Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Vol. 36

Location and General Description of Property
The railroad of The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company, herein called the carrier, is a single-track, standard-gage, steam railroad, situated in the States of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, and the main line extending from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Pittsburgh Junction, Ohio. It also owns the branch line extending from Longview to Mifflin, Pa., which is not connected with the main line. The road mileage aggregates 63.254 miles. The railroad is double-tracked from Pittsburgh Terminal to a point 4.129 miles west. The carrier also owns and uses 40.245 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus embraces 107.628 miles of all tracks owned, [...].

Introductory
The carrier is a corporation of the States of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, having its principal office at Pittsburgh, Pa. The records reviewed do not indicate that this company is controlled by any individual or corporation. On the other hand, it indirectly controls the West Side Belt Railroad Company through ownership of the entire capital stock of the Pittsburgh Terminal Railroad & Coal Company, which in turn owns a majority of the capital stock of the West Side Belt Railroad Company. The property of the carrier has been operated by its own organization during its entire life.

Physical Conditions Affecting Construction
The region traversed by this road is very hilly. Leaving Pittsburgh the road crosses the Monongahela River and by means of numerous tunnels reaches the valley of the Ohio River proper.

The geology of the surface is uniform. Excavations are of clay and schistous limestone and sandstone with occasional veins of bituminous coal.

The mean annual temperature is 50°F., ranging from 30° below to 100° above zero, with a mean annual rainfall of 40 inches.

Economic Conditions Relating to Traffic
The line of the carrier reaches the Pittsburgh district, in which the products of steel represent the most important industrial development. As a general thing the country traversed is not highly developed agriculturally.

Physical Characteristics of Road
On the main line the maximum grade both east and west bound ranges from 0.7 per cent to 1.0 per cent. On the branch line it ranges from 0.1 per cent to 0.67 per cent. The maximum curvature is from 3 to 5 degrees.

The volume of grading is very great, averaging about 182,000 cubic yards per mile. Of the total excavation, exclusive of tunnels, about 64 per cent is classified material, about 54 per cent being solid rock and about 10 per cent loose rock, and the remainder common excavation.

There are 17 tunnels on the system having a total length of 20,432 feet. These tunnels are all driven in solid rock for double track and the line is entirely of concrete, except for 303 feet of brick lining.

There are two bridges of importance, both being double-track cantilever structures. There are numerous bridges with reproduction costs between $50,000 and $100,000. With the exception of a few deck trusses these are mostly deck-plate girder structures. The ties are untreated, being oak and averaging about 3,100 per mile.

The rail is practically all 90-pound Bessemer laid new. Gravel is the most prevalent material used for ballast although there is also some broken stone, cinders, and slag.

Corporate History
The carrier was incorporated April 10 and 19, 1917, under the general laws of the States of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, respectively, for the purpose of acquiring the franchises and rights of The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company (of West Virginia), of The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company (of Pennsylvania), and the franchises, rights, and property of The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company. The first two companies referred to were short-lived companies, neither of which owned any property. Pursuant to the above purpose, the carrier acquired the franchises, rights, and property of the three railroad corporations named. The carrier, itself, and those corporations, together with their predecessors, total 11 different corporations 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.

Development of Fixed Physical Property
The owned mileage of the carrier, 63.254 miles, was all acquired by purchase from the reorganization committee. Of the 10 corporations that comprise the line of succession culminating in the carrier as at present constituted, six corporations did not construct any road or other common-carrier property. These companies were:
 * The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company (of West Virginia)
 * The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company (of Pennsylvania)
 * Pittsburgh & Mansfield Railroad Company (of 1898)
 * Pittsburgh & Mansfield Railroad Company (of 1893)
 * Washington County Railroad Company
 * Pittsburgh & Carnegie Railroad Company

Some of the above companies had acquired certain land and one had begun the construction of a bridge, to all of which the carrier succeeded. The property constructed by the remaining corporations, 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.


 * Acquired from the reorganization committee, from The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company, Apr. 1, 1917:
 * Constructed by The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company, Longview to Mifflin, Pa., 1906 and 1907. 3.490
 * Constructed partly by the Pittsburgh, Carnegie & Western Railroad Company and completed by The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company, Pittsburgh to Penowa, Pa., 1902-1906. 34.660
 * Constructed partly by the Pittsburgh, Toledo & Western Railroad Company and completed by The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company, Mingo to Pittsburgh Junction, 1902-1905. 20.300
 * Constructed partly by the Cross Creek Railroad Company and completed by The Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway Company, Virginia Station to Ohio River, W. Va., 1901-1904. 4.860
 * 63.310
 * Difference between total recorded mileage and mileage inventoried as of date of valuation. .056
 * Mileage inventoried as of date of valuation. 63.254

Leased Railway Property
The carrier used on the date of valuation facilities owned by other companies and other companies used facilities owned by the carrier to the extent indicated in the statement below. The description of the property, terms of use, and the rentals accrued and charged or credited to income for the period from April 1, 1917, to date of valuation, are as follows:


 * Solely owned, but jointly used, used with—
 * West Side Belt Railroad Company, tracks, 1.30 miles, for entering Pittsburgh, Pa.; annual rental $900. Rental $225.00
 * Montour Railroad Company, tracks, 3.46 miles, from Longview to Mifflin, Pa.; annual rental equal to 3 per cent on capital cost; cost to maintain and operate is apportioned on number of cars handled by each company. 2,093.46
 * Jointly used, but not owned, owned by—
 * The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company, tracks, 1.73 miles, from West End to South Side Yard, Pittsburgh, Pa.; annual rental $22,500 and 25 cents for each car handled; owning company to maintain and operate. 5,768.75
 * The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad Company, tracks, 0.74 mile from Pittsburgh Junction to Rexford wye, Pa.; the terms and conditions of use are not stated.