Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Rio Grande Southern Railroad

[Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 143]

Location and General Description of Property
The railroad of The Rio Grande Southern Railroad Company, herein called the carrier, is a single-track, narrow-gauge, steam railroad, located in southwestern Colorado. The owned mileage consists of a main line extending in a general southerly direction from Ridgeway to Durango, and a branch line projecting from Vance Junction to Pandora, aggregating 171.538 miles of road. The company also owns 23.095 miles of yard tracks and sidings. In addition to the foregoing, the carrier operates under lease 5.552 miles of road and 1.013 miles of yard tracks and sidings, comprising a branch line between Franklin Junction and Perrin, Colo., owned by the Calumet Fuel Company, a noncarrier. Its road thus embraces 194.633 miles of all tracks owned and used and 6.565 miles of all tracks used but not owned, as classified in the trackage table in Appendix 1.

The carrier is controlled by The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company and has connections with that carrier's system at Ridgeway and Durango, Colo.

Introductory
The carrier is a corporation of the State of Colorado, having its principal office at Denver, Colo. It is controlled by The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company through ownership of a majority of the capital stock. On the other hand the records reviewed do not indicate that the carrier controls any common-carrier corporation. The property was operated by The Rio Grande Southern Construction Company from the dates the various sections were completed to January, 1892. From January, 1892, to August 1, 1893, and from December 1, 1895, to December 31, 1917, it was operated by its own organization. From August 1, 1893, to November 30, 1895, it was operated by a receiver, and from January 1, 1918, to date of valuation it has been operated by the United States Railroad Administration.

Corporate History
The carrier was incorporated November 5, 1889, under the general laws of the State of Colorado, for the purpose of constructing and operating a railroad from Dallas, in a general southerly direction, to Durango, Colo., about 160 miles.

Development of Fixed Physical Property
The owned mileage of the carrier, 171.538 miles, was all acquired by construction. The total mileage recorded as constructed amounted to 181.480 miles, of which 7.270 miles had been abandoned. Of the total recorded mileage, 171.610 miles was constructed by The Rio Grande Southern Construction Company, an affiliated company, 8 miles by Levy and Moore, who were not affiliated with the carrier, and 1.870 miles by the forces of the carrier. The details follow:

Leased Railway Property
The carrier used, on December 31, 1917, property owned by other companies to the extent indicated in the statement below. The description of the property, the period and terms of use, and the rentals accrued and charged to income for the year ended December 31, 1917, are as follows: