Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad ( M&O ) was an American railroad company . It was founded in the states of Alabama , Kentucky , Mississippi and Tennessee in early 1848 to connect the seaport in Mobile (Alabama) with the Ohio River near Cairo (Illinois) . On September 13, 1940, the company merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad to form the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad .
history
The idea of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad came up after the economic crisis of 1837 , when it was a tough time for trading in Mobile. After the economic crisis, the port no longer brought the desired income. The city's business people decided to start a railway project to stimulate the city's economy.
The first section was opened in 1852 between Mobile and Citronelle (Alabama) , the section to Columbus (Kentucky) followed in 1861. From there steamships were used to create a connection with the Illinois Central Railroad in Cairo.
With the outbreak of the Civil War shortly after the line was completed and the associated reorganization for military purposes, the "Mobile and Ohio" soon became a target for both sides. After the conflict, almost all of the route had to be rebuilt and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy due to outstanding debts of $ 5,228,562 borrowed from the Confederate government .
As early as 1870, the need to complete the route to Cairo as the northern terminus was recognized, but due to financial problems, this project could only be opened on May 1, 1882. Shortly thereafter, the company acquired the St. Louis and Cairo Railroad , a narrow-gauge railway . The line was converted to standard gauge and opened as a line from Mobile to St. Louis (Missouri).
In 1896 it was decided to build a railway line from Columbus (Mississippi) to Florida . In 1898 a line from Tuscaloosa (Alabama) to Montgomery (Alabama) with two short branches was opened. In 1899 the company opened the Mobile and Bay Shore Railway , which ran from Mobile to Alabama Port and Bayou La Batre (Alabama) .
In 1901, the shareholders accepted a plan by Southern Railway to take over the company. A merger of the two companies was planned for 1902, but this was opposed by the governor of Mississippi, James K. Vardaman . Then the Mobile and Ohio continued operations under the control of the Southern Railway. From 1908 on, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was considered a very successful railroad company. However, earnings began to decline from 1926, and by 1930 the railroad was already in debt of a million dollars. In 1932 the company went bankrupt again. The Southern Railway was charged with violating the Clayton Antitrust Act by using the M & O's earnings for its own benefit, but to its disadvantage. However, the process was dropped in 1933.
The Southern Railway sold its shares in the M&O in 1940 to the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad . This resulted in the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad .
