Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Hamilton Belt Railway

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 149

The Hamilton Belt Railway

Location and General Description of Property

The railroad of The Hamilton Belt Railway Company, herein called the carrier, is a single-track belt line, operated as a switching and terminal railroad, in and adjacent to the city of Hamilton, Ohio, extending from Belt Line Junction to Wayne Avenue. The carrier wholly owns and uses 2.944 miles of main track and 3.303 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus embraces 6.247 miles of all tracks.

Introductory

The carrier is a corporation of the State of Ohio, having its principal office at Hamilton, Ohio. There were no available accounting records of the carrier for the period from the date of its organization to June 30, 1907. The opening entries in the records reviewed are dated June 30, 1907, and contain certain data covering the period mentioned, pertaining to its finances, investments, and operations which were stated to have been taken from the books of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway Company. The carrier is controlled by the Toledo and Cincinnati Railroad Company through ownership of more than 82 per cent of its capital stock, the latter in turn being controlled by The Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company through ownership of the entire capital stock. On the other hand, the records do not indicate that this company, itself, controls any other carrier corporations.

The property of the carrier was operated by its own organization from December 1, 1899, to December 31, 1917, under the management of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton and later under the management of the Baltimore and Ohio. On January 1, 1918, its common-carrier property was taken over for operation by the United States Railroad Administration, which operated it on date of valuation.

Corporate History

The carrier was incorporated May 2, 1896, under the general laws of the State of Ohio. The date of its organization was June 2, 1896.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The owned mileage of the carrier, 2.944 miles, was acquired by construction and was placed in operation December 1, 1899.

Leased Railway Property

On January 1, 1918, the common-carrier property of the carrier was taken over for operation by the railroad administration which operated it on date of valuation. The annual rental for the use of the property by the railroad administration is $7,040.29, none of which, however, has been accrued as rental from lease of road in its accounts at date of valuation.