Monday, September 20, 2010

The Fullerton List: Railroad 25: The Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad

This post is part of a continuing series  on Richard Fullerton's 1952 Catalog of Railroad Company, Street Railway, & Express Company Printed Cancellations on the 1898 U. S. Revenues:

RR025:  The Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad

Fullerton lists only one type of cancel on only one value for this railroad.

Type 1:  One line of serifed caps 2.5mm high and 25mm long without punctuation.  Undated.

1c Pale Blue     a.   normal   (2)  HH



Example of the rare CFM&DMRR cancel.  This scan was sent in by Richard Friedberg of a stamp that was in the collection of Morton Dean Joyce.  Richard believes this stamp may be unique.

The CFM&DMRR started as the Fort Madison & North Western Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1879.  The Iowa railroad was placed into receivership in 1885.  It stayed in receivership until 1890, when it was sold under foreclosure and reorganized as the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railway.  This company also defaulted and the railway was reborn in January, 1899 with Railroad appended to the end of its name instead of Railway.  The line was formally leased to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy on July 22, 1900, and merged into the CB&Q on January 1, 1901. 

The CFM&DMRR was thus shortlived, especially as an independent railroad controlled by the CB&Q.  It is likely that the CFM&DMRR only would have used the printed cancel between July 22, 1900, and January 1, 1901, helping to explain the rarity of this printed cancel.   The CB&Q made heavy use of printed cancels and it is likely that the CFM&DMRR would have used these cancels once under control of the CB&Q. 

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