Rare Books
A descriptive and historical account of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway : from its first projection to the present time, containing all the facts and information that have yet appeared on the subject, with numerous interesting and curious original details, estimates of expenses, &c. &c
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A descriptive and historical account of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, from its first projection to the present time : containing all the facts and information that have yet appeared on the subject, with numerous interesting and curious details, estimates of expenses, &c. &c
Rare Books
4822
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This item provides an answer to a question never addressed in the press at the time: why did Obregón suddenly cancel his appearance at the opening ceremonies of the line in -It was because a carload of troops escorting a passenger train in Jalisco state had been massacred, and it was felt by the SP and SPM that the luminaries gathered for an SPM celebration would be potential targets as well. "Persons who do this would probably consider it much more effective to massacre the kind of party proposed to be gathered at Salsipuedes viaduct [the planned ceremony location]," notes William Sproule in a letter shortly after the event. "The occasion is not of sufficient importance to have a large number of them risk their lives," concurs H.W. de Forest. Many useful items herein, such as a record of actions by the Executive Committee of the SPM in terms of negotiations with Mexican government. (1921-26). This is a VERY useful summary, dated 3/18/26. (Trivia Dept.: Includes most detailed estimate I've seen yet of the length of the final Tepic-La Quemada leg: 102.816 miles! That's accuracy within four feet! Earlier estimates said 102.79; others I've seen round it down to 102, and most recent published SP history by Don L. Hofsommer actually puts it at 90 miles, for some reason.) Also includes half-broadsheet-sized article on SPM that appeared in the Kansas City Star on Jan. 11, 1925, Section C[?], p. 1. Obregon appears to have had the best relations with SPM. Envelope at end contains large number of mounted news clippings
Manuscripts
These materials, consisting primarily of correspondence but also including maps, news clippings, photographs, and blueprints, are arranged and bound by topic according to the Southern Pacific's internal organizational schema. There are 160 individual bound items in these 23 boxes. Each grouping is in reverse chronological order as it was originally filed by SP de México administrators. Collection has material in English and Spanish.
mssSPdeMéxicocollection
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[in manila envelope with Item 2 below] "Proposed Construction by Mexican Government of Railroad from Terminus of Inter-California Southern Railway to the Gulf. Possible Sale Inter-California to Mexican Government. Possible Abandonment I.C.S." File No. 080-2, Part 2. From (~1.25"). Mexican government apparently wanted to buy this line from the SP, but didn't have cash. SP proposed a trade of Mexican fuel oil, enough to meet the SPM's 700,000 barrel-per-year needs, for some period of years, in exchange. It appears that govt. finally decided to take line in exchange for paying 2% of gross receipts to the ICS (and thus to the SPM), after several other creative (and apparently unsuccessful) proposals. Apparently labor issues were a key factor in the relinquishing of this line, and considerable railroad labor discussion and detail is included herein. Other items include a letter from Walter Douglas to Obregón about the ICS, dated 5/13/39; a curt letter from Walter Douglas to A.D. McDonald in NY that notes that "Mr. Guy Shoup seems to be disturbed over the fact that the ICS has no right of way through the Andrade Lands, title to which seems still to be in litigation... I can see no reason for going to this expense at this time. So far as the Southern Pacific of Mexico is concerned, our tracks pass over hundreds of kilometers of lands to which we have no legal title, and I don't see any reason why in the case of the ICS any additional cost should be incurred by purchasing a right of way from which we will probably never be disturbed. We have written to Mr. Shoup to this effect...." Very rare to see this kind of candidness from the SP in any of published material on them! Most of their corporate records have very carefully excised or hidden this type of admission... and one reason the SPM's records are such a great hook into the parent SP corporation
Manuscripts
These materials, consisting primarily of correspondence but also including maps, news clippings, photographs, and blueprints, are arranged and bound by topic according to the Southern Pacific's internal organizational schema. There are 160 individual bound items in these 23 boxes. Each grouping is in reverse chronological order as it was originally filed by SP de México administrators. Collection has material in English and Spanish.
mssSPdeMéxicocollection