 1895, to Sept. 20, 1896. | 47.000 | |
| La Rocque to Onaway, Mich., Aug. 27, 1897, to May 31, 1899. | 17.290 | |
| Onaway to Cheboygan, Mich., July 1, 1901, to June 30, 1904. | 27.500 | |
| Alabaster Junction to Alabaster, Mich., June 30, 1898, to Oct. 31, 1898. | 4.260 | |
| Fletcher Junction to Fletcher Dam, Mich., about 1898. | 2.000 | |
| Tower, Mich., to point near Wolverine Road, 1899. | 12.000 | |
| Tower to Indian River, Mich., July 1, 1899, to June 30, 1900. | 9.100 | |
| Case, Mich., to point south thereof, 1900-1906. | 5.000 | |
| Lincoln Junction to Black River, Mich., May, 1901, to Dec. 15, 1901. | 23.310 | |
| Onaway to Black Lake, Mich., Aug. 1, 1903, to Nov. 30, 1903. | 5.140 | |
| Omer to Au Gres, Mich., May 1, 1903, to Feb. 29, 1904. | 7.950 | |
| Alpena to Hillman, Mich., 1907-1909. | 23.300 | |
| Rogers City Junction to Rogers City, Mich., completed June 18, 1911. | 14.410 | |
| 198.260 | ||
| Acquired from the reorganization committee, from the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company, Feb. 1, 1895: | ||
| Constructed by the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company— | ||
| Point near Prescott to Alger, Mich., 1883. | 9.360 | |
| East Tawas to point near Lincoln, Mich., 1883–1885. | 31.950 | |
| Rose City to Goodar, Mich., 1886-87. | 35.980 | |
| Black River to Alpena, Mich., 1888. | 23.000 | |
| Various logging branches. | 8.860 | |
| Constructed by the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company, Mills to Prescott, Mich. | 5.040 | |
| Property acquired by the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company, May 17, 1886, known as the Alger Sunith and Company's Railroad, concerning which no data with respect to its construction were obtained; point near Lincoln, Mich., to Black River, and Mud Lake Junction to Mud Lake, Mich. | 33.050 | |
| Constructed by the Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company, Tawas City, Mich., to point near Mills, Mich., 1879. | 21.000 | |
| 168.240 | ||
| Acquired by direct purchase: | ||
| From the Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company, June 6, 1914, details with respect to construction not ascertained— | ||
| Au Sable to Comins, Mich. | 50.340 | |
| Hardy to Beevers, Mich. | 11.020 | |
| 61.360 | ||
| From the Alpena and Northern Railroad Company, Apr. 15, 1895, constructed by that company— | ||
| Alpena to La Rocque, Mich., 1893–94. | 28.900 | |
| La Rocque to Valentine Lake, Mich., 1893-94. | 25.800 | |
| 54.700 | ||
| 482.560 | ||
| Less mileage abandoned by the carrier previously acquired by— | ||
| Construction. | 15.820 | |
| Reorganization. | 50.410 | |
| Direct purchase. | 21.420 | |
| 87.650 | ||
| Total. | 394.910 | |
| Difference between total recorded mileage and mileage inventoried as of date of valuation. | 31.046 | |
| Mileage inventoried as of date of valuation. | 363.864 |
The carrier also acquired by construction, during the years 1896 and 1897, an undivided one-half interest with the Pere Marquette Railway Company in 0.26 mile of road and a bridge over the Saginaw River at Bay City, Mich. The construction work of the carrier was performed partly by company forces and partly by independent contractors.
Leased Railway Property[edit]
The carrier uses on date of valuation facilities owned by other companies and other companies use facilities owned by the carrier to the extent indicated in the statement below. The description of the property and the period and terms of use are stated below. The rentals accrued and charged or credited to income for the year ending on date of valuation have not been ascertained.
| Rentals | |
|---|---|
| Solely owned, but jointly used, used with— | |
| Pere Marquette Railway Company: | |
| Tracks, 0.88 mile, north end of Saginaw River bridge to Huron and Western Railroad Company's junction; term 42 years from Mar. 5, 1904; stipulated payment 0.75 cent per loaded freight car and 0.50 cent per passenger train of the Pere Marquette Railway Company passing over tracks. | ...... |
| Tracks, 0.57 mile, north end of Saginaw River bridge to North Bay City, Mich.; stipulated payment $41.66 per month. | ...... |
| Erie & Michigan Railway & Navigation Company, tracks, 4.09 miles, Alabaster Junction to East Tawas, Mich.; term, 10 years from July 29, 1907; stipulated annual rental 0.20 cent per ton on merchandise freight handled through warehouse at Tawas City and East Tawas, Mich.; revenue on joint freight traffic divided on mileage basis; passenger earnings divided equally. | ...... |
| Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company, tracks, 2.20 miles, Calcite to Rogers City, Mich.; for indefinite period from May 11, 1912; stipulated payment rental of coach at $2.50 per day for purpose of carrying, between certain hours, employees of the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company; no charge for light locomotives moved between the shops of the latter company and Rogers City, Mich. | ...... |
| Solely owned, but not used, leased to— | |
| Erie & Michigan Railway & Navigation Company, tracks, 4.259 miles, Alabaster Junction to Alabaster, Mich.; for indefinite period from July 29, 1907; terms not stated; freight revenue divided on mileage basis; passenger revenue divided equally; carrier maintains tracks and pays taxes. | ...... |
| Jointly used, but not owned, owned by— | |
| Pere Marquette Railway Company, tracks, 1.80 miles and terminals at Bay City, Mich.; term, 50 years from Jan. 23, 1896; stipulated rental 0.50 cent per passenger-train mile, with free use of tracks between passenger station and roundhouse and coach yard; switching of loaded freight cars from Foss to Bay City, Mich., $2 per car, log trains of 15 or more cars at $1.50 per car; the Pere Marquette Railway Company to handle the carrier's freight through warehouse at Bay City, Mich., at 0.25 cent per net ton, plus an additional charge for any additional force necessary to handle the business of the carrier. | ...... |
Predecessor Companies[edit]
Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company (formerly names Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company)[edit]
Introductory
No accounting records of the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company were obtained for the period from the date of its organization to January 1, 1891. For that reason only partial information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. However, certain data indicated below with respect to the issuance of stock and bonds were obtained from its minute book and from certain agreements on file. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company was controlled by any individual or corporation on November 8, 1894, the date of sale, nor, on the other hand, whether it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. The property of this company was operated by its own organization from the date the original 26.04 miles of road was acquired, April 2, 1883, until the receivership November 1, 1893. From that date the property was operated by receivers and a purchasing committee until February 1, 1895, the date it was surrendered to its successor. The railroad operated by the receivers of the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company on the date of sale amounted to 168.24 miles, all of which was owned by the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company. It consisted of a single-track standard-gauge steam railroad, the main line extending from Alger to Alpena, Mich., with various branches.
Development of Fixed Physical Property
Of the 168.24 miles of road owned by the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company on the date of sale, it had acquired 59.09 miles by purchase from the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company and 109.15 miles by construction. All of the construction work of the company was performed under contract by the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company. Further details with respect to the construction of this property are given in the section on development of fixed physical property in the report on the carrier.
Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company was controlled by any individual or corporation on April 2, 1883, the date of sale of its then owned property, nor, on the other hand, whether it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. The property of this company was operated by its own organization from February 19, 1880, to date of sale.
The Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company owned on April 2, 1883, 26.04 miles of single-track narrow-gauge railroad, extending from East Tawas to a point near Prescott, Mich. Of this, it acquired 21 miles from the Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company and 5.04 miles by construction. Further details with respect to the construction of this property are given in the section on development of fixed physical property in the report on the carrier. In addition to the 26.04 miles of road that was owned by the Tawas and Bay County Railroad Company, referred to above, it subsequently acquired by deed dated May 17, 1886, from Alger Smith and Company 33.05 miles of railroad, comprising a main line extending from a point near Lincoln, Mich., to Black River, and a branch extending from Mud Lake Junction to Mud Lake, Mich. All of this road was conveyed to the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad Company, by deed dated May 17, 1886.
Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company was controlled by any individual or corporation on October 1, 1879, the date of sale, nor, on the other hand, whether it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. The property of this company was operated by its own organization from an unknown date until the receivership, May 23, 1879. From that date it was operated by a receiver until it was conveyed to its successor, September 7, 1880.
The Lake Huron and Southeastern[sic] Railway Company owned on the date of sale 21 miles of narrow-gauge railroad, extending from Tawas City, Mich., to a point near Mills, Mich. This property was all acquired by construction. It is not known whether the construction work was performed by company forces or by contract. Further details with respect to the construction of this property are given in the section on development of fixed physical property in the report on the carrier.
Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. The Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company was controlled on June 6, 1914, the date of sale, by H. M. Loud's Sons Company through ownership of a majority of its capital stock. On the other hand, the records reviewed do not indicate that it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. The property of the company, during the short period of its existence, was operated under lease by the carrier.
The Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company owned on the date of sale approximately 61.36 miles of narrow-gauge railroad, the main line extending from Au Sable to Comins, Mich., with a branch projecting from Hardy to Beevers, Mich. This property was all acquired from H. M. Loud's Sons Company, who had acquired it in part, if not all, by purchase on June 2, 1906, from the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company.
Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company was controlled by any individual or corporation on January 2, 1906, the date its property was sold to H. M. Loud's Sons Company, nor, on the other hand, whether it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. No data with respect to the operation of the property of this company were ascertainable from the records reviewed.
A complete description of the railroad owned by the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company on the date its property was sold to H. M. Loud's Sons Company could not be ascertained. It had acquired by purchase from the Potts Logging Railway Company approximately 37 miles of narrow-gauge railroad, extending from Au Sable to McKinley, Mich., and possibly some branches, and it had also done some construction work, but the extent thereof is not known. When H. M. Loud's Sons Company sold the property to the Au Sable and Northwestern Railway Company on June 5, 1914, it consisted of approximately 61.36 miles of narrow-gauge railroad, comprising a main line extending from Au Sable to Comins, Mich., and a branch projecting from Hardy to Beevers, Mich. However, it is not known whether this represented the mileage that was owned by the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad Company on June 2, 1906.
Potts Logging Railway Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Potts Logging Railway Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporation operations, or investments. The records reviewed indicate that the Potts Logging Railway Company was controlled on July 17, 1891, the date of sale, by the J. E. Potts Salt & Lumber Company through ownership of its capital stock. On the other hand, the records reviewed do not indicate whether it then controlled any common-carrier corporation. The Potts Logging Railway Company owned on the date of sale approximately 37 miles of narrow-gauge railroad, extending from Au Sable to McKinley, Mich., and several logging branches, the mileage of which is not known. No data with respect to the manner in which the Potts Logging Railway Company acquired its road, nor how it was operated, were ascertainable from the records obtained.
Alpena and Northern Railroad Company[edit]
No accounting records of the Alpena and Northern Railroad Company were obtained. Therefore no information can be given from its accounts regarding its financial dealings, corporate operations, or investments. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the Alpena and Northern Railroad Company was controlled by any individual or corporation on April 15, 1895, the date of sale, nor, on the other hand, whether it then controlled any other common-carrier corporation. The property of the Alpena and Northern Railroad Company was operated by its own organization from the date the first section thereof was placed in operation, November 18, 1893, until it was surrendered to the carrier July 8, 1895, although it was conveyed to the latter company by deed dated April 15, 1895.
The Alpena and Northern Railroad Company owned on the date of sale 54.70 miles of single-track narrow-gauge steam railroad, the main line extending from Alpena, to La Rocque, Mich., with a branch projecting from La Rocque to Valentine Lake, Mich. This property was all acquired by construction. It is not known whether the construction work was performed by company forces or by contract. Further details with respect to the construction of this property are given in the section on development of fixed physical property in the report on the carrier.