Rockaway Beach Branch

The Rockaway Beach Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York City, United States. The line left the Main Line at Whitepot Junction in Rego Park heading south via Ozone Park and across Jamaica Bay to Hammels in the Rockaways, turning west there to a terminal at Rockaway Park. Along the way it connected with the Montauk Branch near Glendale, the Atlantic Branch near Woodhaven, and the Far Rockaway Branch at Hammels.
After a 1950 fire, the Jamaica Bay bridge was closed and the line south of Ozone Park sold to the city, which rehabilitated the portion south of Liberty Avenue and connected it to the New York City Subway system as the IND Rockaway Line. The portion north of the subway connection was closed in 1962, and three proposals exist for the reuse of the line.
Operations.
Early history.
The New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad was incorporated on March 21, 1877 and organized on March 24 to build a narrow gauge line from Greenpoint, Brooklyn (connecting with the New York and Manhattan Beach Railway) via Cypress Hills and Woodhaven to Rockaway Beach. This route was created in order to cut an hour off of travel times to the Rockaways. The new route would take 30 minutes, while the existing route to the Rockaway via the South Side Railroad would take an hour and a half. The plans were later changed (on March 13, 1878) to build a line from Hunter's Point rather than Greenpoint.
An agreement was made with the Long Island Rail Road in 1880 to operate over its Montauk Division to Bushwick and Hunter's Point (via trackage rights from Glendale Junction) and Atlantic Division to Flatbush Avenue (carried by LIRR locomotives from Woodhaven Junction). In order to support the extra traffic, the LIRR agreed to double-track the Montauk Division west of Richmond Hill and the Atlantic Division west of Woodhaven Junction.
After a delay caused by financial problems, the line opened on August 26, 1880, and the LIRR stopped running trains from its New York terminals to Rockaway Beach via Valley Stream and its Far Rockaway Branch. It continued to operate through trains to Far Rockaway, as well as trains between Long Beach and Rockaway Beach.
The company went bankrupt and was sold under foreclosure on July 30, 1887 to Austin Corbin, owner of the LIRR, who reorganized it as the New York and Rockaway Beach Railway (NY&RB) on August 19, 1887 and transferred the property on September 1, 1887. The old Far Rockaway Branch west of Arverne was soon connected to the NY&RB at Hammels, and was abandoned west of the new connection. The NY&RB began operating trains to Far Rockaway over this connection.
From 1898 to 1917, the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad (later Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company) operated trains from Williamsburg (later Lower Manhattan) to Rockaway Beach (at the western part of the Rockaway Peninsula), using a connection to the Atlantic Avenue Division at Chestnut Street Junction (in present-day East New York) and the Rockaway Beach Division south of Woodhaven Junction.
The NY&RB was operated independently until July 1, 1904, when the LIRR leased it as the Rockaway Beach Division. The line south of Woodhaven Junction was part of the LIRR's first electrification, along with the Atlantic Avenue Division west to Atlantic Terminal, with electric passenger service beginning July 26, 1905. Steam trains continued to serve Rockaway Park from Long Island City until June 16, 1910, when the electrified Glendale Cut-off opened, extending the line north from Glendale on the Montauk Division to White Pot Junction at Rego Park on the Main Line. This extension also included another connecting track from the Montauk Branch west of Union Turnpike at Forest Park to Parkside Station. At the same time, the Rockaway Beach Division was electrified north of Woodhaven Junction, and the Main Line was electrified west of Rego Park (and into Penn Station when the East River Tunnels opened on September 8, 1910). The New York and Rockaway Beach Railway was merged into the LIRR on June 30, 1922.
In 1939, a project to completely eliminate grade crossings was begun on the Rockaway Peninsula by elevating the line there, and completing plans that had existed since 1901. The elevated structure was completed to Hammels in 1941 and between Hammels and Far Rockaway in 1942.
The June 1947 weekday schedule shows 68 trains crossing Jamaica Bay north to south:
Many trains had quick connections at the Ozone Park station.
Final years.
A fire on the trestle across Jamaica Bay between The Raunt and Broad Channel stations on May 7, 1950 cut service on the middle section of the line. This was among around 30 fires on the line since 1942. The LIRR continued to operate over the line with two services: one to Rockaway Park west of Hammels via the Far Rockaway Branch through Nassau County, and the other to Hamilton Beach via the Main Line's connection to the Rockaway Branch through Whitepot Junction. The Jamaica Bay trestle meanwhile remained out of service. The LIRR, then bankrupt, saw the Rockaway Beach Branch south of Ozone Park as a liability and did not wish to spend the huge sum need to repair it, and sought to either sell or abandon it. The city of New York, however, saw great potential in extending subway service over Jamaica Bay and purchased the line on June 11, 1952 for $8,500,000.
All stations south of Ozone Park were taken out of service on June 27, 1955, and no trains ran on the line south of Ozone Park during the winter of 1955–1956 to allow the New York City Transit Authority to rebuild the line for subway operations. After an extensive rebuild of all trestles and converting the line for transit operations, which included a connection to the IND Fulton Street Line at Liberty Avenue via the former Fulton Street elevated line, the city began operating it as the IND Rockaway Line on June 26, 1956 to great fanfare.
The line's connection with the Atlantic Branch at Woodhaven Junction, consisting of an interlocking, tunnel portal and incline that rose to meet the elevated Rockaway Branch, was closed and removed in October 1955. This connection had primarily been used to allow trains from Brooklyn to reach Aqueduct Racetrack. The remains of the interlocking can still be seen in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, while the incline is now used by Logan School Bus Company, who parks their bus fleet along the incline.
LIRR service continued on the remaining portion of the Rockaway Beach Branch between Rego Park and Ozone Park, under a lease from the New York City Transit Authority. Service and ridership both sharply declined, with weekend service ending in 1957, and by 1959 service consisting of just one train in each direction between Penn Station and Ozone Park (Penn Station-bound in the morning, and Ozone Park-bound in the evening) on weekdays. The line and its stations, meanwhile, began to deteriorate due to vandalism and lack of maintenance. No connection with the parallel IND Rockaway Line was made in Ozone Park, further hurting any potential ridership growth. The LIRR, realizing that the truncated operation was better served by the subway, quietly ceased service on June 8, 1962. At the time, the Rockaway Beach Branch was the LIRR's only passenger-service branch, aside from the City Zone Terminals (Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, and Long Island City), that ran entirely within the New York City limits.
Legacy and planned restoration.
The city never filed to abandon the isolated section of double trackage between Rego Park and Ozone Park, due to the intended connection to the IND Queens Boulevard Line subway. This had been proposed under the IND Second System and later by Robert Moses, with an existing provision at the 63rd Drive subway station for a future connection to Whitepot Junction. An additional plan proposed a connection to the BMT Jamaica Line around the Brooklyn Manor station. However, in October 1955 shortly after LIRR service on the Queens portion of the Far Rockaway Branch ended, it was decided to terminate subway service at Liberty Avenue, with only the connection to the Fulton Street El completed. The right-of-way was sold to the City of New York and is now in most sections administered by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services ("DCAS"), except for a section in Forest Park that has been mapped as parkland. The line remains officially out of service and is known by locals as "the forgotten spur", a name which dates back to the mid-1950s when the subway plans for the spur were dropped.
Much of the original infrastructure has either been removed, damaged, rotted or undermined, though some rails, wooden ties, electrical towers and even de-electrified third rails can still be found in some sections, with much of it dating from 1908 or earlier, when the line was originally electrified. The failure to reactivate the northern portion of the line had been attributed to the potential high costs of connecting it to the Queens Boulevard Line, and capacity issues on the line which persist to day, making the Fulton line connection more feasible. There are proposals for rail service and a rail trail on this right-of-way. One proposal juxtaposes both plans.
The Rockaway Beach Branch is a regular haunt for hikers and urban explorers who have documented the abandoned stations along this route. The right-of-way can be easily be seen, especially along the abandoned elevated embankment in Woodhaven and Ozone Park. The line is owned by the City of New York, with certain areas around the former junction with the Montauk Branch that have been redeveloped for interim use, including the Logan Bus Company lot.
Passenger service.
20th century plans.
Since service ended in 1962, there have been repeated talks of restoring the line to active passenger service. The first of these proposals was a 1963 proposal that would have reactivated the line by connecting it to the IND Queens Boulevard Line.
As part of the 1968 Program for Action, there was a proposal to re-extend the LIRR to John F. Kennedy International Airport via the Van Wyck Expressway. Many Rockaway and central Queens residents wanted the link to run along the disused Rockaway Beach Branch, rather than along the Van Wyck, so that Rockaways residents could simultaneously get express service to Manhattan. The revised plan via the Rockaway Beach Branch was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate in 1969. The $210 million LIRR plan faced great criticism, and one particular section received heavy opposition. New York State Senator John J. Santucci, representing the Rockaways, raised concerns that a tunnel for the link, which would connect to the Rockaway Beach Branch, would require razing part of Forest Park, a plan that was opposed by his constituents. Santucci said that the link's construction would irreversibly destroy part of the park, destroying a community landmark and "stripping away the resources of the people for the luxury of the few." In October 1974, the president of the Hammel Holland Seaside Civic Association wrote to Mayor Abraham Beame, "It is our earnest plea to you that your decision on this rape of Forest Park be rescinded." The association's president further said that although it would be cost-ineffective to create a premium service to JFK Airport, the Rockaway Beach Branch should still be reactivated for local passengers. In April 1976, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman William Ronan said that the link was "not feasible" due to the economic downturn and a corresponding decrease in air traffic.
A subsequent study for a dedicated two-lane bus rapid transit line to JFK along the Rockaway Beach Branch, called the "Transitway", was released in 1982. The line would also host taxis, limousines, and vans going to the airport. The Port Authority scrapped the plan the following year in the face of near-unanimous opposition from the communities along the route.
A study completed by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) in October 1990 titled "Coordinated Program to Improve Mass Transportation Accessibility between Queens and Manhattan" recommended using the branch to connect with the Jamaica Elevated to use the lower level of the Archer Avenue lines. The estimated cost for the line was $282 million in 1988 prices, with $80 million used for the extension from Aqueduct to JFK Airport.
A report completed by the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) in 1991, which analyzed the potential use of inactive railroad rights-of-ways for transit service, recommended that a subway line be constructed to provide faster service to Midtown and to better serve southeastern Queens through the construction of park-and-ride facilities near JFK Airport. The cost of a subway line on the right-of-way was estimated to be $641 million in 1989 according to a study conducted by the Port Authority. The DCP issued a paper on airport access in March 1991 and proposed two rail alignments using the branch. Route A would have run from Midtown Manhattan to JFK and LaGuardia Airports running through the 63rd Street Tunnel and Sunnyside Yard, above the LIRR on an elevated structure from 58th Street to Winfield Junction and then to White Pot Junction, over the Rockaway Beach Branch, before using two tracks of the IND Rockaway Line to Howard Beach, from where a -long extension could be built to JFK. Route B would have deviated at 48th Street, running via Northern Boulevard to 54th Street, from where it would extend on an elevated structure to connect with the New York Connecting Railroad at 64th Street, connecting with the LIRR Main Line near 51st Street. The DCP report recommended using the branch for subway service as opposed to commuter rail service so more stops could be added and so that the fares could be lower.
21st century plans.
In 2001, the MTA suggested routing the proposed AirTrain JFK airport service over the line. The route was to begin at Penn Station, following the route of the original Rockaway Beach Branch, through Rego Park, Ozone Park, and ultimately branching off at the current Howard Beach–JFK Airport subway station ( train) served by the IND Rockaway Line. The routing was met with approval from advocacy groups including the Rockaway-based Committee for Better Transit, Inc. and the Rockaway Transit Coalition. However, local and political opposition from Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and Glendale hurt the prospects of restored service, as residents along the line complained that noise levels would increase and neighborhoods would be aesthetically marred. An MTA study of the feasibility of reactivating the line found that it would not be convenient to 68% of commuters traveling between the outer boroughs and the Rockaways; in addition, people traveling from Far Rockaway would have to wait longer, on average, for a train. MTA also cited high operational and construction costs as detriments. It has been argued that restoration is needed to enable redevelopment of the Rockaways, "a potentially very attractive area that has long suffered from slow transit service. Higher property values and influxes of people attracted by fast service to Midtown could revitalize en-route neighborhoods like Richmond Hill."
The success of a new racino at Aqueduct Racetrack led to a proposal from Governor Andrew Cuomo to build a massive convention center in the vicinity. Talks of reactivating the line were publicly endorsed in February 2012 by Assemblymen Phillip Goldfeder and Michael G. Miller. Goldfeder commented “The commute for people here is only going to go from bad to worse. You can’t talk about a convention center without talking about transportation.” Goldfeder and Miller said they are not opposed to turning sections of the line into a park named Queensway, but said people who live in Rockaway, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and other areas along the right-of-way have no quick or easy way to get into Manhattan. The Genting Group, which operates the racino and has been asked to construct the convention center, was evaluating several plans to increase transportation access, and was committed to paying for part of the transportation improvements. Queensway advocates are against resumption of rail service, stating that current bus service fills current transportation needs in the area. Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks added their support for the project in March 2013. Both representatives will push to allocate federal transportation subsidies to study a plan for restored passenger service.
Another suggestion for reuse was proposed in the MTA's Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment for 2015-2034, published in October 2013. An issue the MTA is trying to address is to provide transversal routes between the core trunk routes. The report suggests that the cheapest, easiest, and quickest way of doing this is to revitalize existing lines like the freight-only Bay Ridge Branch (for the Triboro RX service) or the Rockaway Beach Branch. No money has been allocated to the project, and MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz has said while it is just laying out future options. Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder, who represents Howard Beach and Rockaway, announced in November 2013 that Queens College would be undertaking a study of all options for the disused line. The study will be done by students, who are local residents of Queens.
The state of New York approved a new MTA study to reactivate the Rockaway Beach Branch, with the report due by March 2017. As of January 5, 2017, the MTA and Port Authority are evaluating use of the Rockaway Beach LIRR for a one-seat trip between Penn Station and Grand Central and JFK. Though a study of the branch's possible reactivation was completed in September 2018, it was not published until October 2019, following the publication of a news story about the study's delayed release. The study concluded that reactivation as an LIRR line may cost $6.7 billion, while as a subway line it may cost $8.1 billion. If either option is carried out, the branch would require considerable reconstruction. Under the LIRR restoration option, the stations at Rego Park, Parkside, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Howard Beach would be rebuilt. The subway option is similar except that it would not rebuild the LIRR's Rego Park station, and would rebuild the Brooklyn Manor station instead. Other obstacles would include developments that have been built in the right-of-way after the branch's 1962 abandonment, as well as severe deterioration to much of the existing infrastructure. A second component of the study examined options for possible extensions to JFK Airport, including a possible connection to the AirTrain JFK or a wholly new alignment.
Queensway.
In 2005, residents began suggesting a conversion of the line to either a rail trail or greenway/linear park to be called the "Queensway". That effort has been re-initiated with proponents arguing that the unused railroad would provide green spaces and economic development opportunities like those associated with Manhattan's High Line Park. A proposed New York City linear park, it could be built on part or all of the disused section of the Rockaway Beach Branch. The park would be an example of the re-use of abandoned railway land in an urban setting. The plan proposes it to be redesigned as an aerial greenway like the High Line. In the summer of 2013, the American Institute of Architects held a design contest for potential designs for the rail trail.
The recycling of the railway into a trail is supported primarily by people who do not live adjacent to or near the right-of-way (ROW). Many people who live along the line support the conversion to a trail or back to a rail line. Many others, whose properties abut the ROW, are opposed to the ROW's redevelopment in any manner. A number of properties adjacent to the right-of-way have expanded their property fences over sections of the former right-of-way, without acquiring the rights to the land.
On October 14, 2014, the Friends of the Queensway announced that they had finished a year-long study on the viability of the Queensway. However, it still needs about $122 million in funding. Friends of the Queensway stated that they wanted to appeal to city mayor Bill de Blasio for funding, because it supported two of the mayor's agendas: the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative, and de Blasio's proposal for more parkland in the city; under the plan, there would be bike lanes, walking trails, and access points at major intersections. It would benefit the local economy and include, among other things, "exercise stations, food concessions and outdoor nature classrooms". So far, $1.2 million has been raised. After the feasibility study about the branch's possible reactivation was published in October 2019, a Friends of the Queensway member said, "Our hope is that the high costs provide an opening to consider a park."
The proposed park has been criticized by transit advocates such as the Queens Public Transit Committee, who prefer to rebuild the rail line as a proposed expansion of the New York City Subway. More than 322,000 people live within one mile of the Rockaway Beach Branch, combined with the fact that New York City Subway service in the area is limited, with only the BMT Jamaica Line () passing through the neighborhood. Another argument is that the Queensway would pass through Forest Park, where there is already a large park. There is also heavy opposition from residents, who fear that their privacy would be invaded and that their rents would be raised as a result of the Queensway.
External links.
General
Queensway


Otto Wagonhurst

Otman Franklin "Otto" Wagonhurst (April 25, 1871 – June 15, 1932) was an American football player and coach. Wagonhurst played college football as a left tackle at the University of Pennsylvania from 1892 to 1895. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama in 1896 and at the University of Iowa in 1897, compiling a career record of 6–5. After coaching college football, he played professionally for Pittsburgh's Duquesne Country and Athletic Club and the Homestead Library and Athletic Club. He won circuit championship titles with Duquesne in 1898 and 1899 and Homestead in 1900. After his football career, he went on to become a railway executive. He died in 1932 in Jackson, Michigan and was buried in Akron, Ohio.


Daniel J. Patterson

Daniel James Patterson (often referred to simply as D.J. Patterson) was an American architect around the turn of the 20th century. Much of his work was done for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Patterson was born in Jefferson County, New York in 1857, the second of six children born to Tomkins and Susan Patterson. His father was a carpenter by trade. He grew up in Minnesota and received his college training at the University of Minnesota. After college, he moved to Seattle, Washington, to work as a draftsman for Willis Ritchie. His most notable designs during this time in the Pacific Northwest included the Old Capitol Building in Olympia, and the courthouses in Spokane, Whatcom, and Port Townsend. He also designed a number of public school buildings.
In 1889, Patterson moved to San Francisco to establish a practice there. His work caught the attention of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), which had its headquarters in San Francisco. They had him design a number of their stations and other facilities, many of which survive. Among these were the San Antonio Station, Berkeley Station (1906), the Salt Lake City Union Station, the Tucson Station, and the Willits depot. He was also the architect for the Union Station (1911) in Seattle, Washington. He designed three of the SP's hospitals, in San Francisco, El Paso, and Houston, as well as many of the railroad's industrial structures, such as electrical sub-stations and the Alameda Shops.
Although most of his work in San Francisco was done for the SP railroad, Patterson maintained his practice on behalf of other clients. One of these was himself. He designed his own home which still stands on Divisadero Street. He also designed a large 4-story house for Jeremiah and Elizabeth Burke in Berkeley, California. The house has been preserved as the landmarked Burke House which has served for many years as the home of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, a museum of Jewish history in the American west.


Reading Terminal

The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is composed of the Reading Terminal Headhouse, Trainshed, and Market.
History.
Construction.
In 1889, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway decided to build a train depot, passenger station, and company headquarters on the corner of 12th and Market Streets. The move came eight years after the Pennsylvania Railroad opened its Broad Street Station several blocks away at 15th and Market Streets, and one year after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opened its 24th Street Station at 24th and Chestnut Streets.
The chosen location was occupied by an open-air market that had been in continuous operation since 1853. After loud complaints and much negotiation, the railroad agreed to purchase the markets for $1 million and move them to a new structure: the Reading Terminal Market, located to the rear (north) of the headhouse at 12th and Filbert Streets. This required the trainshed and all of its tracks to be constructed one story above street level, with the Ninth Street Branch to bring trains in and out.
Architecture.
The headhouse was designed in 1891 by Francis H. Kimball, and the train shed by Wilson Brothers & Company. Construction began that same year, and the station opened on January 29, 1893. At the time, the trainshed was one of the largest single-span arched-roof structures in the world. The following year, the Wilson Brothers would build an even larger trainshed three blocks away, for the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broad Street Station. The Reading's trainshed is now the only such structure left in the United States.
The complex was fronted on Market by an eight-story headhouse that housed the passenger station and company headquarters. Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the headhouse has brick bearing walls with cast-iron columns and timber floors. Interior finishes include molded ornamental plaster and marble with cast-iron detailing.
Reading Terminal Station.
Reading Terminal served the railroad's inter-city and regional rail trains, many of which are still running as part of the SEPTA Regional Rail system that connects Center City with outlying neighborhoods and suburbs, especially to the north. Many of those trains would be converted to electric power in a project that began in 1928 and basically completed in 1933, with the Newtown Branch being electrified to Fox Chase in 1966. Daily traffic peaked during World War II with up to 45,000 daily passengers, then declined in the 1950s with the advance of road and air travel.
Major named inter-city trains in mid-20th century:
The terminal buildings declined with the railroad's fortunes as maintenance budgets were cut. The Reading declared bankruptcy on November 23, 1971. The shed was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
In 1976, Conrail took over the freight operations of the Reading and other northeastern lines. The railroad's regional rail service went to SEPTA, the regional transit authority for Philadelphia (though Conrail ran the services under contract from SEPTA until 1983). Still, the Reading retained ownership of its Terminal complex. SEPTA also gained control of the ex-PRR regional lines and consolidated all regional rail service. The agency then launched the construction of the Center City Commuter Connection, an underground passenger rail tunnel to connect the former Reading Railroad commuter lines with the former Pennsylvania Railroad commuter lines at Suburban Station, the stub-end terminal of the ex-PRR network, located on the site of the former Broad Street Station. Because the stations were to connect underground—Suburban Station's terminal is located beneath the former PRR headquarters—the Market East Station was built to replace the Reading Terminal with its elevated platforms. The new station is adjacent to and partially under Reading Terminal.
Reading Terminal handled its last train, a specially made-up train using Blueliners from Lansdale, on November 6, 1984. Four days later, after final track connections were made to the Center City Commuter Connection tunnel, rail service on the ex-Reading Lines to and from Center City Philadelphia was via the Market East Station.
Later use.
In the years that followed, the Reading Terminal's fate was uncertain, with various proposals for replacement or adaptive reuse. Its demolition was staved off by a group led by urban-renewal advocate Edmund Bacon, who pointed to its landmark status and its location within the Market Street East Redevelopment Area. This urban-renewal zone stretched along Market Street from City Hall to 6th Street.
In 1993, the complex was chosen from among four candidates as the site for the new Pennsylvania Convention Center and purchased by the city's Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia. After renovations completed in 1997, designed by BLT Architects in a joint venture with CLA, the headhouse became the center's main entrance, while the trainshed became its Grand Hall and ballroom, with meeting rooms and a hallway. Originally built to accommodate the offices of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, this historic railroad facility (designed by the Wilson brothers, prominent 19th century architects and engineers) is the linchpin of Philadelphia's burgeoning commercial district east of City Hall. Now renovated and remodeled street and concourse levels of the building accommodate a variety of retail and food service operations. The remaining space on the concourse levels of the headhouse became retail space. The former Reading Railroad offices on the headhouse's upper floors were converted to meeting and ballroom facilities. It also contains more than 200 rooms for the adjacent Marriott Hotel, to which it is connected by a skywalk and for which it serves as a secondary entrance.
The Reading Terminal Market was spun off under its own control. A nonprofit corporation was formed in 1994 to manage the market.
In film.
Several films have had scenes shot at the terminal, including the 1981 Brian De Palma film "Blow Out", the 1995 film "Twelve Monkeys", and the 2004 film "National Treasure".


Longworth Hall

Longworth Hall is a registered historic building in Cincinnati, Ohio, listed in the National Register on December 29, 1986. Constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1904 as the B & O Freight Terminal, the building was reported to be the largest structure of its type in the world at 5 stories high and long. Camden Yards in Baltimore is a similar structure.
History.
During construction, of pilings were driven to support the concrete foundations. The piers between the first floor doors are of Bedford limestone. 4.25 million bricks were used in the walls. Floor loads are carried on steel girders and these in turn are carried on steel columns. Floors, joists, roof beams, etc., are frame requiring of lumber.
The lower floor was designed as the inbound freight house with the upper four floors for storage. The facility trackage could accommodate 125 cars. Other facilities included a boiler house, a 6 stall roundhouse, a coal tipple and a U.S. Customs Bonded Warehouse, for the care of imported goods.
As of 2012, Longworth Hall is at risk of partial demolition due to planned replacement of the adjacent Brent Spence Bridge. However, it will only happen if the current owner sells the part that would be demolished.
Tenants.
The Cincinnati Children's Museum occupied all four stories at the western end of Longworth Hall until floodwaters inundated the building during the flood of 1997, forcing the museum to relocate to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal the following year. WOXY.com's studios were located in Longworth Hall from September 2004 until the Internet radio station moved to Austin, Texas, in 2009.
Barefoot Proximity is currently located in Longworth Hall.
Dotloop is currently headquartered in Longworth Hall.


Lehigh Line Connection

The Lehigh Line Connection connects Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC) with the Conrail Lehigh Line south of downtown Newark, New Jersey. It leaves the NEC at Hunter Interlocking, and the line is sometimes called the Hunter Connection. Used by New Jersey Transit (NJT) Raritan Valley Line trains since 1997 when it replaced an older connection, it splits from the NEC just north of the former connector, with wider radius curves with a maximum speed of 45 mph, compared to the 15 mph of the original alignment.
The old connection had a single track with older overhead wire and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) signaling. Until 1961 Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) passenger trains bound to/from New York Penn Station, such as the "Black Diamond", used the connection to reach their own railroad from the PRR main line. At the top of the hill at NK interlocking, LV diesels exchanged the train(s) with PRR electric locomotives. Despite the lack of electrification on the line past the connection, the new trackage is also equipped with catenary wire.
Amtrak and NJT have proposed constructing the Hunter Flyover, which would carry Newark-bound Raritan Valley Line trains up and over the six-track NEC main line. Currently, Raritan Valley trains heading toward Newark have to cross three or four tracks at grade to access the eastbound tracks at Newark. This flyover would remove many directional conflicts between trains and reduce delays on the NEC. The project would cost $250 million and is currently undergoing environmental analysis.


Frederick Cook (American politician)

Frederick Cook (December 2, 1833 – February 17, 1905) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the New York Secretary of State from 1886 to 1889.
Early life.
Frederick Cook was born in Bad Wildbad, Kingdom of Württemberg on December 2, 1833. He came to the United States in 1848, and changed his German name Friedrich Kuch to Frederick Cook. He first lived in Buffalo, New York, and worked for his brother-in-law who was a shoemaker. Then he opened his own butcher shop at Batavia, New York. After that he became a brakeman on the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad, and later a conductor on the New York Central Railroad a position he held for twenty years during which he became wealthy. (There is a story about this: Asked by Cornelius Vanderbilt how he could buy vast pieces of real estate and live expensively on $75 a week, Cook is said to have answered "Oh, I makes (sic) my money trading horses with Jockey Mason," which became something of a proverb at the time.)
Political career.
In 1872, he left the railroad, and entered politics. Governor John Thompson Hoffman appointed him Judge Advocate of the 7th Division of the National Guard. In 1874, he ran for Mayor of Rochester, New York but was defeated by George G. Clarkson while otherwise the whole Democratic ticket was elected. In 1875, Governor Samuel J. Tilden appointed him Assistant Adjutant General and Chief of Staff of the 7th Division of the National Guard. He was a delegate to the 1876 Democratic National Convention. He was Secretary of State of New York from 1886 to 1889, elected in 1885 and 1887.
Business.
In 1892, he sued the Silver Lake Ice Company, and tried to establish his claim to be the owner of the Silver Lake in Wyoming County, New York.
He was the President of the Rochester German Insurance Company, the German-American Bank of Rochester, the Rochester Driving Park Association, the Rochester Telephone Company, the Rochester Street Car Company, Vice President of the Bartholomay Brewing Company, and had interests in many other companies.
Personal life.
He married Catharine Yaky in 1863. She died in 1864, and he remarried to Barbara Agne in 1865. They had one daughter.
He died of apoplexy at his home in Rochester on February 17, 1905. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.


James Hogan (trade unionist)

James Hogan was an American trade unionist. He is best known for being a leading member of the American Railway Union. He was also a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (Salt Lake lodge #68) and secretary of its grievance committee on the Union Pacific Railroad.


Westinghouse Interworks Railway

The Westinghouse Interworks Railway was a short line railroad that operated in the lower Turtle Creek valley east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A subsidiary of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the railway used former Turtle Creek Valley Railroad tracks that Westinghouse rebuilt and extended from Trafford through Wilmerding to East Pittsburgh along the right bank (northern side) of the creek. The railroad transported freight between the Westinghouse plants and also tested and demonstrated electric rail cars.
History of Operations: 1902-1962.
The Westinghouse Interworks Railway was chartered on February 25, 1902, and on April 8 of the following year the company signed a 25-year lease allowing its trains to operate over a portion of the East Pittsburgh Branch owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). J.C. Bair, a civil engineer for the PRR, was assigned as superintendent of the Interworks Railway in June 1903. The Interworks Railway began limited service on August 9, 1903, and became fully operational on December 1, 1904. This company shipped raw materials and finished products between the Westinghouse facilities charging tonnage fees for the freight and hourly fees for the labor. The line shuttled factory workmen to and from their jobs as well.
Ridership on this line was not limited to workmen, and the vehicles that rode the rails were not limited to steam powered freight trains. A portion of the railway was electrified, allowing its use for the testing and promotion of Westinghouse's new electric trains. One such promotional event occurred in 1905, when during an international railway congress the track was used to demonstrate a new 1500 horsepower Baldwin-Westinghouse single-phase alternating-current electric locomotive. This locomotive type was then shipped out of the plant via the railway in 1906.
By 1938 the railway owned over 40 pieces of rolling stock, which it operated along five miles of track between Trafford and East Pittsburgh. Maps indicate that Westinghouse owned only the portions of the track nearest its facilities, with the connecting segments being owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad company. However long-term Interworks Railway superintendent J.C. Bair believed his company compared well to the much larger railroad from which it leased track rights; he was known to often say, “Our tracks may not be as long as the Pennsylvania’s, but they’re just as wide.” A 21st century evaluation also echoed the relative importance of the Westinghouse interworks Railway, opining that it had played a greater role in the creation and growth of the borough of Trafford than did the neighboring Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Post Operational Years : 1962 - present.
A large flood control project stretching from the 1950s through the '60s included a change to the banks of the Turtle Creek waterway that required the removal of Interworks tracks between Wilmerding and Pitcairn, and the decision was made not to rebuild them. Thus on September 30, 1962, the rail link on the right bank of Turtle Creek between Trafford and Wilmerding was severed, and nearly all of its track between these two boroughs was eventually removed. Most of this track-bed now lies abandoned, save for a fraction of a mile in Wilmerding which became the Airbrake Avenue Walking Trail. Proposals exist to convert the rest of the abandoned line into a rail-trail as well.
The remaining portion of the railroad west of Wilmerding was never formally abandoned, and has been acquired by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC) who also purchased the old Westinghouse Electric plant adjacent to the rail, renaming it, "The Keystone Commons". Since this acquisition some limited rail activity has been observed at the southernmost section of The Commons in East Pittsburgh, where a locomotive from the adjoining Union Railroad has been occasionally spotted pushing deliveries. Farther north in the borough of Turtle Creek the remainder of the tracks appear to have fallen into prolonged disuse, as it was reported that no trains have traveled there since the 1980s.
Controversy over this idle section of track arose in 2014 when Allegheny County replaced the Greensburg Pike bridge, which passed over the remnants of the railway. The rails had to be temporarily removed during part of the bridge constriction; their owner wanted them replaced, and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission agreed that the county was obligated to replace them. Local civic leaders as well as neighboring businessmen voiced their objections, questioning the wisdom of using public funds to restore unused track, arguing that the money could have been better spent. The county ultimately spent $365,000 restoring the rails. The 10.114 acres of vacant industrial land on which they lie was assessed at $39,700 in 2017. No specific plans to restore train service on the tracks were reported.


Virginia Southern Railroad

The Virginia Southern Railroad is a shortline railroad division of the North Carolina and Virginia Railroad , a subsidiary of the Genesee & Wyoming, with rights to operate of track between Norfolk Southern Railway connections at Oxford, North Carolina and Burkeville, Virginia. The southernmost segment between Clarksville, Virginia and Oxford is out of service.
The line was built by the Oxford and Clarksville Railroad, Clarksville and North Carolina Railroad, Atlantic and Danville Railway, Richmond and Mecklenburg Railroad, and Richmond and Danville Railroad, all predecessors of the Southern Railway (except for the short piece of A&D, which left the Southern system for the Norfolk and Western Railway), and in November 1988 successor Norfolk Southern leased it to the new Virginia Southern Railroad as the first spin-off in its Thoroughbred Shortline Program.
The NCVA and VSRR were previously owned by Railtex and RailAmerica, and is now operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad.


John W. Ingram

John W. Ingram (April 6, 1929 – January 27, 2008) was the President of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in its final years, from 1974 to 1979.
Career.
Ingram was Federal Railroad Administration(FRA) Administrator from 1971 to 1974, and took over the Rock Island in 1974, and resigned in November 1979, only several months later on January 24, 1980, the Rock Island was ordered to be liquidated in federal bankruptcy court.
In 1974, Ingram wanted a new paint design for the Rock Island, this new paint, was blue, black and white (former colors had been red and yellow). In September 1979, the Rock Island clerks walked out on strike against the railroad. The Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the Kansas City Terminal Railway to take over operations, and Ingram resigned. At that point, William M. Gibbons, who was already the receiver and trustee of the railroad, took over as president.
The Rock Island was shut down in March 1980.
Ingram began his railroad career during his college years in New York City as a brakeman or the New York Central RR(NYCRR). After graduation in 1951 he was hired as a research analyst in the Economic Analysis Office of the NYCRR. While there he was on of the founders of the Transportation Research Forum (TRF) along with Herbert Whitten of the Chesapeake & Ohio RR(C&O). In about 1960 he joined the Marketing Department of the Southern RR(SRR) in Washington, DC. Soon he developed what became known as the "Big John" covered hopper car to transport bulk grain at low freight rated from the Midwest to poultry farms in the Southeast which led to fast growth of that industry and became the primary means of grain shipment by rail throughout the nation. In 1971 he joined the Federal Dept. of Transportation as FRA Administrator.
He was the older brother of Radio Hall of Fame member Dan Ingram.


Hawaiian Railway Society

The Hawaiian Railway Society is a narrow gauge heritage railroad in Ewa, Hawaii, USA, on the island of Oahu. It uses the trackbed of the defunct Oahu Railway and Land Company.
History.
In 1970, Waialua Agricultural Co. said it would scrap its 0-6-2T locomotive No. 6 because rust and deterioration had reduced the engine to an unsightly liability and posed a danger to children who played on it. John Knaus then contacted Bill Paty, then manager of Waialua Agricultural Company, about saving and restoring the locomotive. John then contacted his boss, Captain Henry Davies, of the Naval Ammunition Depot, Lualualei about having the locomotive moved there since it had the only locomotive facility left on Oahu. This was followed by a letter to Ed Bernsten of the National Railway Historical Society seeking information on organizing a local chapter. John received approval to have No. 6 restored at Lualualei. He then talked to Nick Carter, another rail fan who had expressed interest in saving the Navy mainline on the leeward coast for an operating railroad.
On August 22, 1970, John Knaus, Nick Carter, Luman Wilcox, and Ken Peale met to discuss forming a local chapter of the NRHS. Wilcox was appointed to draw up the temporary by-laws. On August 27 an organizational meeting was held at Cocco's Restaurant with 15 people in attendance. Wilcox successfully proposed forming a local chapter of the NRHS. Thirteen of the fifteen people present signed up. Nominated and elected were: Luman Wilcox for pres., Ken Peale for VP, Nick Carter for Secretary-Treasurer, and John Knaus for National Director. On Oct 9, 1970 the membership met to approve the By-Laws and Charter Night was set for Nov. 13th at Bishop Museum.
On February 17, 1971 a Waialua Agricultural Co. trailer was used to transport WA Co. 6 to Lualualei. Waialua Elementary School students gave the old locomotive a sendoff before it left Waialua. No. 6 was a magnet that brought a group of talent to Lualualei shortly after. A boiler maker named Dave Griner, a welder named Dick Marshall and a machinist named Bob Haney were all joined by others who wanted to lend a hand. On October 13 the Hawaii Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society was granted a charter.
On October 13, 1971 The State of Hawaii, Department of Regulatory Agencies granted the Hawaii Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society a charter of incorporation. The use of Hawaii Chapter, NRHS posed a problem: the name was too long and it really did not say anything about local railroading. At a membership meeting on December 19, 1973, the members voted to use the name of Hawaiian Railway Society without severing itself from the NRHS.
On November 25, 1972, a Saturday, a dedication ceremony marked the restoration of No. 6 after 84 Sundays of restoration work, This educational, non-profit organization was able to get the remaining stretch of track on Oahu, (from Ewa to Nanakuli), placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. As of early 2009, the Society has restored about and is working to restore more.
A usual consist features open-air cars built on ex-US Army flatcars. The Hawaiian Railway also rosters a Parlor/Observation car that is used for private excursions. Rolling stock also includes the Merci train boxcar, one of 49 boxcars given to the U.S. by the French railways. One boxcar was sent to each of the 48 states, while the one in the Hawaiian Railway collection was representative of Washington, DC, as well as the then territory of Hawaii.
Operating locomotives.
Four vintage diesels have been restored to operation, three for excursion trains and one as a switcher. The U.S. Navy on Oahu donated three diesels and the U.S. Army donated one locomotive in the 1970s.
Operating diesels include:


Alvin Saunders

Alvin Saunders (July 12, 1817November 1, 1899) was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, as well as the final and longest-serving governor of the Nebraska Territory, a tenure he served during most of the American Civil War.
Education.
Saunders was born in Fleming County, Kentucky. He attended the common schools and pursued an academic course; he moved with his father to Illinois in 1829 and then to Mount Pleasant, Iowa (then a part of Wisconsin Territory) in 1836.
Political career.
He was the postmaster of Mount Pleasant for seven years. Saunders studied law but never entered into practice; instead, he engaged in mercantile pursuits and banking. He was a delegate to the Iowa State constitutional convention in 1846 and was a member of the Iowa State Senate from 1854 to 1856 and 1858 to 1860. Saunders was one of the commissioners appointed by Congress to organize the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
He served as the last Governor of Nebraska Territory from 1861 to 1867. He was a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention. Saunders was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served a single term from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1883; chairman of the Committee on Territories (Forty-seventh Congress). He died in Omaha on November 1, 1899; interment in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Family.
Saunders' father, Gunnel, was said to be of "old stock" in Culpepper County, Virginia. His mother was Mary Mauzy of the same county. They moved to Kentucky and later to Illinois, where Alvin attended school and did farm work until 1836, when the young man removed to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, which was then part of Wisconsin.
At his death he left a wife and two children, Charles B., and a daughter, Mary (later Mrs. Russell Harrison of Washington, D.C.)
Saunders was the grandfather of William Henry Harrison, who served several terms as Wyoming's member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1950s and 60s. His son-in-law was Russell Benjamin Harrison.
Legacy.
Saunders County, Nebraska and Saunders School in Omaha were both named after him. Alvin Saunders Johnson, the founding editor of "The New Republic", was named in honor of Saunders.


R.J. Corman Railroad Group

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC is a privately owned railroad services and short line operating company headquartered in Nicholasville, KY, with field locations in 23 states. It was owned by Richard J. Corman, who established the company in 1973, and ran it until his death on August 23, 2013. The company owns eleven short-line railroads spanning Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. The company serves all seven Class I railroads, many regional and short line railroads as well as various rail-served industries. These operations encompass an array of services, including: railroad construction, short line railroad operations, dispatch, industrial switching services, emergency response, track material logistics, distribution centers, signal design and construction, building eco-friendly locomotives, railroad worker training and an excursion dinner train.
History.
R.J. Corman Railroad Construction was founded in 1973 by Richard J. Corman.
In 1983, R. J. Corman Derailment Services was founded and opened its first division in Columbus, Ohio. From 1997 to 2000, eight more Derailment Services divisions were opened across the north and middle East.
The company's original headquarters, Jay Station, was completed and opened in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The property was dedicated to Rick's father, Jay Corman.
R.J. Corman began operating short line railroads in 1987 with the purchase of the Bardstown Line and the Memphis Line. The company continued to acquire and rehabilitate many lines throughout the 1990s. They've reopened many Railbanked lines, and in Pennsylvania, in 2008 they began work to reopen a fully abandoned non-railbanked corridor, to serve a new industrial park, landfill, and quarry.
The Bardstown Line became home to My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, which took its inaugural run in 1989.
In 1990, R. J. Corman's first Distribution Center was opened in South Union, Kentucky.
R. J. Corman Material Sales began in 1994, after the company agreed to begin serving as Conrail's full service track and rail material distributor.
In 2001, R. J. Corman launched its Railroad Switching company.
From 2003 to 2004, R. J. Corman's runway, Lucas Field, was constructed in Nicholasville, Kentucky. With that project's completion, R. J. Corman Aircraft Maintenance was launched.
R. J. Corman Railroad Group announced on June 18, 2009, that it had acquired the assets of Railpower Technologies Corp, and its U.S. subsidiary, Railpower Hybrid Technologies.
Fortune Magazine released a feature story on Rick Corman, an American classic self-made success.
On April 1, 2013, R. J. Corman Signaling was formed and began operations.
Rick Corman died on August 23, 2013, after an 11-year battle with Multiple Myeloma.
Lines owned.
R.J. Corman operates the following subsidiaries:
Services and operations.
R. J. Corman offers services such as: railroad construction, short line railroad operations, dispatch, industrial switching services, emergency response, track material logistics, distribution centers, signal design and construction, building eco-friendly locomotives, railroad worker training and an excursion dinner train.
External links.
Railpower LocomotivesR. J. Corman Railpower Locomotives division offers Railpower GenSet Locomotives. They are low to medium horsepower locomotives that serve both yard and switching functions.


David Kinkade

David Kinkade (born August 25, 1983) is a retired American metal drummer.
History.
David Kinkade was born in New Jersey in 1983. At the age of three, he started picking up drums after his grandfather gave him his first drum kit.
He has become known for his extreme hand and double bass speeds and technique. David's technique is not limited to metal; He is experienced in jazz, fusion, prog, swing, rock, and many others genres of music.
His influences include bands such as Metallica, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Immortal, Emperor and Devin Townsend Project. His drumming influences include Gavin Harrison, Horacio "el Negro" Hernandez, Nick Barker, Mike Mangini, Hellhammer, Nick Mason, Carmine Appice, Vinnie Appice, Dave Lombardo, Nicko McBrain, Peter Criss, Eric Singer, Eric Carr, Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich and Pete Sandoval.
In August 2011, he was announced as the drummer of Soulfly, replacing Joe Nunez.
In October 2011, he parted ways with Borknagar.
In October 2012, he announced his retirement from music, leaving Soulfly after their show in Bangkok. He retired in order to focus on his family.
Personal.
Aside from his drumming career, Kinkade is known for his interest in animal welfare. In 2007, he started a foundation called the "Metal 4 Pets Foundation", which stands against animal abuse. The Metal 4 Pets Foundation's goal is to unite the metal world to fight animal abuse.
David also has a teaching background which includes eight years of private instructions. In the summer of 2008, David worked with 13 students ranging from ages 7–13 at a middle school program aimed at teaching children with autism the beginning fundamentals of drums and percussion.
He currently lives in Chicago and works as a locomotive engineer.


Rule G

Rule G is a prohibition against railroad employees working while intoxicated. It was originally a near-universal provision of individual railroads' operating rules, and is now part of the universal code of the Association of American Railroads.
In addition to prohibiting the use or possession of drugs and alcohol, the rule also provides for "reasonable suspicion", wherein a rail carrier may require an employee to submit to a breathalyzer or urine test if he is suspected of being under the influence. A refusing employee is considered to be in violation and may be suspended or terminated with no further procedure.


Callahan Subdivision

The Callahan Subdivision is a CSX Transportation railroad subdivision within the Jacksonville Division on the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The sub extends northward 20 miles from Baldwin, Florida, where the Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision's S Line and Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad meet just north of Baldwin Yard, a classification yard. According to Jacksonville Division Timetable Number 4 published in 2005, the sub runs from milepost SM 0.18 to milepost SM 20.0, where it joins the Nahunta Subdivision, a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, in Callahan, Florida. The line serves as a bypass to Jacksonville.
Operation.
The sub has three direct traffic control blocks (DTC), double tracks on its full entire route and two defect detector locations over its length. The first defect detector is at milepost SM 1.3 and the first siding, Fouraker, at a length of , extends from milepost SM 3.5 to SM 5.0. The second defect detector is found at milepost SM 12.3 and the second siding, Crawford, a siding, runs from milepost SM 13.3 to SM 15.4. The three DTC blocks are Baldwin from milepost SM 0.18 to SM 5.0 followed by Fouraker from the SM 5.0 to SM 15.4 and last is Crawford from SM 15.4 to SM 20.0.
The sub crosses the Norfolk Southern Railway at milepost SM 15.5.
The subdivision's dispatcher is known as the JE Dispatcher on channel 14 and 32: 160.320 MHz and 160.590 MHz respectively.
History.
The line was originally built by the Florida Railroad as part of a line that ran from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key. The first train ran in 1861. The Florida Railroad would be acquired by the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad by 1899. The line would later become part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, who acquired the FC&P, in 1903.
The Seaboard Air Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967. In the Seaboard Coast Line-era, the line was known as the Gross Subdivision, which also included the Seaboard Air Line's Gross Cutoff route. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation.
Track east of Callahan to Yulee was abandoned in 1954, and the Gross Cutoff was abandoned in 1985.


Charles Melville Hays

Charles Melville Hays (May 16, 1856 – April 15, 1912) was the president of the Grand Trunk Railway. He began working in the railroad business as a clerk at the age of 17 and quickly rose through the ranks of management to become the General Manager of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway. He became Vice-President of that company in 1889 and remained as such until 1896 when he became General Manager of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) of Canada.
Hays left GTR for a short time to serve as the President of the Southern Pacific Railway Company but returned to GTR after one year. As Vice-President and General Manager of GTR he is credited with keeping the company from bankruptcy. In 1909, he became the president of GTR and all its consolidated lines, subsidiary railroads, and steamship companies. He was known for his philanthropy and received the Order of the Rising Sun, third class, from the Emperor of Japan in 1907.
Hays is credited with the formation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP), a dream he had to create a second transcontinental railroad within the borders of Canada. He is also blamed for the insolvency of both the GTR and the GTP. He died before his dream was complete as he perished at sea in the sinking of the RMS "Titanic". Before the ship collided with an iceberg, Hays made a statement that was prophetic of the disaster. His body was recovered, and he was buried in Montreal. He was survived by his wife and four daughters.
Early life.
Charles Melville Hays was born in Rock Island, Illinois, on May 16, 1856. His family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, when he was a child.
Career.
In 1873, at the age of 17, he began his career in the railroad business working for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in St. Louis. From 1877 to 1884, Hays was Secretary to the General Manager of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Beginning in 1884, he held the same position with the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway until 1886, when he became that company's General Manager. In 1889, he became Vice-President of the Wasbash Railroad and remained as such until 1896, when he became General Manager of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) of Canada.
In 1901, Hays left GTR to serve as the President of the Southern Pacific Railway Company but returned to the company in January 1902 as Vice-President and General Manager. In October 1909, he was appointed president of GTR, which also gave him control of its subsidiary railroad and steamship companies. These included the Central Vermont Railway, the Grand Trunk Western Railway, the Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway, the Detroit and Toledo Shoreline Railroad, the Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway, the Southern New England Railway Company, the Canadian Express Company, and several others. In addition, he was sought after to help manage several philanthropies. He was Governor of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Montreal General Hospital and McGill University. He received the Order of the Rising Sun, third class, from the Emperor of Japan in 1907 for assistance he gave the Imperial Government Railways.
When Hays became General Manager of GTR in 1896, it was near bankruptcy and under-performing its rival, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). On the advice of American financier J. Pierpont Morgan, the GTR board selected Hays as General Manager to bring more aggressive, "American" business practices to the company. He reorganized the management of the company and successfully negotiated running rights with CPR. He also brought more efficiency to the handling of accounts, built new track and ordered more powerful locomotives. These changes produced an era of greater success for the railroad.
Transcontinental Railway.
At the time, the western prairies were being rapidly settled. Hays wanted to capitalize on the trend by constructing a transcontinental railroad, within the borders of Canada, to run 3,600 miles from Moncton, New Brunswick, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In 1900, he introduced a proposal to extend the lines of the Grand Trunk Western, an American subsidiary, from Chicago to Winnipeg, "and thence to the Pacific." However, he was turned down by the railroad's directors in London. Later that year, Hays left GTR to work for Southern Pacific, but a change in ownership there lead to his resignation. He returned to the GTR to find that the president, Sir Charles Rivers Wilson, had convinced the Board of Directors to pursue the transcontinental railway. Meanwhile, the government, under Sir Wilfrid Laurier, had also decided to back the project. Plans to construct the transcontinental line were announced on November 24, 1902.
Hays' plan involved the creation of a subsidiary line from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert, with the government building the line from New Brunswick to Winnipeg. The cabinet became weary of Hays' demands for subsidies, but after negotiations between the government and Hays, aided by the railroad's president Rivers Wilson, the National Transcontinental Railway Act was passed in 1903. It enabled the incorporation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP). The government's portion of the line would be called the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR).
There were problems with some of Hays' policies regarding the GTP.
Hays made the construction of the mainline his priority, failing to develop feeder lines. CNoR and CPR joined forces to gain control of the prairie traffic. The competition among the three railroads led to Canada's ending up with three transcontinental railways instead of one. This was to result in the GTP's being starved of traffic; even though it was arguably the best of the three, it ultimately failed to attract enough freight to make it profitable.
After construction on the GTP began in 1905, Hays started the Grand Trunk Pacific Development Company in order to purchase thousands of acres of land on which he established town sites along the route of the railway, including Melville, Saskatchewan, which was named after him. Hays' vision went beyond the building of the railway. He also had plans for a fleet of ocean liners and a string of resort hotels across the Rocky Mountains. He hired the famed architect Francis Rattenbury from CPR to design a grand hotel, the Château Prince Rupert, at the westernmost stop on the railway. In 1909, only 3000 people lived in Prince Rupert, but anticipation of the railroad caused it to grow rapidly, despite the rapidly rising cost of property and the muddy environs. The city was incorporated in 1910.
After Rivers Wilson retired as the railroad's president in 1909, Hays was appointed to fill the position. By 1910, Grand Trunk union workers were demanding wages on par with those of railroad workers in the United States. A strike put a stop to construction. Hays finally gave into the workers' demands but failed to re-hire 250 previously-fired strikers despite promising to do so. He also denied workers their pensions, causing one member of Parliament to describe him as "heartless, cruel, and tyrannical."
By 1912, the cost of constructing the railway was increasing, with rising wages and price increases on materials, while the government refused to allow a rate increase. Another reason for the mounting costs was Hays' insistence on "building to the very highest standards". Meanwhile, CNoR and CPR monopolized the traffic in the west. In addition, Grand Trunk, which would be leasing the NTR from the government, was responsible for paying back the construction cost of that line. Hays began to fear insolvency.
RMS "Titanic".
In April 1912, Hays was in London soliciting financial support for the GTP. He was anxious to get back to Canada for the opening of the Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, named after Prime Minister Laurier. The gala opening of this hotel was set for April 25, 1912. Hays had also received news that his daughter Louise was having difficulty with her pregnancy.
Additionally, he might have had business with J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line; in any case, Ismay had invited Hays to join him on the RMS "Titanic". Hays, his wife, Clara, his daughter, Orian (see source note), his son-in-law, Thornton Davidson (son of Charles Peers Davidson), his secretary, Mr. Vivian Payne, and a maid, Miss Mary Anne Perreault, shared a deluxe suite (cabin B69) on B Deck, also known as the Bridge Deck.
At 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912, "Titanic" struck an iceberg. Hays helped the women in his party into one of the ship's 20 lifeboats, but he, his son-in-law, and his secretary remained and perished when the ship sank, along with 1,500 other "Titanic" passengers and crew. Hays was reported to have made a prophetic remark on the evening of the disaster; deploring the way the steamship lines were competing to win passengers with ever-faster vessels, he is said to have commented, "The time will come soon when this trend will be checked by some appalling disaster."
One source, Hacking, names the daughter with Hays on the "Titanic" as "Margaret," but it was his daughter, Orian, who was traveling with her husband, Thorton Davidson. That source does not mention Orian as a passenger on the ship. There was a 24-year-old woman, Margaret Bechstein Hays, on the "Titanic", but she was staying in a different compartment from the C.M. Hays party with another group of people. She escaped via lifeboat No. 7 (with her Pomeranian, "Lady"), while the other Hays women boarded lifeboat No. 3. Early newspaper reports said that Clara and Margaret Hays, and Mrs. Thornton [Orian] Davidson disembarked the rescue ship in New York City together and boarded a train for Montreal, but other sources say that Margaret Hays lived in New York and took care of two young child survivors (Edmond and Michael Navratil), who were unclaimed immediately following the disaster. Margaret (Hays) Easton's 1913 wedding announcement says her father, Frank Hays, walked her down the aisle. Finally, Orian's death notice lists Marjorie (Mrs. George Hall), not Margaret Easton, as a predeceased sister.
Death.
Hays' body was recovered from the waters of the North Atlantic by the "Minia", and he was buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. Two funerals were held for him on May 8, one at the American Presbyterian Church in Montreal, the other in London at the Church of St Edmund, King and Martyr.
Legacy.
Hays died before he could see the GTP completed. He was eulogized as one of the greatest railwaymen in Canada, and work on the GTR was stopped for five minutes, on April 25, 1912, in his memory. The period in which Hays led the GTR was its most prosperous era.
However, his policies led to the GTP's collapse in 1919. The company was placed in receivership, and the government seized GTR's stock. It was later alleged that Hays had deceived the company's London directors in 1903 by committing them to conditions in the railway's agreements with the Canadian government for the building of the GTP to which they did not agree. That scheme was blamed for the company's collapse.
The railroad car in which his body was transported back to Montreal is preserved at the Canadian Railway Museum, near Delson, Quebec. There is a statue of him in Prince Rupert, and the city of Melville, Saskatchewan, is named after him, as is the village of Haysport, British Columbia.
Mount Hays, south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia is named for him.
Charles Hays Secondary School in Prince Rupert is also named in his honour.
Personal life.
He was survived by his wife, Clara Jennings (née Gregg), whom he married in St. Louis, Missouri on October 13, 1881. They had four daughters: Orian (Mrs. Thornton Davidson, Mrs. Robert N. Hickson), Clara (Mrs. Hope Scott), Marjorie (Mrs. George Hall), and Louise (Mrs. Grier).


Carrothers Secondary

The Carrothers Secondary—named for an unincorporated village through which it once passed—is a railway line that is currently owned by CSX Transportation. This line, constructed in the early 1870s, was formerly a portion of the Pennsylvania Railroad's branch line from the company's Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway main line (near Mansfield) to Toledo, Ohio; and, several decades later, Detroit, Michigan. Today the line consists of approximately of track from Toledo to Woodville. Woodville to Tiffin is owned by the Sandusky-Seneca-Tiffin Port Authority—which is long—is operated by the Northern Ohio and Western Railway. The Toledo to Woodville line was one of the Conrail lines that was originally transferred to CSX circa 1999. PRR abandoned the Carrothers–Mansfield segment in 1959; Conrail abandoned the Tiffin–Carrothers segment in 1984; the SST Port Authority purchased the Woodville to Tiffin line from Conrail circa 1990 and contracted the Indiana Hi-Rail Corp to operate it up until the IHRC bankruptcy.