Large Scale Central

Book/resource help.

General Discussion
#1

Hello train friends. I need some research help. First off is there anyone out there that knows anything about the Texas & St. Louis railway specifically what equipment it might have owned and sold in 1886.

Next does anyone have a copy of Cotton Belt Locomotives? If so could you scan for me page 275 and any preceding or pages after that talk about the Texas & St. Louis Ry and its sales of two coaches and two locomotives and any other equipment to Coeur d’Alene Railway and Navigation Company.

Does anyone have a copy of the Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History Volume 2. If so could you scan page 206 for me which should show a roster of CR&N in 1886.

Finally I have a reference for Railway Gazette, December 23, 1881. I can’t even Google this. What publication would this be and where could I find it?

#2

Also Sea to Sky Gold Rush Route. page 74 is supposed to show coach 214 prior to its being rebuilt. Could I get a scan of that photo and also its source.

#3

Devon, my resource book doesn’t say what the Texas and St. Lois sold, but it does say that the Coeur d’Alane used 2 ex Texas and St. Louis 2-6-0s for the construction trains. The T&St.L preferred Grant locomotives, but it doesn’t say that the 2-6-0s were from that builder. Also, since the T&St.L converted from 3 foot gauge to standard gauge in 1886, then presumably they would have sold off all the narrow gauge equipment, except for the locomotives that they converted to standard gauge. A footnote says the conversion was “unsatisfactory”.

Beyond that, I don’t know nothin.

#4

Devon,
You might want to see if the St. Louis library has any of these titles on hold. The web address is
http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/index.html

They have a pretty deep library and have a very good inter library loan system in place as well.

Railway Gazette was the railroad industry magazine before Railway Age came around. I think the library might have copies of the Gazette as well, but they might not be available for ILL.

#5

David Maynard said:

Devon, my resource book doesn’t say what the Texas and St. Lois sold, but it does say that the Coeur d’Alane used 2 ex Texas and St. Louis 2-6-0s for the construction trains. The T&St.L preferred Grant locomotives, but it doesn’t say that the 2-6-0s were from that builder. Also, since the T&St.L converted from 3 foot gauge to standard gauge in 1886, then presumably they would have sold off all the narrow gauge equipment, except for the locomotives that they converted to standard gauge. A footnote says the conversion was “unsatisfactory”.

Beyond that, I don’t know nothin.

Thanks for trying. It is of no doubt that the CR&N #1 and #2 were ex Texas & St Louis Ry Grant locos. This is documented pretty well. I just read about the conversion to Standard gauge in 1886 and this is the year CR&N bought them. What we really are looking for is what else came along for the ride. Especially did two J G Brill & Company coaches come as part of the purchase?

Thanks again for trying. BTW what references are you seeing this in?

#6

Craig Townsend said:
Devon, You might want to see if the St. Louis library has any of these titles on hold. The web address is http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/index.html They have a pretty deep library and have a very good inter library loan system in place as well. Railway Gazette was the railroad industry magazine before Railway Age came around. I think the library might have copies of the Gazette as well, but hey might not be available for ILL.

hanks for that link I will poke around there and see if i can come up with something.

#7

World Cat is a really good resource to use to find library books as well. That’s how I found about the St. Louis library…

Worldcat.org

I should also say that your local librarian can be a good resource. If you have the publication information and the title, they can do the leg work and see if those titles are available on ILL. Most ILL librarians are really good at finding stuff as that’s their job!

#8

Yeah WorldCat is awesome. I found NP records in several archives thanks to World Cat. I am hoping to avoid actually getting these books for just one or two pages of reference. If someone has them and can scan them for me it would save me some trouble. If not I will track them down. My local library likes me and they have a great inter library loan service also.

#9

Devon Sinsley said:

Yeah WorldCat is awesome. I found NP records in several archives thanks to World Cat. I am hoping to avoid actually getting these books for just one or two pages of reference. If someone has them and can scan them for me it would save me some trouble. If not I will track them down. My local library likes me and they have a great inter library loan service also.

Don’t feel bad for ordering a book on ILL for one page… I’ve done myself a few times and it ends ups leading to more questions or answers… When I do get a ILL book I make sure to copy the publication info and where it was loaned from so if I need it again it makes life a lot easier!