Salem Branch, Rolla-Lebanon Sub

[rogerrt477]

Lead Junction to Buick, MO.-

M.P.- Station---- Blt.- P.C.
100.4 Lead Jct.-- 1967 SLSF
107.5 Cherryville- 1967 SLSF
122.9 St.Joe----- 1967 SLSF
123.3 Viburnum-- 1967 SLSF
127.4 Bixby------ 1967 SLSF
130.0 Buick------ 1967 SLSF

Predecessor Company-
1) SLSF-St.Louis-San Francisco RY

Notes-
1) Connects with Salem Branch at Lead Jct.
2) Viburnum to Bixby built on abandoned Sligo & Eastern RR right-of-way.
3) Buick end-of-branch.

[rogerrt477]

Bangert to Condrary, MO.-

M.P. Station------ Blt.- Aban. P.C.
0.0 Bangert------ 1879 1900 SLS&LR
?.? Avery-------- 1879 1900 "
?.? Hawkin's Bank 1879 1900 "
?.? Condrary----- 1879 1900 SLS&LR

Predecessor Company-
1) SLS&LR-St.Louis, Salem & Little Rock RR

Notes-
1) Connects with Salem Branch at Bangert.
2) Branch constructed to serve area iron mines.
3) Condrary end-of-branch.

[rogerrt477]

Howes to Plank Iron Mine, MO.

M.P. Station-------- Blt.- Aban. P.C.-
0.0 Howes--------- 1874 1900 SLS&LR
5.0 Plank Iron Mines 1874 1900 SLS&LR

Predecessor Company-
1) SLS&LR- St.Louis, Salem & Little Rock RR

Notes-
1) Connects with Salem Branch at Howes.
2) Plank Iron Mines end-of-branch.

[rogerrt477]

Bangert to DeCamp, MO.-

M.P. Station- Blt.- Aban. P.C.-
0.0 Bangert- 1877 1934 D&P
4.0 Wrinkler- 1878 1934 D&P
?.? Smith's-- 1900 1934 SLSF
13.0 DeCamp 1905 1934 SLSF

Predecessor Companies-
1) D&P-Dent & Phelps RR
2) SLSF-St.Louis & San Francisco RR

Notes-
1) Connects with Salem Branch at Bangert.
2) DeCamp end-of-branch.

[rogerrt477]

Cherry Valley Jct. to Cherry Valley, MO.-

M.P. Station---------- Blt.- Aban. P.C.-
0.0 Cherry Valley Jct.- 1877 1957? CVRR
4.6 Elayer------------ 1877 1957? CVRR
6.0 Cherry Valley----- 1877 1957? CVRR

Predecessor Company-
1) CVRR-Cherry Valley RR

Notes-
1) Connects with Salem Branch at Cherry Valley Jct.
2) Cherry Valley end-of-branch.

[patrick]

Does anyone have any pictures of trains travelling on the old Salem Branch? This particular line has always been of interest to me, but information and pictures seem to be scarce. I have one, a small freight consist pulled by a single Burlington Northern GP38-2 (former Frisco No. 698)taken in the summer of 1984, one of the last, if not the last, train that was ever run on the line. The picture was taken in Wesco MO. I also have a photograph of the Wesco depot taken in the 1920's. I would like to post these, but I don't have a scanner at this time. If anyone has further information on this line or the Cherryvalley and Sligo and Eastern, please e-mail me.

[roger]

Pat, there is an article by Frank Barry travelling on the Rolla Sub and down the Salem Branch in the Jan.1982 issue of Trains Pgs.44-47 which includes a couple of photos at Steelville & Salem.

[roger]

Roger R.Taylor
Line Segment 108-
Bixby to East End (Rulon), MO.

Station- M.P. Blt. Aban. P.C. County
Bixby 0.0 1912 1929 S&ERR Iron
East End (Rulon) 7.? 1912 1929 S&ERR Iron


Predecessor Company-
1) S&ERR- Sligo & Eastern RR

Notes-
1) Rails removed Winter 1932-33.
1) East End (Rulon), MO.-
The village of East End is in the west end of Iron County about 1/4th a mile northeast of the junction of HWY 32 & 49. The first names applied to East End were Goodwater and Goodland. Goodwater was on the north side of HWY 32 and Goodland was on the south side.
In 1912, the railroad reached the town. This was the east end of the Sligo & Eastern RR, thus the town was renamed East End. In 1929, the construction of HWY 32 began, HWY 49 was constructed later.
Sawmills sprang up overnight. After the logs were sawed into lumber, the roughage was used to make cordwood. In 1929, the railroad was abandoned because there was not enough timber left to make the railroad profitable. Today at East End, there is a store and three houses

[roger]

Roger R. Taylor
Line Segment 109-
Bixby to Buick, MO.

Station- M.P. Blt. Aban. P.C. County
Bixby 0.0 1912 1930 S&ERR Iron
Buick 5.? 1912 1930 S&ERR Iron

Predecessor Company-
1) S&ERR- Sligo & Eastern RR

Notes-
1) Rails removed Winter 1932-33.

[roger]

Roger R. Taylor
Line Segment 107-
Goltra to Bixby, MO.

Stations- M.P. Blt. Aban. P.C. County-
Goltra 0.0 1881 1934 SFRR Dent
Sligo Furn. 5.1 1881 1934 SFRR Dent

Sligo Furn. 0.0 1906 1930 S&ERR Dent
Sligo 1.0 1906 1930 S&ERR Dent
Dillard 12.5 1906 1930 S&ERR Crawford
Viburnum ??.? 1906 1930 S&ERR Iron
Bixby 22.? 1906 1930 S&ERR Iron

Predecessor Companies-
1) SFRR- Sligo Furnance RR
2) S&ERR- Sligo & Eastern RR

Notes-
1) Rails removed Sligo to Bixby Winter 1932-1933.
2) Sligo, MO.-
Sligo was established in 1880 by a group of New York capitialists headed by Edward F. Goltra. Sligo lay in the extreme northeastern corner of Dent County. For 42- years the furnaces of Sligo belched thier sparks of steel from flames fed by the woods of the neighboring hillsides and for 20-years the Sligo & Eastern RR, with wood-burning locomotives with drivers geared directly to the cylinders (Shays), were used to haul that fuel and it was found necessary to extend its tracks as the timber supply dissappeared. About 1900, the business of iron was no longer profitable.
Sligo became the possession of the American Car & Foundary Co. in 1901 and the last glowing bar of iron was removed from its furnace in 1921. It was these owners who abandoned the Sligo & Eastern and what ever remained and sold it for scrap around 1932 or 1933. The last crew included Conductor Louis Jamison; Engineer Bud Jamison; Roundhouse Hiney McGinnis; Brakeman Everett Chapman and Walter Ferrell and Fireman Cubert Satterfield.
The giant furnaces, charcoal kilns, machine shops, roundhouse and the old hotel - are all gone. Once with a population of 4000, Sligo had diminished into a village of 4 or 5 houses.

[william]

Roger,
Thanks for the extra info on the Salem Branch and the S & E. I found it very interesting, and I no idea that the line ever went past Buick. In many places, you could never tell that a railroad had passed through the region, for the old roadbed is overgrown with vegetation, and much of it has disappeared into the earth. A local history book that I have states that the Sligo and Eastern used a Shay locomotive on the line, although photos at the Dillard Mill historical site show a conventional steam engine, I believe a mogul type. I have never heard of a Shay operating on the Frisco, so I was wondering if someone else had ever heard of this before.
Thanks again,
Patrick

[roger]

Cuba to Salem, MO.-

Stations- M.P. Blt. Aban.- County-
Cuba 0.0 1873 ----- Crawford
Boyd 4.6 1873 ----- "
Halberts 5.7 1873 ----- "
Bird's Nest 5.7 1873 ----- "
Cherry Valley Jct. 6.9 1873 ----- "
Midland 7.4 1873 ----- "
Sankey 7.8 1873 ----- "
Steelville 8.5 1873 ----- "
Vivian 10.4 1873 ----- "
Roswell 11.3 1873 ----- "
Lead Jct. 14.1 1873 ----- "

Lead Jct. 14.1 1873 1984 Crawford
Highway 14.6 1873 1984 "
Keysville 16.4 1873 1984 "
Crooked Creek 19.5 1873 1984 "
Wesco 21.0 1873 1984 "
Elma 22.7 1873 1984 "
Goltra 23.1 1873 1984 "
Hitch 23.8 1873 1984 "
Charcoal #1 24.1 1873 1984 Dent
Cooks 24.4 1873 1984 "
Charcoal #2 27.7 1873 1984 "
Boscobel 29.3 1873 1984 "
Bangert 30.6 1873 1984 "
Earl's 32.1 1873 1984 "
Howes 35.3 1873 1984 "
Salem 40.3 1873 1984 "

Predecessor Company-
SLS&LR- St.Louis, Salem & Little Rock RR

Notes-
1) Cuba, MO.-
A) Construction begins in spring of 1873.
B) Take MO19 south from I44 through Cuba, take left just before crossing under tracks to yard.
2) Midland, MO. destroyed by flood 7/8/1898.
3) Steelville, MO. depot sold to Kiwanis Club 1978.
4) Salem, MO.-
A) Construction completed 7/1873
B) Depot constructed 1874
C) Depot razed 1966