Byram v. Chicago, St. P., M. & O. Ry. Co.

21 F.2d 388, 1927 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedAugust 24, 1927
DocketNos. 7716, 7717
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 21 F.2d 388 (Byram v. Chicago, St. P., M. & O. Ry. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Byram v. Chicago, St. P., M. & O. Ry. Co., 21 F.2d 388, 1927 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726 (8th Cir. 1927).

Opinion

KENYON, Circuit Judge.

An appeal of the receivers of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company and the St. Paul Union Depot Company, and a cross-appeal of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Company are here involved. As we consider both in this opinion, instead of using the term appellants and appellees, we designate the parties involved, for reasons of clarity, as follows: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Company as the Omaha Company, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company and its re[389]*389ceivers as the Milwaukee Company, and the St. Paul Union Depot Company as the Depot Company. At the time of the commencement of this suit, the Milwaukee Company was in the hands of receivers, and appellants Byram, Potter, and Brundage were the duly appointed receivers.

The Omaha Company brought suit in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota against the Milwaukee Company and the Depot Company to enjoin them from denying to it the use of certain railway tracks in the city of St. Paul affording means of access to the new Union Depot, and asking for a mandatory injunction to require the Milwaukee Company to restore to their original elevation as when constructed certain tracks referred to as the two northerly temporary tracks.

The court found in favor of the Omaha Company, except on one phase of the matter, which is presented by the cross-appeal, and entered a decree restraining and enjoining the Milwaukee Company from using what are known as the two southerly tracks extending westward from the east line of Minnesota street in the city of St. Paul, except in common with the Omaha Company, and from interfering with the Omaha Company’s access thereover to the property of the Depot Company; from denying to the Omaha Company or interfering in any way with the right reserved by the Omaha Company in its deed to the St. Paul Union Depot Company of free ingress and egress to and from the propr erty of the Depot Company over said southerly tracks between the east line of Minnesota street and the property of the Depot Company. Relief was also granted by the decree as to the Depot Company, and the application of the Omaha Company for a mandatory injunction requiring the Milwaukee Company to restore the two northerly temporary tracks to their original elevation as when constructed was denied. Prom the latter the Omaha Company prosecutes a cross-appeal; the Milwaukee Company and the Depot Company appealing from the other part of the decree. The facts are complicated; the essential ones being as follows:

The Omaha Company, for a considerable period of time prior to 1888, had the fee title to blocks 36, 37, 38, and 39 in the city of St. Paul proper, and the streets adjacent thereto, subject to public easements, and of the land lying between the south line of said blocks and the Mississippi river. September 11, 1888, the Omaha Company granted to the Milwaukee Company an easement and right of way for a permanent double track, to be owned, maintained, and used in common with it along the bank of the Mississippi river over the east end of block 39 in front, or south of blocks 36, 37, and 38 to the center line of Wabasha street. By the same instrument the Milwaukee granted to the Omaha an easement and right of way upon and oveSi the tracks of the Milwaukee from the east end of block 39 and in front of lot 1 of block 31 and of block 30 in St. Paul proper, and across Sibley street to connections with the tracks of the Union Depot Company. Prior to 1888 these two companies had jointly used over the Omaha Company’s property a single track in a different location.

The purpose of the agreement of 1888 was to put into permanent operation between the center line of Chestnut street and a connection with the Union Depot tracks, a permanent double track to be throughout the common property of the parties, and to be maintained and used in common with equal rights to each party. By another agreement it was provided that the Milwaukee Company should be charged with the duty of maintaining and keeping in good condition and repair said double tracks. The tracks as provided by the agreement of September, 1888, were constructed in 1890.

About the year 1912 plans were under consideration for the construction of a now Union Depot terminal at St. Paul. Nine railroads were interested in the proposition. Meetings were held during a period of years by the officers and committees. Written plans were made and were from time to time amended. When finally completed, they required an expenditure in excess of $13,000,-000, and a general raising or elevation of the depot property, and also the acquisition of certain property from, and concessions by, the various railroads. The Milwaukee Company had for some years been working on a plan that would insure it a system of continuous double tracks to be exclusively owned by it, and which would connect its tracks from the south and east with its short line tracks to Minneapolis, a,nd with the joint tracks of the Omaha Company at Chestnut street. The general plan provided for extending the depot property westerly to the east line of Minnesota street, which necessitated the acquisition of certain property of the Milwaukee Company and of the Omaha Company.

December 18, 1916, subsequent to the approval of the last general plan known as No. 115, the Omaha Company deeded to the Depot Company a strip of land 61.43 feet in width extending from the east line of Minne[390]*390sota street to’ Robert street, and from tbence easterly of Irregular-width to the east line of block 39, subject to certain restrictions, the important one so far as this controversy is concerned being No. 2, reading as follows:

“(2) That the grantee, its successors and assigns, shall construct and forever maintain and operate for the use of the grantor, its successors and assigns, in common with other tenants of grantee, adequate and suitable tracks, connecting at such points on the boundary of the grantee’s property as may be designated by the grantor, its successors and assigns,’ the main track or tracks of the grantor, its successors and assigns, with the tracks of the grantee, its successors and assigns.”

The third restriction of the deed provided that grantee should maintain for the use of grantor adequate transfer tracks not less than two in number, over which the grantor might move its freight traffic across the property of grantee, including track connections to be designated by the grantor, its successors and assigns, between said transfer tracks and the joint or several tracks, or leased tracks of the grantor, at the boundaries of the property of said grantee. The deed was recorded October 11,1917, and prior thereto was submitted to the general counsel of the Milwaukee Company for the information of that company. December 18,1916, the Milwaukee Company made a conveyance to the Depot Company of a strip of land extending from the east line of block 39, eastward across the property of the Milwaukee Company, to the west line of the property of the Depot Company at Sibley street. The Depot Company transferred to the Milwaukee Company, by deed dated December 18, 1916, but not executed or delivered until 1919, the southerly 30 feet of the strip which had been conveyed by the Omaha Company to the Depot Company. This deed did not contain the restrictions and reservations heretofore pointed out in the deed of the Omaha Company to the Depot Company.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 F.2d 388, 1927 U.S. App. LEXIS 2726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/byram-v-chicago-st-p-m-o-ry-co-ca8-1927.