TERMINAL RR, Issue 65, 2005 St. Louis Municipal Bridge, St. Louis & O'Fallon NEW for Sale

On eBay Now...

TERMINAL RR, Issue 65, 2005 St. Louis Municipal Bridge, St. Louis & O'Fallon NEW For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

TERMINAL RR, Issue 65, 2005 St. Louis Municipal Bridge, St. Louis & O'Fallon NEW:
$39.95

Terminal Railroad Association
The official Publication of the Terminal Railroad AssociationHistorical & Technical Society.

Each issue contains in-depth articles covering the history of the Terminal Railroadandother railroadsserved by the Terminal Railroad. Each issue is fully illustrated with color and b&w images, ephemera, track plans, maps, diagrams, menus, and fold-out tip-ins.

This is an unopenedBRAND NEWMAGAZINE (not used).
We handle all magazines with white gloves (no fingerprints on your magazine).
A Railroad Bookmark is included with each item.
Magazine is wrappedin white paperand mailed in a top-quality, durable packagew/CARDBOARD INSERT.
We try hard to be the NUMBER 1 Railroad Book& MagazineDealer on with 2,000+ titles.
Order before 3:00 pm (ET) for same-day postal mailing.

Issue#65 - 2005In the course of speaking about the Terminal Railroad, especially when the Travelling TRRA H&TS is on the road, I have found that there seems to be some confusion when it comes to the names and owners of the St. Louis railroad bridges spanning the Mississippi River. When the eyes of those inquiring minds start to glaze over - I know that they are lost - like pigeons circling about overhead unsure of what building on which to land. My words pass over their heads as I talk on about the Eads Bridge, the Merchants Bridge, the McKinley Bridge and the MacArthur Bridge - answering their questions even to the last time the Eads Bridge was used. (July 1974)

And the confusion isn't limited to those having a passing curiosity in St. Louis railroad history. Many of us have chuckled as theSt. Louis Post- Dispatchhas reported that the Illinois Terminal Railway built the Eads Bridge or that the Terminal Railroad of St. Louis owned the McKinley Bridge until purchased by the city of Venice, Illinois. One personal favorite error was when aPost-Dispatchwriter noted that since the MacArthur Bridge was closed due to a derailment, all rail traffic would be re-routed via the Mercantile Bridge. (March 2, 2003)

Society member Richard Castagna has written what is to be considered the defining history of the MacArthur Bridge - the reasons for its existence, the planning, construction, financing, and the so called Public Mandate - nothing more than a frenzy whipped up by the area newspapers of the day. A frequent comment heard and read at the time was that St. Louis deserved a Free Bridge - the fact that the bonds were not paid off until 1986 underlies the myth about much in life - nothing is really free.

Imagine, if the monies spent on the bridge over the years - the cash to the contractors, steel suppliers, maintenance, employees, bureaucrats, interest on the bonds, and everything else - had been devoted instead to more civic minded projects such as improving the riverfront, beefing up the City Police or Fire Departments or slimming down a bloated city government.

Of course, the irony in all of this is that the Municipal/MacArthur Bridge, aka theFree Bridge, is now owned by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, the long time villain in the eyes of many in the St. Louis media.

In this issue the history of the Municipal Bridge is detailed, its operation and the ongoing maintenance written in an easy to read style. Many of us will remember the long standing Gratiot Tower on the west end of the bridge - an anachronism itself as it was owned by the City of St. Louis yet staffed by TRRA employees, but paid from City coffers.

Special thanks goes to those who dug through their photo collections and crafted the photos used - including Joe Collias, Louis Marre, Bill Raia, Bill Peters, and the J.R. Eike glass plate negatives from Thomas Kempland. The special treat in this issue is the St. Louis & O'Fallon story.
-- The Editor

Contents:The Editor's Page
Page 2

St. Louis Municipal Bridge Railway Company
Page 3

The St. Louis Municipal Bridge
The Power of Public Mandate:
The Tactics and Negotiations for the Reduction of Railroad Freight Rates and the Construction of the Municipal Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri
Richard M. Castagna
Pages 4-53, with maps, timetables, many B&W photos, two foldouts

A Trip Across the Bridge
A Ride with the Dupo Transfer across the Municipal Bridge
Richard M. Castagna
Pages 54-58, with 5 color photos, 1 B&W photo

The Municipal Bridge Fees
Nothing is Really Free
Richard Castagna
Page 59

The Southern Traction Company
What Money Couldn't Buy
Richard Castagna
Pages 60-66, with B&W and color photos, maps, foldout page

Recollections of a New York Central Terminal Superintendent at East St. Louis, Illinois
"...the GM&O used to tie-up the whole East bank with their train to the south..."
Lawrence Baggerly
Page 67

A Tale of Two Towers
Working at Carroll Street or Gratiot Tower Provided a Challenge on a Daily Basis
Richard M. Castagna
Pages 68-73, with B&W and color photos, letters

Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Safety Board
Railroad Employee Accident Investigation - Report No. 19
Manufacturers Railway - East St. Louis, Illinois - August 9, 1973
Page 74

St. Louis Municipal Bridge Railway -In Color
Pages 75-81

The Ralston Purina Mill Fire
...a disaster waiting to happen...
Lawrence Thomas
Pages 82-86, with foldout

The St. Louis and O'Fallon Railway
Its Commodity Was Coal
Lawrence Thomas
Pages 87-96

"...The Greatest Lawsuit in History..."
So said the attorney pleading before Congress for more funds to widen the Investigation
Lawrence Thomas
Pages 97-100

I Remember the St. Louis and O'Fallon
"...they must have operated under yard rules, as I never saw a timetable..."
Walter W. Simms
Page 101

Footnotes and Additional Sources
Pages 102-104

Terminal Railroad Association Historical & Technical Societyfull size 8.5x11 magazine with 110pages, numerous color and b&w images, ephemera, track plans, maps, diagrams, menus, and fold-out tip-ins. seller’s note:
We also have other recent past magazine issues available.
See our store (Golden Age Books) under the category:
RR Historical Society Mags

Visit our store to view other books& magazinesof interest.
We add new books& magazinesregularly so check back often.
We sell Railroad & Model Railroad books& magazines of the Golden Age Era.WE PACKAGE OURMAGAZINESEXTREMELY WELL SO THEMAGAZINEWILL NOT BE DAMAGED IN THE MAIL.
No one packagesmagazines better than we do.
response from a few happy customers:
“Packed like a magazine SHOULD be packed!”
“Excellent custom cardboard backing to keep from bending!”
“The best packaging I've ever seen.”
“Excellent packaging to prevent damage!”
“Packaged VERYWELL,quickly shipped,buy again.”
“BEST packaging I’ve seen for a magazine. Shipped very quickly.”