Re: (rshsdepot) Willshire, Indiana

["Don Dorflinger" <donnielee46_@_hotmail.com>]

I would suspect that they would use less steel in the fact that narrow gauge 
lines might be laid with 60 or 70 lb rail (given the lighter weight of the 
equipment), as opposed to, say, 100 - 100+ lb rail for standard gauge...thus 
saving around 30 - 40 pounds of steel per yard...or an average of 61 tons 
per mile.

Don



>From: "Paul S. Luchter" <luckyshow_@_mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net
>To: <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
>Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) Willshire, Indiana
>Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 01:14:49 -0400
>
>1) 4' 8½"
>
>2) Why would narrow gauge railroads use less steel? Wood (ties) maybe, but
>steel?
>
>3) After the SP standard gauged the line to Santa Cruz it began to wash out
>too often which eventually led to its abandonment [from an earlier"thread"]
>
>4) Nice story-where's the photo?
>
>Paul
>-----Original Message-----
>From: James Dent <james.dent_@_itochu.com>
>To: RSHS List <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
>Date: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 9:58 AM
>Subject: (rshsdepot) Willshire, Indiana
>
>
> >From the Decatur, IN Tribune...
> >
> >Piece of history hidden in river brush
> >By JIM LANGHAM April 28, 2001
> >
> > Hidden in the river brush on the north edge of Willshire is a chunk of
> >American history that once reached from St. Louis to Toledo and 
>eventually
> >to regions beyond.
> >About a fourth of a mile north of the intersection of Ohio 49 and 81,
>stands
> >a well preserved bridge that was once a part of the Toledo, St. Louis, 
>and
> >Western Railroad as it passed through that village.
> >
> >The bridge is neatly tucked in the woodlands and brush that meander along
> >with the St. Marys River as it makes its way through the community and on
> >toward Decatur.
> >
> >Better known as, "Clover Leaf" Railway, the line was part of the "Toledo
> >Division" of the railroad, which stretched from Toledo to Frankfort, 
>Ind.,
> >including parts of Adams County. The other section, known as the "St. 
>Louis
> >Division," stretched from Frankfort to St. Louis.
> >
> >Records of the time indicate that the Toledo, St. Louis, and Western
> >Railroad was a remnant of the old Toledo, Cincinnati, and St. Louis, a
> >business effort originally attempting to establish a narrow-guage 
>railroad
> >system. The gauge was the distance between the rails.
> >
> >Standard distance was considered to be four feet, but narrow gauge 
>distance
> >was three feet.
> >
> >Business people investing in the Toledo, St. Louis and Western did so
> >because narrow gauge was thought to be more economical because of
>supposedly
> >using less steel. However, not having a standard gauge width soon started
>to
> >cause serious problems in not having standard moving regulations.
> >
> >Narrow gauge construction seemed to work okay in some areas, but not
>others.
> >It seemed most effective in remote regions of the west when traffic on 
>the
> >rails was light and the line was not considered to be a long-term 
>solution.
> >
> >The Toledo, St. Louis and Western was part of a recovery effort for what
>had
> >been a sagging railroad business. Backed by the famous Chicago 
>meatpacker,
> >Phillip Armour, the effort was a second reorganization of the Clover Leaf
>to
> >become more efficient and a good fit with the Nickel Plate moving into 
>the
> >20th century.
> >
> >However, overeactionary business decisions once again sent the company 
>into
> >receivership for eight years. Although the company met its obligations
> >during that time, the infrastructure was declining. Very few repairs were
> >made to the tracks and the purchase of new passenger cars was in limbo.
> >
> >Finally, after concerted efforts to save the company, the Toledo, St.
>Louis,
> >and Western Railroad became part of the Nickel Plate on Dec. 28, 1922.
> >
> >As was the case in most small communities, the arrival of the T, St.L. 
>and
>W
> >to the Willshire community opened up the area to the outside world. 
>Opening
> >up the Black Swamp and developing a community for commerce had been no 
>easy
> >task, especially following the great sweep of illness that nearly wiped 
>out
> >the community in the middle of the 19th century.
> >
> >Once the railroad was completed, grain mills, factories, and places of
> >business immediately sprung up in its path. Everything from passenger
> >service to freight and shipping had now become as close to Willshire as 
>the
> >shake of a hand.
> >
> >Early pictures of the railroad in the community include the neatly-built
>old
> >depot and  a section hands vehicle surrounded by local residents Hobart
> >Strickler, Will Lahmon, William Reece, Bennie Brandt, and Jim Wyer.
> >
> >Once the train got rolling, eastbound passenger trains left at 6:57 p.m.
> >5:38 a.m., 12:08 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. Westbound trains left at 11:09 a.m.,
> >9:01 p.m., 10:00 a.m., and 5:05 a. m.
> >
> >The early Willshire area was described in the 1981 Van Wert County 
>history
> >book as some of the finest farm area in the region. "Hogs ranged at large
> >and were ready for the knife," described the book. "Wild honey could be
> >found in superabundance. The forests up to this time swarmed with 
>choicest
> >furs."
> >
> >A little walk across the old bridge these days is like a stroll into the
> >past, particularly in walking to the west.
> >The tower of the local grain mill can be seen at the "end" of the track, 
>as
> >though it were waiting to be unburdened of a heavy load of grain. A small
> >marker just west of the bridge has a well-preserved "W" on it.
> >
> >Although the railroad bed is nothing more than river stone, stripped of 
>its
> >original purpose, one can almost hear a distant whistle of some phantom
> >train traveling through time as a reminder of days when the Toledo, St.
> >Louis, and Western Railroad passed through Willshire.
> >
> >
> >
>

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