Railroad Related
Articles from the Bradford Morning Sentinel
1903-1922
Nov
1903:
The
Panhandle is putting in an automatic electric bell at the High Street crossing
in Covington. As a danger signal
these bells are unreliable and practically worthless.
A new
dining car service was put on between here and Indianapolis, Thursday.
No. 32, due here at 11:25 am brings in a diner which is transferred to
No. 7, due here at 12:23 pm.
1/23/1904:
So
soon as spring opens, the Bradford yards are to be considerably enlarged.
During the past week or so, their capacity has proven entirely inadequate to
handle the business which the congested conditions at Columbus and elsewhere has
crowded on the local yards. Last Saturday, five engines were "killed" at the
Summit, being held out there so long to make room for trains here, that the
water gave out and the fire was necessarily drawn. One crew had thirteen
hours overtime. Several new tracks will be added to both yards, probably
twelve in all, making this one of the largest yards west of Pittsburg.
3/19/1904:
A large force
of men has been put to work at the Pan Handle water works station, north of
town, to enlarge the reservoir. The
work will probably require a month and will increase the capacity of the
reservoir sufficiently, it is hoped, to provide an adequate supply of water for
the engines during dry periods
4/30/1904:
Two world’s
fair special trains made up of dining, sleeping and baggage cars passed through
yesterday forenoon. One from
Washington carried many congressmen and senators and their wives;
the other had
the Pennsylvania commissioners to the exposition and their families.
Several little games of draw were in progress on the congressional train.
5/28/1904:
FARES TO ST.
LOUIS
World’s Fair
Excursions via Pennsylvania Lines
The sale of
excursion tickets over Pennsylvania lines to St. Louis, account of the World’s
Fair, will begin on Monday morning, April 25, five days in advance of the date
of the formal opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The excursion fares
from Bradford, O., are fixed as follows:
Tickets good for the season, returning any time to December 15th, will be sold every day at $15 for the round trip.
Tickets good
returning within sixty days, not later than December 15th, will be
sold every day at $13 for the round trip.
Tickets good
returning within fifteen days will be sold every day at $11 for the round trip.
Coach
excursion tickets, with return limit of seven days, will be sold twice a week,
every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning May 17th, until June 30th,
at $8 for the round trip, approximately one cent a mile.
Coach excursion tickets are restricted to day coaches, whether on regular
or special trains.
For further
particulars, consult
C.E. Williams
Ticket agent, Bradford, O.
COACH,
EXCURSIONS TO THE WORLD’S FAIR VIA PENNSYLVANIA LINES
Tuesdays and
Thursdays, May 17, 19, 24, 29 and 31, coach excursions to the World’s Fair, St.
Louis, will be run via Pennsylvania Lines.
On these dates excursion tickets to St. Louis will be sold at $8.00,
round trip from Bradford, O., good only in coaches of train leaving at 4 a.m.
Returning,
tickets will be good only in coaches of regular trains leaving St. Louis station
any time within seven days, including date of purchase.
Return coupons of tickets sold Tuesdays will be good returning until the
following Monday, inclusive, and those sold Thursdays will be good returning
until the following Wednesday, inclusive.
Address. C.E. Williams,
Agent.
6/22/1904:
The Panhandle
will run an excursion to Columbus, Sunday, June 26,
fare for the
round trip, $1.25, train leaves Bradford at 7:15 am, returning leaves Columbus
at 7 pm.
The item
published Saturday to the effect that No. 34 would be discontinued, which was
taken from a Columbus daily, appears to be an error as the train is still
running, although the matter of discontinuing it has been talked of for some
time. Perhaps the officials changed
their minds at the eleventh hour.
The Ohio
special train for Prohibitionists to the national convention in Indianapolis,
June 29-30, will leave Bradford at 12:33 noon, June 28.
By notifying H. M Dershem, Gettysburg at once, how many wish to join this
special, Prohibitionists can have this train stopped at any point in Darke
county.
Within the
next two weeks the Pan Handle will receive seven new passenger locomotives of
the E-2 C class from the Eastern shops.
As soon as the new engines are limbered up pulling freight trains they
will be put in the passenger service pulling the fast trains to St. Louis.
6/29/1904:
It is said
that No. 25 will be run in at least eight sections Saturday, carrying Tammany
and other New York Democrats to the national convention at St Louis.
Thirty seven
tickets were sold here for the Columbus excursion Sunday.
The new time
card which went into effect Sunday morning cuts out train No. 34 which passed
here eastbound at 5:02 pm, and makes No. 33, the 8:55 am westbound, a daily
train. No change was made in
the time of other trains.
The following
is the new time card of the Indianapolis division effective Sunday May 15:
Westbound -
No. 25, 4 am; No. 33, 8:55 am; No. 7, 12:23 pm; No. 19, 7:50 pm.
No. 33 makes connection at with No. 31 at Richmond, arriving at St. Louis
at 7 pm.
Eastbound –
No. 10, 4:13 am; No. 18, 6:26 am; No. 32, 11:55 am; No. 20, 5:25 pm; No. 8, 8:45
pm; No. 24, 10:00 pm.
11/16/1904:
A terrific
storm in the east delayed through trains several hours Monday.
The Panhandle
will likely be double-tracked between Woodstock and Piqua, also Richmond and
Indianapolis next summer.
Engineer F.
M. Green, who has been assigned to the Ridgeville Turn run, brought his
household effects down from Logansport yesterday and will occupy the new Dubois
house on South Miami avenue.
Lineman
Redinger has just replaced the company phones in the yards and offices with new
style instruments and fixed up the lines for winter.
He has put in upwards of fifty instruments along the line this summer.
C. W. Allen,
freight brakeman, was killed at Columbus Saturday noon, by falling between the
cars, his head was cut off and body badly mangled, twenty nine cars passed over
him. The train was in charge of
Conductor Neil and Engineer Mike Coffee. Allen
was a young man and single and his home was at Conover.
2/25/1905:
NEW SLEEPING
CAR SERVICE
Over the
Pennsylvania lines between Bradford and Pittsburg.
New drawing
room sleeping cars with smoking apartments have been placed in service over the
Pennsylvania Lines leaving Bradford at 10 pm, arriving Pittsburg at 6 am.
An order has
been sent out from the general offices of the Pennsylvania railroad providing
that all freight engineers and fireman and men in charge of the shifting engines
in the yards shall wear uniforms after the same patterns as those adopted by the
passenger crews some few months ago.
5/03/1905:
The
Pennsylvania is using the telephone quite extensively in the operation of trains
in the vicinity of Columbus. It was
announced Monday that telephones for the use of trainmen by which they may
notify signal men that trains are in the clear have been installed at Marble
Cliff, Hilliards, Plain City, Unionville and Woodstock.
5/10/1905:
The new block
signal system will be put in operation today on the Indianapolis division, the
work of fitting up various stations having delayed matters.
Brakeman H.
N. Morris, of the west end, who has been having serious trouble with his eyes,
is much improved and expects to return to work in about a week.
Brakeman I.
F. Snyder of the east end was badly squeezed between two cars near Columbus
Saturday. His injuries while
painful are not considered serious.
5/31/1905:
A scrap among
two of the Italians employed in the yards, Saturday night, resulted in one being
seriously wounded, stabbed three times in the side.
The injured man is said to have been the aggressor, is reported dead as
we go to press.
6/03/1905:
An Erie
passenger train ran into a Pan Handle train at Urbana Thursday noon, piling up
on the tracks with debris, no fatalities.
Another
Fatality
Walter
Heffner Meets Death In the Yards
Caught
Between the Cars and Crushed to Death
At 10:50
Wednesday night, while Conductor Bigler’s yard crew was handling a string of
cars for the repair track, Walter Heffner was caught and crushed so seriously
that he died in a few hours. He was driving a knuckle pin in a coupler between
two cuts when the engineer backed up and caught him.
The open space between the track is so narrow that in giving the signal
to move forward it looked like one to back up to the engineer, George Schlofman,
who moved the cars back cautiously, but Walter did not notice them coming and
failed to get out of harm’s way. He
was taken to Dr. Minton’s office where an examination showed the injuries to be
fatal and he died in the course of a few hours.
The remains were taken to his home on South Miami avenue between three
and four o’clock. Undertaker I. B.
Miller took charge of the remains.
Funeral
services to be held this morning, meet at the house at 9, going hence to the C.
P. church, where Rev. Ryall will conduct the services.
Interment at Harris Creek cemetery.
Walter was
one of the most popular of the yard men among his fellow workmen, of a genial
obliging disposition, every man was his firm friend.
Was about 25 years of age, with a wife and two children.
The blow falls particularly heavy upon his mother, coming in less than a
year after his brother Harley’s death in the yards.
The sympathy of the entire community goes out to the bereft mother and
wife.
6/07/1905:
Harry Iddings,
a nephew of Judge Iddings, formerly employed as a telegrapher on the Pan Handle,
later at Troy, has been appointed agent of the Big Four at Arcanum.
6/10/05:
A big
“battleship” locomotive on the Peoria and Eastern division on the Big Four at
Savona, became unmanageable Wednesday, at a crossing and dashed into a
Cincinnati Northern train. The
wreck crew worked twelve hours to fish the monster out of the mud. Trains were
detoured via Greenville. Several
cars were derailed. None of the
trainmen were hurt.
7/08/1905:
The
wreck crew was called to Jordan’s Thursday night, to replace a derailed car.
Earl
Miller, an employee of the Pennsylvania railroad, went to New Madison and
Weaver’s Station, Thursday to repair cars.
As a boy of 16 years, Earl is most competent to enter that kind of
service.
Engineer L F. Chamberlain, of the East End is confined to his Columbus home by a
severe attack of lumbago.
Work
commenced on the west end of the overhead track at Covington, Monday.
A narrow gauge track will be constructed in order to operate a steam
shovel. Four car loads of
tools for the excavation for abutments for the new bridge have arrived.
12/20/1905:
Engineer “Billy” Davis, of the west end, met with an accident at Greenville
Wednesday, which is likely to cost his life.
He was leaning out of the cab window to get a better view of the tracks
on account of the fog when he struck a car on the siding which was not quite in
the clear, knocking him senseless.
Upon examination it was found that his skull was crushed, besides several other
wounds. At last advices his chances
appear rather slim.
Conductor and Mrs. R. T. Hughes stopped over Thursday night with their children,
leaving yesterday for Van Wert county, to spend the holidays with relatives
about the old homestead.
Under
a new schedule in effect Nov. 26, 05 passenger trains over the Pennsylvania
Lines leave Bradford station as follows:
East: No. 10, 4:32 am; No.
18, 6:10 am; No. 32, 11:55 am; No. 20, 5:12 pm; No. 8, 8:40 pm; No. 24, 10:15
pm.
West: Indianapolis Division, No. 25, 4:03 am; No. 33, 8:55 am; No. 7,
12:23 pm; No. 19, 7:50 pm.
West: Chicago Division, No. 41, 6:25 am; No. 21, 10:03 am; No. 33, 3:30
pm; No. 3, 12:15 midnight.
For
particular information on the subject apply to C.E. Williams, Agent.
3/17/1907:
General Foreman Weaver tells us that an average of 1000 cars per month were
repaired here in 1906, and he expects to have additional men and facilities to
increase the output this year.
No.
29, the 18-hour train, fastest in the world, passed through here yesterday noon,
owing to floods east, which have put the Ft. Wayne line out of business, the
line through here is one of the few roads in the country which is running trains
without interference from the high waters.
3/28/1907:
Sermon for railroad men, their families and friends, Sunday night, at the
Presbyterian church, at 7:30. All
railroad men of the different departments are invited to attend.
The song “Life is Like a Mountain
Railroad” will be sung by the quartet.
Text Amos 4:12.
6/13/1907:
The
first passenger train over the new track through, or rather over Covington, was
No. 21, Monday morning, in charge of Conductor Hughes and Engineman Costello.
Probably this honor was given “Dick” because of being the oldest
passenger conductor on the division. The new line rides well and gives a much
better view of Covington.
8/26/1908:
SPECIAL TRAIN SERVICE
To
Greenville, Darke County Fair via Pennsylvania Lines, August 26-27.
Train
leaves Bradford 8:25 am. See Agent
Williams.
10/11/1913:
Engineer May, who is in charge of the Pennsylvania railroad improvement through
Piqua, states that at one o’clock next Monday afternoon the first train will run
over the new tracks.
12/9/1916:
It
has been rumored to us thru an Urbana newspaper, that Car Inspector Jesse
Stafford, of Bradford, has entered the sacred realm of wedlock.
Marrying Miss Ruth Hess, daughter of Mrs. Joseph Hess, of Urbana.
4/12/1919:
Trophy Train on April 17
Victory loan trophy train No. 2 is scheduled to pass through Miami county on
Thursday, April 17th.
The schedule is as follows: Piqua, arrive at 6 am, and leave at 1 pm; Covington,
arrive at 1:20 pm and leave at 4 pm;
Bradford, arrive 4:15 pm and leave at 10:30 pm.
These
trophy trains are to be about doubly as attractive as the ones used before and
they were well worth seeing. Each
train consists of six cars and there are on the trains every conceivable,
transportable trophy of the world war.
Speakers of note accompany each train, heroes of the actual fighting.
6/30/1919:
A
number of changes have been made on the local division of the Pennsylvania
because of the installation of thirty of the big new U.S. engines.
These engines are capable of drawing a train of 5,000 tons and
consequently the trains are longer and not so many.
Thirteen brakemen have been let out and a number of firemen, while a
number of engineers have been put back to firing engines.
5/5/1922:
Two
special trains carried the crowds from Greenville, Bradford and Gettysburg to
Richmond to attend the Billy Sunday meetings, May 3.
Over a thousand attended this meeting from Greenville, besides 300 or
more from Gettysburg and Bradford.
8/18/1922:
The
dining car of No. 34 struck a broken rail on Friday afternoon of last week, in
Piqua just over the Main Street elevated crossing, when the forward trucks of
the car were almost completely turned over but the remaining trucks jumped the
gap the wheels resumed their places on the track and passed safely over the
bridge spanning the river.
Many
lives were in danger and the train was delayed about two hours.
Flaws in the rail was supposed to be the cause.