Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Colorado and Southern Railway

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 134

Location and General Description of Property
The railroad operated by The Colorado and Southern Railway Company, herein called the Colorado and Southern, is a steam railroad located in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. The railroad is standard gauge and single track, with the exception of a number of narrow-gauge branch lines serving the mining districts in Colorado and a small amount of second main track in the Denver terminals. A considerable portion of the tracks in the vicinity of Denver contains a third rail in order to operate narrow and standard gauge equipment over the same tracks. The owned and used railroad consists of portions of a principal main line, extending in a general southerly direction from Wendover to Cheyenne, Wyo., Fort Collins to Denver, Colo., Pueblo Junction to Southern Junction, Colo., and Walsenburg Junction, Colo., to the New Mexico-Texas State line. Other main lines extend from Denver to Falcon, Denver to Silver Plume, Denver to Alma, and Como to Leadville, with many branch lines, all in Colorado. Through service is maintained between Wendover, Wyo., and the New Mexico-Texas State line by means of mileage used under lease or by trackage rights. An affiliated company, the Fort Worth and Denver City, which operates its own property, continues such service from the New Mexico-Texas State line to Fort Worth, Tex. In addition, the Colorado and Southern owns but does not use 30.824 miles of road between Orin Junction and Wendover, Wyo., leased to the Burlington; 7.957 miles of road between Louisville Junction and Semper, Colo., leased to The Denver and Interurban Railroad Company; and 37.207 miles of additional tracks between Quartz and Parlin, between Gunnison and Baldwin, and at Forbes Junction, Colo., leased to The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company. The Colorado and Southern wholly owns and uses 846.980 miles of road, of which 560.298 miles is standard gauge and 286.682 miles narrow gauge; wholly owns but does not use 75.988 miles of road, of which 39.948 miles is standard gauge and 36.040 miles narrow gauge; and wholly uses but does not own 123.506 miles of road, of which 119.745 miles is standard gauge and 3.761 miles narrow gauge. The mileage used but not owned includes 1.003 miles of standard-gauge road owned by the Brodhead Coal Company, a noncarrier. The remaining leased road is owned by a lessor, whose entire common-carrier property is leased to and operated by the Colorado and Southern, as described below.

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In addition, the Colorado and Southern jointly owns and uses with other carriers 4.726 undivided miles of standard-gauge road, a further description of which appears in Appendix 1. The Colorado and Southern also has trackage rights over about 184 miles of road of other carriers, including that portion of The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company's line between Denver and Pueblo, Colo., a distance of about 122 miles, which forms a part of the Colorado and Southern's principal main line between Wendover, Wyo., and the New Mexico-Texas State line, as hereinbefore mentioned, and including also a reciprocal double-track arrangement with The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company between Southern Junction and Walsenburg Junction, Colo., a distance of about 47 miles. Further details with respect to these trackage rights are given in the chapter on leased railway property in Appendix 2.

The Colorado and Southern wholly owns and uses 1,151.129 miles of all tracks, of which 816.971 miles is standard gauge and 334.158 miles narrow gauge; wholly owns but does not use 86.893 miles of all tracks, of which 44.635 miles is standard gauge and 42.258 miles narrow gauge; wholly uses but does not own 150.501 miles of all tracks, of which 144.778 miles is standard gauge and 5.723 miles narrow gauge; and jointly owns and uses with other carriers 18.840 undivided miles of all tracks, all of which are standard gauge. These tracks are classified in the trackage table in Appendix 1.

Introductory
The Colorado and Southern is a corporation of the State of Colorado, having its principal office at Denver, Colo. It is controlled by the Burlington through ownership of a majority of the capital stock. On the other hand, the Colorado and Southern controls, directly through ownership of the capital stock of the controlled companies and indirectly through its control of the Fort Worth and Denver City, the following transportation companies:

The property of the Colorado Railroad is operated by the Colorado and Southern, under lease; the properties of The Denver and Interurban Railroad Company, The Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway Company, Fort Worth and Denver City, and the Wichita Valley Railway, are all separately operated; the Fort Worth and Denver City operates under lease the properties of the Fort Worth and Denver Terminal and the Acme Tap Railroad; the Wichita Valley Railway operates under lease the properties of the Wichita Valley Railroad, Wichita Falls & Oklahoma, Stamford and Northwestern, and the Abilene and Northern.

The Colorado and Southern controls jointly with other carriers, through ownership of capital stock to the extent indicated, the following-named companies:

The property of the Colorado and Southern has been operated by its own organization from the date it was acquired until December 31, 1917. On January 1, 1918, the common-carrier property of the Colorado and Southern was taken over for operation by the United States Railroad Administration, which still operates it. At the time the property of the Colorado and Southern was taken over for operation by the United States Railroad Administration, there were arrangements in effect with other carriers covering the use of joint facilities. These arrangements have been continued during the period January 1, 1918, to date of valuation by the United States Railroad Administration.

Corporate History
The Colorado and Southern was incorporated December 19, 1898, under the general laws of the State of Colorado for the purpose of acquiring the properties, rights, and franchises of The Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf Railway Company and The Denver, Leadville & Gunnison Railway Company, which properties had been sold under foreclosure proceedings to committees representing the bondholders. Pursuant to the above purpose, the Colorado and Southern acquired the properties, rights, and franchises of the two railroad corporations named. The Colorado and Southern, itself, and those corporations, together with their predecessors, and two companies whose properties were purchased by the Colorado and Southern, total 28 different corporations, of which one underwent two changes of name, and comprise the line of corporate succession culminating in the Colorado and Southern 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 immediate 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.

Development of Fixed Physical Property
The road wholly owned by the Colorado and Southern, 922.968 miles, was acquired in part by purchase and in part by construction. Of the 27 corporations that comprise the line of succession culminating in the Colorado and Southern as at present constituted, eight corporations did not construct or improve any property. Those corporations were:
 * Clear Creek and Guy Gulch Wagon Road Company.
 * Colorado and Pacific Wagon, Telegraph and Railroad Company.
 * The Golden City & Gilpin County Wagon & Rail Road Company.
 * Apex and Gregory Wagon Road Company.
 * The Colorado and Salt Lake Railroad Company.
 * Denver, South Park and Pacific Railway Company.
 * The Mount Carbon, Gunnison and Lake City Rail Road and Coal Transportation Company.
 * The Denver, Cripple Creek and Southwestern Railroad Company.

Of the 19 other corporations, one, The Denver, Texas and Gulf Railroad Company, only improved property completed by its predecessor. The data with respect to the miles of road constructed by the 18 remaining corporations, and the Colorado and Southern itself, the years when the various portions of the line were constructed, and the manner in which the Colorado and Southern acquired the property, are indicated in the following table, wherein, to facilitate comparison with the table showing corporate succession, previously given, the same order of corporations is maintained:

In addition, the Colorado and Southern jointly owns with other common-carrier corporations 4.726 miles of road, as detailed below.

Leased Railway Property
The Colorado and Southern, on December 31, 1917, used property owned by other companies, and other companies used property owned by the Colorado and Southern, to the extent indicated below. The arrangements for the use of the properties have been continued by the United States Railroad Administration and are in effect as of date of valuation. The description of the principal properties and the period and terms of use are as of date of valuation.

There are other facilities of minor importance, such as interlockers, yard tracks and sidings, stations, etc., in which the Colorado and Southern grants or receives joint use, that are not listed in this chapter.

The Colorado and Southern owned on date of valuation 15 freight-train cars which were leased to the Burlington, and 2 passenger-train cars, leased to The Denver and Interurban Railroad Company.