Snapshot of History
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
CB&Q depot at Delphos in the 1910s.
BY MIKE AVITT
This week’s picture comes courtesy of Douglas Harding and shows the Delphos depot in all its glory. This photo gives us a clear view of a manual train order signal and I’ll explain the how and why.
Delphos was established in 1880 when the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy extended their railroad line from Mount Ayr to Grant City, Mo. Delphos started out small and stayed that way. It was the only incorporated town in Ringgold County to never have a bank.
Smaller, less active depots, like the one in Delphos, were equipped with manual train order signals, I’m guessing because it was less expensive. You can see a wooden beam trackside with a small banner and lamp on the end. You can also see a ladder hanging on the wall which the agent used to light the lamp. Some depots were equipped with a device to change the banner (from green to red and vice versa) from inside the depot.
At the most, Delphos had four trains per day; one freight and one passenger in each direction. Trains were smaller and lighter in those days and could stop and start quicker. More active, larger depots used semaphore train order signals that could be seen from greater distances. Order signals told the engineer to stop, slow down, or other directive.
In 1939, The CB&Q established a bus route along its railroad lines, allowing them permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon their passenger trains, saving the CB&Q vast amounts of money. In 1945, the CB&Q was allowed to abandon the railroad line between Grant City and Mount Ayr, depriving Redding and Delphos of railroad service.
The man in this week’s picture is likely station agent Henry Burnett, who served as operator here from about 1911 to 1920. Frank Hillhouse served as the Delphos agent for more than 25 years in three different stints. He also served the Redding depot for eighteen years.
As depots became less active, the station agent was replaced with a part time “custodian.” These employees generally hauled mail from the post office to the depot and back. The depot and stockyards at Delphos were located on the southwest edge of town.
The sign below the word “DELPHOS” on the depot says, “Adams Express Company,” and was a shipping company. The depot agent looks a little scruffy but they worked seven days a week for months at a time.
