Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Railroad

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 42

The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore Railroad

Location and General Description of Property

The railroad of The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore Railroad Company, hereinafter called The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore, is located in the States of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and extends from Wheeling Junction, Pa., to Wheeling, W. Va., a distance of 62.561 miles, with a short branch projecting from Hayes to West Homestead, Pa., and a track connection with The Tylerdale Connecting Railroad Company at West Washington, Pa. This property aggregates 63.486 miles of road with 10.386 miles of second and 0.186 mile of third main tracks.

Introductory

The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore is a corporation of the State of Pennsylvania, having its principal office at Philadelphia, Pa. It is controlled by the Baltimore and Ohio through ownership of its entire capital stock. Records do not indicate that this company controls any common-carrier corporation. The property was operated by the Baltimore and Ohio from the date of acquisition to December 31, 1917. Since January 1, 1918, it has been operated by the United States Railroad Administration as part of the Baltimore and Ohio system.

Corporate History

The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore was incorporated August 5, 1887, under the general laws of Pennsylvania, for the purpose of consolidating the property, rights, and franchises of the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Rail Road Company and the Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railroad Company. The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore acquired at its organization the property, rights, and franchises of the two corporations named. The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore, itself, and those corporations, together with their predecessors total 11 different corporations, of which one underwent a change of name, and comprise the line of corporate succession culminating in the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore as at present constituted. The respective dates of incorporation, and for each predecessor the date of succession, the immediately succeeding corporation, and the manner of succession follow:

No.	Corporation	Incorporation	Succession
1.	The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore Railroad Company.	Incorporated under general laws of Pennsylvania, August 5, 1887.
2.	Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Rail Road Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania, January 15, 1872, and by special act of West Virginia, February 29, 1872.	Consolidated August 5, 1887, with 4 to form 1.
3.	The Hempfield Railroad Company.	By special act of Pennsylvania, May 15, 1850, and special act of Virginia, March 14, 1851.	Sold at foreclosure after trusteeship begun in February 1857, and reorganized May 2, 1871, as 2.
4.	Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railroad Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania, February 12, 1885.	Consolidated August 5, 1887, with 2 to form 1.
5.	The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, May 6, 1881.	Sold at foreclosure November 20, 1884, after trusteeship begun June 12, 1884, and reorganized January 19, 1885, as 4.
6.	Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company.	General laws of West Virginia. April 6, 1881.	Consolidated May 6, 1881, with 7 to form 5.
7.	The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of May, 1879).	General laws of Pennsylvania, May 28, 1879.	Consolidated May 6, 1881, with 6 to form 5.
8.	The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of March, 1879).	General laws of Pennsylvania, March 25, 1879.	Sold at foreclosure April 3, 1879, and acquired May 5, 1879, by 7.
9.	The Washington Railroad Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania, January 10, 1879.	Consolidated March 1, 1879, with 10 and 11 to form 8.
10.	The Pittsburgh Railroad Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania, January 10, 1879.	Consolidated March 1, 1879, with 9 and 11 to form 8.
11.	Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company.	See 12.	Consolidated March 1, 1879, with 9 and 10 to form 8.
12.	The Pittsburgh, Castle Shannon and Washington Railroad Company.	General laws of Pennsylvania, July 3, 1877.	Name changed to 11 on April 3, 1878.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The recorded mileage of the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore amounts to 63.48 miles, of which 6.66 were acquired by construction, 66.47 by consolidation, and 3.94 by 999-year lease, less 13.59 due to abandonments and remeasurements.

The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore and its predecessors total 11 corporations, 6 of which, the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Rail Road Company, Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railroad Company, Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company, The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company, The Washington Railroad Company, and The Pittsburgh Railroad Company, did not construct any common-carrier property. The 66.47 miles of road constructed by the remaining 4 predecessor corporations were acquired by consolidation, 32.20 from the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Rail Road Company and 34.21 from the Baltimore and Ohio. The 3.94 miles shown as acquired by 999-year lease were acquired from The Ohio and Baltimore Short Line Railway Company[sic - The Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railway Company].

Details with respect to the construction of the property are given in the accounting report.

Leased Railway Property

The Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore leased from The Ohio and Baltimore Short Line Railway Company (of 1881)[sic - The Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railway Company (of 1881)] for a term of 999 years from August 5, 1887, the 3.94 miles of road of the latter company which extended from Washington to Zediker, Pa. In consideration of the transfer of this property under lease the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore incurred nonnegotiable debt to the Baltimore and Ohio in the amount of $760,068.92. This amount purported to represent one half of the recorded cost of constructing the entire property owned by The Ohio and Baltimore Short Line Railway Company (of 1881)[sic - The Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railway Company (of 1881)] at the time of the lease as recorded on the books of the Baltimore and Ohio.

The entire property is leased to the Baltimore and Ohio as stated in the report on that company.

Predecessor Companies

Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Rail Road

This company was incorporated January 15, 1872, and February 29, 1872. in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, respectively. It was controlled on August 5, 1887, date of consolidation, by the Baltimore and Ohio through the ownership of its capital stock. The records reviewed do not indicate that this company then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The property was operated from date of acquirement, May 2, 1871, to date of consolidation by the Baltimore and Ohio. The company owned on date of consolidation 32.26 miles of standard-gage, single-track, steam railroad partly in Pennsylvania and partly in West Virginia, from Wheeling, W.Va., to Washington, Pa., all of which had been acquired through the reorganization of The Hempfield Railroad Company. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

The Hempfield Railroad

This company was incorporated May 15, 1850, and March 14, 1851, in Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia), respectively. Its accounting records are incomplete. Those for the period subsequent to December 31, 1857, were not obtained. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the company was controlled on May 2, 1871, date of sale, by any individual or corporation, nor whether it then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The property of the company was operated from the date of completion to February 12, 1857, by its own organization and from the latter date to date of sale by certain trustees under authority conferred by certain mortgages. The railroad owned amounted to 32.26 miles of single-track, standard-gage, steam railroad partly in Pennsylvania and partly in West Virginia, from Wheeling, W.Va., to Washington, Pa., all of which had been acquired by construction. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railroad

This company was incorporated February 12, 1885, under the general laws of Pennsylvania. Its accounting records were not obtained. The information given below was taken from the records of the Baltimore and Ohio and from documents on file.

The company was controlled on August 5, 1887, date of consolidation, by the Baltimore and Ohio through ownership of its entire capital stock. The records reviewed do not indicate that this company then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The property was operated by the Baltimore and Ohio from January 19, 1885, the date of acquirement, to date of consolidation. The railroad owned on date of consolidation amounted to 34.21 miles of standard-gage, single-track, steam railroad from Washington to Wheeling Junction, all in Pennsylvania, all of which had been acquired through the reorganization of The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

The Pittsburgh Southern Railway (of 1881)

This company was incorporated May 6, 1881, under the general laws of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Its accounting records are incomplete.

The company was controlled on January 19, 1885, date of reorganization, by the Baltimore and Ohio through ownership of its entire capital stock. The records reviewed do not indicate that this company then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The property of this company was operated by its own organization from May 6, 1881, date of formation, to January 1883, and by the Baltimore and Ohio from the latter date to date of reorganization. The railroad owned on date of reorganization, 35.91 miles of single-track, standard-gage, steam railroad in Pennsylvania. The main line extended from Washington to Wheeling Junction, the branch line from Harding Junction to end of line, all in Pennsylvania. Of this, 22.94 miles had been acquired by construction, 31.78 miles by consolidation, and 3.61 miles partly by construction and partly by consolidation. The foregoing, 58.33 miles, had been reduced 22.42 miles, due to abandonments, 21.08, and reclassification, 1.34. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

Pittsburgh Southern Railway; and The Pittsburgh Southern Railway (of 1879)

The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company was incorporated April 6, 1881, under the general laws of West Virginia and The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of 1879) was incorporated May 28, 1879, under the general laws of Pennsylvania. The accounting records of these corporations were not obtained. The information given hereunder has been taken from the records of the Baltimore and Ohio and from other documents on file.

The records reviewed do not indicate whether either of the companies was controlled on May 6, 1881, date of consolidation, by any individual or corporation, nor whether either of them then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The company proposed to build a railroad from the West Virginia-Pennsylvania State line at a point near the Monongahela River to a connection with the tracks of The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company near White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., about 300 miles. No construction had been done prior to the date of consolidation.

The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of 1879) owned on the date of consolidation 31.78 miles of narrow-gage, single-track, steam railroad in Pennsylvania. It consisted of a main line from Washington to Castle Shannon and a branch line from Harding Junction to the end of line. Of the 31.78 miles of road owned by The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of 1881) on date of consolidation, it had acquired 13.94 miles of road from The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company, 15.84 miles by completing the partly constructed road from Wrights to Washington, and 2 miles by construction. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

The property of The Pittsburgh Southern Railway Company (of 1879) had been operated by its own organization from date of organization to date of consolidation.

The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad—Predecessor of The Pittsburgh Southern Railway (of 1879)

This company was incorporated May 25, 1879, under the general laws of Pennsylvania. Its accounting records were not obtained. The records reviewed do not indicate whether the company was controlled on April 3, 1879, the date of sale, by any individual or corporation, nor whether it then controlled any common-carrier corporation. The property of the company was operated by its own organization from date of acquirement, March 25, 1879, to date of sale. The company owned on date of sale a single-track, narrow-gage, steam railroad from Castle Shannon to Wrights, 13.94 miles, all in Pennsylvania, all of which had been acquired from the Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

The Washington Railroad; The Pittsburgh Railroad; and Pittsburgh Southern Railroad; Originally Named The Pittsburgh, Castle Shannon and Washington Railroad—Predecessors of The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad

The first two of the above-named corporations were incorporated January 10, 1879, and the third one July 3, 1877, under the general laws of Pennsylvania. Their accounting records were not obtained. The information given below was taken from the records of the Baltimore and Ohio and from documents on file.

The records reviewed do not indicate whether either of the companies was controlled on March 1, 1879, the date of consolidation, by any individual or corporation, nor whether either of them then controlled any common-carrier corporation.

The Washington Railroad Company and The Pittsburgh Railroad Company were short-lived corporations and neither of them constructed any property. The former located a line between Washington and Wrights, Pa., about 16 miles, and the latter proposed to construct a road from Castle Shannon to Pittsburgh, Pa., about 7 miles.

The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company owned on date of consolidation a single-track, narrow-gage, steam railroad from Castle Shannon to Wrights, 13.94 miles, all in Pennsylvania, all of which had been acquired by construction. Details are given in the accounting report on the Wheeling, Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

The property of The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad Company was operated by its own organization from December 19, 1877, the date of completion of the first section, to date of consolidation.