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The Truman Area Community Network
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Taken from the Annual Report of the Missouri State Railroad and Warehouse Commission, 1912.
Report of Inspection of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad from Kansas City, via Clinton, to Springfield, a Distance of about 194 miles, By Commissioners Oglesby and Wightman, With the Secretary, Beginning Friday July 21, 1911 and Concluding at Springfield in the Afternoon of July 22, 1911.
The rails are 56 pounds in weight, with the following exceptions: Coburn to Leeds Junction, 2.8 miles, 75 pounds (1.8 miles of this track is join with the Rock Island, the Frisco being the Owning company); Belt Junction to Grand View Junction, a distance of 11 miles, 85 pounds; from a point between Blairstown and Maurine, at about mile post 70, extending south about two and one-half miles, 65 pounds; and between Osceola and Weaubleau, for a distance of about 6 « miles, 65 pounds, making a total covering the whole distance from Kansas City to Springfield of 168.7 miles of 56 pounds; 11.5 miles, 65 pounds; 2.8 miles, 75 pounds, , and 11 miles 85-pound steel.
The light rails seem to be of good quality as to strength and toughness, but they are badly bent, both as to line and surface, they having been in service so long they probably never can be made smooth again.
The ballast is not at all uniform, many stretches varying in distance being of dirt and of cinders and of rock. Between Grand View and Harrisonville, almost the entire distance, the ballast is rock, as also between Maurine and Clinton; between Clinton and Brownington; between Brownington and Lowry City; between Gerster and Weaubleau; and at various other places for short distances.
The tie condition is not good -- too large a per cent of them unsound for the traffic maintained. In passing judgment as to what constitutes good or bad track we do not forget the fact that the service should be considered, knowing that what may be good track conditions on one line would be very poor, even to the point of not being safe on another; and while we know that this is a branch line, in the sense that it is not the main line, yet the business done is quite heavy and the general conditions as to ballast, ties, rails and other essentials are not good and should be improved.
We desire also to make specific mention of the following defects, which should have attention:
Crossing plank out Centropolis Junction; chipped rail mile post 9; bad ties at 10 and 11; crossing plank out at Edgecomb; broken frog at Missouri Pacific crossing; angle bar with no bolts in one end, Dodson Junction; crossing plank out Grand View Junction; crossing sign out south of Grand View Junction; crossing sign out at mile post 25; no bolts one end of angle bar north of mile post 26; bad ties and chipped rail north of Belton; two crossings with plank out and bad ties in yards at Belton; two half angle bars mile post 30; broken rail, spliced but not bolted, and split rail, between mile posts 30 and 31; crossing planks out north of Harrelson; cattle guard out south of Harrelson station; crossing plank out, four half angle bars between mile posts 34 and 34; crossing plank out at Peculiar; another north of whistling post.Crossing plant and split rail six inches long south of Peculiar; cut needs ditching; crossing plank out north of mile post 38; cut needs ditching mile post 39; bad joint and split and chipped rail mile post 41,; cattle guard out and crossing plank out mile post 42; cattle guard out at 43; same at 44; chipped rail, angle bar with no bolts, many bad ties, broken angle bar in yards at Harrisonville.
Broken angle bar at mile post 47; crossing plank out at 48; chipped rail at 49; chipped rail on bridge at 52; chipped rail at 51.
Two chipped rails opposite depot at East Lynne; crossing plank out, split rail at 53; split rail at 55; chipped rail at 57; flat rail at 59; bad ties at 59.2.
Chipped rail on crossing at mile post 60; bad ties at 61.2, 61.4, and 62; broken angle bar at 62.2, half angle bar at 62.2; half angle bar at 63.6; another at 63; split rail, half angle bar and crossing plank out at 65.
Half angle bar at 66; half angle bar at 66.2; flat rail in yards at Blairstown.
Angle bar with no bolts at 72; same at 72.5; chipped rail at 74.2; crossing plank out at 74; crossing plank out at station at Maurine.
Two crossing signs out at Maurine; crossing plank out at mile post 75; split rail at 76.5; broken angle bar at 76; crossing plank out at 77 and 79.
Crossing plant out at Harvey; chipped and split rail east of Harvey; badly split rail west of mile post 81.4; chipped and split rail west of 81.7; four crossing planks out east of Lane's Spur; chipped rail at 85; bad ties at 93; two chipped rails at 93; same at 94.
Crossing plank out north of Browningon.
Crossing plank out at 96.7; mashed rail at 96; crossing plank and chipped rail at 99.2; crossing plank out at 98.8; same at Chloe; same at 102, also split rail; five crossing with no planks at Lowry City.
Flat and split rail at 106; crossing plank out at 106, 107, and 108; chipped rail at 108.
Overhead bridge between Harlan and Tracy being of no use and liable to fall at any time by not being sufficiently braced, should be taken out. This, we were advised by Superintendent O'Hara. would be taken out at once. Crossing plank out at 120; half angle bar at 122; chipped rail at 123.
Bad ties at mile post 127.5; crossing sign out at 128. Crossing plank out at 138.5; chipped rail at 139.3; bad ties at same; crossing plant out at 142. Cut just west of 144 very narrow and filled with loose rock and should be cleaned out and the loose rock taken off from each side. As it now is it is in bad shape and could be made very dangerous for passing trains.
Crossing plank out at 144.6; bad ties 145; crossing plank out 148.3 and 149.9; bad ties at 150.
Crossing plank out at 151.5, 152.3 and 152.5; bad ties at 153.6; same at 154 to Karlin Station.
Bad ties south of 155 to 157.9; crossing plank out at 158.4; bad ties at 138.4 [sic].
Bad ties 159.6 and 160; bad ties 164; crossing sign out at station at Wishart.
Crossing plank and sign out at station at Wishart; many bad ties from Wishart to mile post 166; crossing sign out at Graydon; bad ties at 166.8; same at 167; three chipped rails at 168.
FINDING
Now, on the 9th day of August, A.D. 1911, at a meeting of the Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners of the State of Missouri, held at the Baltimore Hotel, Kansas City, Mo., present, H. R. Oglesby and F. A. Wightman, members of the Board of Railroad and Warehouses Commissioners of the State of Missouri, the matter of the examination and inspection of the tracks, bridges, and superstructure of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad from Kansas City, via Clinton, to Springfield, a distance of about 194 miles, beginning Friday, July 21, 1914 and concluding at Springfield in the afternoon of July 22, 1911, coming on for consideration before said Board, and after further considering the report of the examination and inspection of said railroad, which said report in words and figures as follows:
[Small type repeat of report above]
The said Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners of the State of Missouri finds and believes and it is the opinion of said Board that the tie condition should be improved by removing ties that are weakened by decay and replacing them with new ones in sufficient numbers as will insure a reasonably safe tie support; that the ballast should be improved; that the ditches on each side of the track should be kept cleaned out so that the water may be carried away rapidly, and that the cut where notes as being too narrow and too much filled should be at once cleaned out and widened; that all broken, cracked and half angle bars reports herein should be replaced with new ones; that all angle bars noted in this report as not well bolted should be thoroughly bolted; that all crossings noted as not well, planked should be fully planked as the law requires; that all chipped, cracked, split, broken, mashed and spliced rails mentioned in this report should; be taken out and new ones put in their place, and the bad joints noted at once remedied; that all ties mentioned in this report as defective should be removed and new ones placed in their stead; that grass and weeds should be cleaned off the track and adjacent right of way; that all missing crossing signs noted in this report be supplied as the law requires that all cattle guard noted in this report as missing or partially so, be rebuilt, as the law requires; and the unsafe overhead bridge, noted herein, be at once removed.
ORDER
Therefore, it is considered, ordered and adjudged by the said Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners that the tie condition should be improved by removing ties that are weakened by decay and replacing them with new ones in sufficient numbers as will insure a reasonably safe tie support; that the ballast should be improved; that the ditches on each side of the track should be kept cleaned out so that the water may be carried away rapidly, and that the cut where notes as being too narrow and too much filled should be at once cleaned out and widened; that all broken, cracked and half angle bars reports herein should be replaced with new ones; that all angle bars noted in this report as not well bolted should be thoroughly bolted; that all crossings noted as not well, planked should be fully planked as the law requires; that all chipped, cracked, split, broken, mashed and spliced rails mentioned in this report should; be taken out and new ones put in their place, and the bad joints noted at once remedied; that all ties mentioned in this report as defective should be removed and new ones placed in their stead; that grass and weeds should be cleaned off the track and adjacent right of way; that all missing crossing signs noted in this report be supplied as the law requires that all cattle guard noted in this report as missing or partially so, be rebuilt, as the law requires; and the unsafe overhead bridge, noted herein, be at once removed.
And it is further considered, ordered and adjudged by the said Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners that all of the repairs, improvements and matters and things herein ordered shall be completed within sixty days from the date hereof, and that a full and detailed report of repairs completed be made by the superintendent of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad to the said Railroad and Warehouse Commission of Missouri, on or before the expiration of the sixty days herein specified.
Report of Inspection of Depots on Line of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad from Kansas City, via Clinton, to Springfield, by Commissioners Oglesby and Wightman, with the Secretary, Beginning Friday, July 21, 1911, and Concluding at Springfield in the Afternoon of July 22, 1911.
Report of Inspection of Depots on Line of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad .... by Commissioners Oglesby and Wightman, with the Secretary, Monday, July 24, 1911, Including Springfield Depot.