Star Union

[shawnhoague]

Can anyone give me me any info on the Star Union Railway? Especially in the late 1880s. I have a Colt revolver that was shipped to this rail line, and I am trying to research its history. It was shipped to Chicago, Illinois. I’d appreciate any information. Thank you

 

[bcp]

Welcome to the forum.

Google and I can find no railway by that name, not even in Google books of that era. There was a Kansas Star newspaper and a Kansas Star train in a Superman movie.

https://moreobscuretrainmovies.movie.blog/tag/kansas-star/

List of current and defunct Kansas railroads:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kansas_railroads

Not even in the Library of Congress newspaper records:
"0 Results were found for the search “the phrase "Kansas Star Line"”
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I suspect it is a misspelling of Kansas State Line Railway.

Listed here:
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/607397

And lots more here:
http://www.cchsm.com/resources/newspapers/1870/ac02121879.html
http://www.cchsm.com/resources/misc/wortman_cc/mcintire_sheriff_george_h.html
Do a "find" for "Kansas State Line" without "Railway" as it is sometimes "railroad" or "road."

And here, lower right corner.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...t=&proxdistance=5&rows=20&searchType=advanced

i didn't find anything that showed anything had actually been built, but I didn't read everything above. There were hundreds of railroad companies in those days that never actually laid tracks and ran trains, just proposals that got no financing, or if they did, it all went into planning, expenses, surveys, etc.

Bruce

 

[shawnhoague]

Bruce,
My apologies. I was going on old memory, and it let me down. LOL. I edited my search above. Thank You

 

[bcp]

Looks like Star Union was a freight car management company.

Star Union Line

Bruce

 

[shawnhoague]

Yes, that was easily found on Google. Not much else though. Thanks

 

[bcp]

Late 19th Century Pennsylvania Railroad Crew Group Photo

Railroad Crew Group Photo Some clues allow us to estimate timeline on this image. In the 19th Century railroads provided quick transportation for goods as the population expanded to the West. The Star Union Line offered shipping between cities on the East Coast and the Midwest as a fast freight...

thesteelbeam.com

1876 OLD TRAIN: Pennsylvania Railroad STANDARD BOX CAR Blueprint STAR UNION LINE | #1854863333

Antique OLD Train Car Blueprint Paper - RARE____________________________________________P.R.R. STANDARD BOX CAR - 1876andPLAN OF END SILL STAR UNION LINE Pennsylvania RailroadNote the illustration on

www.worthpoint.com

This article has several pages about the Star Union:

ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF FAST FREIGHT LINES on JSTOR

William W. Chandler, ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF FAST FREIGHT LINES, Railroad History, No. 141 (AUTUMN 1979), pp. 98-115

www.jstor.org

Bruce