chartered the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad and the Ohio & Mississippi. The Terre Haute & Alton was chartered in January, 1851. Simeon Ryder of Alton got the charter after a seven year struggle. He served as President. The Belleville & Illinoistown Railroad was chartered in June 1853. It built north to connect with the Terre Haute & Alton at Wood River, IL. This gave the TH&A access to Illinoistown across from St. Louis. The TH&A was completed in October, 1855. The TH&A consolidated with the B&I in February, 1854. The name was changed to the St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railroad. Rose controlled the stock of the TH&A. For a while both New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads used the TH&I and TH&A lines for connection to Illinoistown. In 1866 and 1867, the Bee Line offered to buy the TH&I, but Rose preferred the Indiana Central. In quick order the Bee Line leased the TH&A (September 11, 1867), the Panhandle Line (Pennsylvania RR interests) decided to build the Vandalia Line, and a collection of railroads decided to build a competing line between Terre Haute and Indianapolis following the northern route through Danville and Greenville. In 1857, Illinois finally agreed to charter the Vandalia Line but construction was delayed by the Panic of 1857 and the Civil War. Vandalia when completed became the major St. Louis to New York City route. It was 138 miles including 127 miles without a curve. The Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad opened the line from Indianapolis west to Terre Haute in 1852. The line from East St. Louis east to Terre Haute was opened in 1868, 1869, and 1870 by the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad (in Illinois) and the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad, the Terre Haute & Richmond's successor (in Indiana). The entire line was operated by the Terre Haute & Indianapolis under lease until 1905, when the two companies were merged into the Vandalia Railroad part of the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pittsburgh to St. Louis In 1976, both the New York Central and the Pennsylvania where taken into Conrail. Conrail used the Vandalia route between St. Louis and Terre Haute and the New York Central line between Terre Haute and Indianapolis. Both had fewer curves than the lines built by Rose and associates in the early days of railroading. The lines are now owned by CSX. The Evansville-Terre