Gain a window into early 20th‑century urban transit valuation, with this detailed, official appraisal.
This book compiles the physical properties and intangible values of the Southern Street Railway Company as of August 1, 1908, and accompanies a formal valuation report prepared for the Chicago City Council. It blends method notes, exhibit structure, and itemized descriptions to show how a street railway system was measured, priced, and analyzed for franchise value.
- Learn how the property is organized into major divisions like track, electric power distribution, rolling stock, and power plant equipment, with subcategories for precise accounting.
- See the approaches used to estimate replacement costs, depreciation, and the present value of assets and franchises.
- Explore the kinds of equipment and structures described, from track components to boilers and power facilities, through summarized summaries and equipment descriptions.
- Understand how intangible values, rehabilitation capital, and car mileage economics are considered in a historical context.
Ideal for readers of transportation history, urban planning history, and researchers seeking a snapshot of how early valuation work was documented and presented to a city government.