___________________________________________________
From the West Schuylkill Herald, April 19, 1907:
PHILADEPPHIA & READING TO OPERATE WILLIAMS VALLEY
Tuesday, April 16th [1907] marked a new epoch in the history of the Williams Valley Railroad. Beginning on the morning of that date the responsibility of operating the road passed from the local management agreement into the hands of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.
Rumors had been flying thick and fast throughout the valley the past few days as to the probable change, but very few of these rumors were correct. One of the rumors was to the effect that the P. & R. had purchased outright the W. V. R. R. This is far from the truth.
The road will in the future as in the past be operated under the name of the Williams Valley Railroad Company. All profit and loss accruing from the operation of the road will be charged or debited to the company and it is believed by many that under the new arrangement the road in the near future will be able to pay a dividend on the stock.
What changes Have Taken Place
C. M. Kaufman, for the past few years president of the W. V. R. R., together with a number of directors of that road, at a recent meeting of the board of directors, tendered their resignation. On Monday afternoon another meeting of the board was held at the company’s office at this place and the following directors were elected to fill the vacancies: A. T. Dice; W. R. Taylor; Edson J. Weeks; And George Ziegler, all Reading railway officials. The other members of the board are J. W. Durbin, Williamstown; Isaac Mossop, Wiconisco: Edward Lebo, Lykens; and C. M. Kaufman, Tower City.
At a subsequent meeting which was held immediately after the first meeting the following officers were elected: Theodore Vorhees, president; W. R. Taylor, secretary; R. Tull, assistant treasurer. These officers and directors will remain in office until the next annual meeting of the stockholders which will be held the second week in January 1908.
Up to the hour of going to press, there has been no change in policy or operation of the railroad. C. M. Kauffman, who so ably managed the road for many years, has been asked by the new board of directors to continue to manage the road for the present and he kindly consented to do so. That a number of important changes, some of which will be favorable to the residents of the valley, will soon take place very few doubt, but for a few days or perhaps weeks there will be no material change.
What Brough About the Change
For those who are acquainted with the history of the road it might be unnecessary to state that it never was a dividend payer from the start. This was due to several conditions, one of which was the high cost o operating owing to the heavy grades, which the road has to contend with. Another was the low passenger fare charged between Lykens and Tower City in order to meet trolley competition. For several years the officers and directors waw that in order to successfully carry on the road and keep it in operation more revenue would have to be derived.
Every effort was put forth to increase the revenue, with but little results, as every known method had already been resorted to.
Believing that better results could be obtained if the road were operated by either the Pennsylvania Railroad or the P. & R. R., as a branch line, the former which could make track connections at Lykens at a small cost, the latter already having track connections at Brookside, an effort was made to interest these parties with a view of bringing about that result. At first both companies refused to consider any proposition. After many months of waiting the P. & R. finally agreed to look into the matter, which they did by sending experts over the ground. That their reports were favorable the result shows.
That the change which has taken place will be beneficial to patrons and stockholders alike, very few doubt and those who helped to bring about the change are being commended for the manner in which it was brought about.
_________________________________
News article from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.