Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/New Orleans Great Northern Railroad

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 133

New Orleans Great Northern Railroad

Location and General Description of Property

The railroad of New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company, herein called the carrier, is a single-track, standard-gauge, steam railroad. The main line extends in a general northerly direction from Slidell, La., to Nogan, Miss., 146.204 miles. There are several branch lines, the most important of which are those extending from North Slidell, La., to Folsom, La., 43.385 miles, and from Rio, La., to Tylertown, Miss., 41.072 miles. The carrier owns and uses 305.430 miles of all tracks, as follows:

Location	First main track Miles	Yard tracks and sidings Miles	All tracks Miles
In Louisiana.	136.630	40.642	177.272
In Mississippi.	106.311	21.847	128.158
Total.	242.941	62.489	305.430

Corporate History

The carrier was incorporated under the laws of Louisiana on January 27, 1905, for a period of 99 years. On August 6, 1906, it consolidated with the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company of Mississippi, the articles of which were filed in Louisiana and Mississippi. The actual result of this consolidation was that the carrier continued without change in name or in accounting. For the purposes of this report the carrier is considered a continuous corporation and the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company of Mississippi as a predecessor. The corporate predecessors of the carrier, together with successions, are shown in the following table:

No.	Name	Incorporation	Succession
1.	New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company.	Jan. 27, 1905	Consolidated with 2 to form the carrier, Aug. 6, 1906.
2.	New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company of Mississippi.	May 9, 1905	Consolidated with 1 to form the carrier, Aug. 6, 1906.
3.	East Louisiana Rail-Road Company.	July 8, 1887	Sold to 1, June 1, 1905.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The carrier acquired its property by consolidation and by construction. The following table shows the elements of road mileage which go to make up the 242.941 miles of road owned on date of valuation.

	[Subtotal]	Mileage
Acquired by consolidation from the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company:
Constructed by the East Louisiana Rail-Road Company—
St. Tammany to Pearl River (Station), La., 1887.	9.796
Abita Springs to St. Tammany, La. (9.244 miles abandoned), 1887.	......
Abita Springs to Covington, La., 1888.	4.200
Point on main line 1.33 miles west of Pearl River to west bank of Pearl River, La. (1.08 miles abandoned), 1887.	......
Mandeville Junction to Mandeville, La. (12 miles abandoned), 1888–1893.	......
Florenceville, La., to point northwest (8.36 miles abandoned), 1901–1902.	......
Covington to Folsom, La., 1903–1905.	13.120
		27.116
Constructed by the carrier—
Slidell to Florenceville, La.	9.300
Florenceville to Bogalusa, La.	26.800
Bogalusa to Angie , La.	12.600
Angie to Foxworth, Miss.	19.504
Foxworth to Monticello, Miss.	27.800
Monticello to Hopewell, Miss.	28.400
Hopewell to Nogan, Miss.	21.800
North Slidell to Abita Springs, La.	26.401
Rio to Franklinton, La.	21.200
Franklinton to Tylertown, Miss.	19.872
Foxworth to Columbia, Miss.	2.484
		216.161
Total recorded mileage.		243.277
Deduction on remeasurement by our engineers.		0.336
Inventoried as of date of valuation.		242.941

The partially constructed line from the Louisiana-Mississippi State line to Smith's Ferry, 52 miles, which was acquired from the New Orleans Great Northern of Mississippi, is included in the mileage given as constructed by the carrier.

The carrier's road, except the completed road purchased, was constructed under several contracts by the Crescent City Construction Company, which was controlled by the Great Southern Lumber Company, which, in turn, was controlled by the same individuals who control the carrier. The contracts with the construction company provided for the payment of $30,000 in capital stock and $27,000 cash per mile of main track constructed. When the road was accepted by the carrier in September, 1909, it was only 90.7 per cent completed, but the construction company was paid not only the full amount provided for in the contracts but a bonus of $148,000 in capital stock as well. The unfinished work was completed and again paid for by the carrier.

Leased Railway Property

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:

Classification	Annual accrual as of date of valuation
Owned by the carrier, used jointly with other carriers—
Trackage, 5.03 miles, and station facilities at Covington, La., and Tylertown, Tilton, and Monticello, Miss., on various terms; amount receivable.	$2,167.48
Jointly used but not owned, owned by—
New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad Company, 29.30 miles of main line, Slidell, La., to New Orleans, La., including freight and passenger facilities at Slidell, and Press Street freight terminals at New Orleans; used on basis of annual rental of $32,000 plus interest on additions and betterments; amount payable.	56,588.83
New Orleans Terminal Company, 7.83 miles of main track and passenger station in New Orleans, La.; used on basis of monthly rental of $1,425 for passenger station for two trains each way per day; 50 cents per train-mile for track, and proportion of roundhouse service on user basis; amount payable.	41,498.93
Illinois Central Railroad Company, 4.43 miles of main line, Nogan to Jackson, Miss., and freight and passenger facilities at Jackson; used on basis of monthly rental of $407.54 for main line; freight and passenger facilities and roundhouse at Jackson on user proportion of $2,686 per month; amount payable.	10,915.51

Predecessor Companies

New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company of Mississippi

Corporate History

The New Orleans Great Northern Railroad Company of Mississippi was incorporated by nominees of the Great Southern Lumber Company under the laws of Mississippi, on May 9, 1905. Its stated purpose was to construct, own, and operate a railroad, with necessary branches, between Memphis, Tenn., and the southern boundary line of Mississippi at a connection with the railroad of the carrier.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

On March 7, 1906, a contract was entered into with the Crescent City Construction Company for the construction and equipment of 52 miles of main line from the southern boundary of Mississippi in a northerly direction to what is now Wanilla, Miss. The road as a whole was 47 per cent completed on August 6, 1906, the date the property was taken over by the carrier through the filing of articles of consolidation.

East Louisiana Rail-Road Company

Corporate History

The East Louisiana Rail-Road Company was incorporated under the general laws of Louisiana on July 8, 1887. Its stated purpose was to locate, construct, maintain, and operate a railroad from Pearl River to Abita Springs, La., and beyond to Covington and other points in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The following tabulation shows the mileage owned by the company at its demise.

Track termini	Road mileage
Purchased from Greenlow Lumber Company, Ltd., Ramsay to Horse Branch, La., 1904.	4.68
Purchased from John Poitevent and J. A. Favre, Pearl River to Abita Springs, La, 1887.	20.00
Constructed by the company:
Abita Springs to Covington, La., 1887-1888.	4.20
Mandeville Junction to Mandeville, La., 1888-1893.	12.00
River Switch Extension, La., 1889.	.12
Wortham Branch, La., 1901-1902.	8.36
Covington to Ramsay, La., 1903-1904.	3.83
Horse Branch to Folsom, La., 1904-1905.	4.61
Total.	57.80