Pennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh. St. Louis System. Predecessor and subsidiary companies.

The St. Louis System of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Lines West Organization was created on January 1, 1917, for the purpose of operating the railroad lines of the former Vandalia Railroad Company and affiliates. These consisted of a main line running from Indianapolis to St. Louis and branches from Terre Haute to Peoria and from Terre Haute to Frankfort. Upon the abolition of the Lines West Organization on March 1, 1920, these lines became part of the PRR's Southwestern Region.

The nucleus of the St. Louis system was the Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad Company, which began construction between Terre Haute and Indianapolis in 1852. This company changed its name in 1865 to The Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road Company and continued in existence until 1905 when it was consolidated with other companies to form the Vandalia Railroad Company. The Terre Haute & Indianapolis became affiliated with the PRR in 1868, and the PRR then organized and built the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute to reach St. Louis. This latter railroad was leased by the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road Company upon its completion in 1870.

The Terre Haute and Logansport Railroad was constructed between Rockville and Logansport, Indiana, in 1870 and 1871 except the portion between Clymers and Logansport which was not completed until 1875. Construction work was done under the charter of the Logansport, Crawfordsville and South Western Railway Company. The line from Logansport to South Bend, Indiana, was constructed by the Terre Haute and Logansport Railroad Company in 1884 and these lines were leased to The Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road Company.

The line between Logansport and Butler, Indiana, was built in 1874 by the Detroit, Eel River and Illinois Rail Road Company. This Company was reorganized as the Eel River Railroad Company and again reorganized as the Logansport & Toledo Railway Company which had been formed in the interest of the Pennsylvania Railroad System. This line was operated by the Wabash Railroad and its predecessors from 1879 until it was taken over by Pennsylvania Railroad interests.

In 1892 the Terre Haute & Indianapolis leased the property of the Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad Company. Its several predecessor companies had completed the line between Farrington and Farmdale, Ill., near Peoria between 1872 and 1874.

The Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad Company failed to meet its obligations to the various companies whose railroads had been leased to it and to pay the interest due on bonds issued by the companies owning those leased lines and the property was placed in the hands of Volney T. Malott, Receiver, on November 14, 1896. The Receiver continued to operate these several lines but the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road Company's property was not sold under foreclosure. The receivership was terminated when this Company was consolidated with The St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad Company, the Terre Haute & Logansport Railway Company and the Indianapolis and Vincennes Railroad Company in 1905 to form Vandalia Railroad Company.

The St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute was admitted to membership in the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, a joint terminal and belt railroad organized in 1889. The company had constructed the present St. Louis Union Depot in 1893-1894.

From the description of Corporate records, 1847-1956. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86093983