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TITLE III.

Railroad Corporations.

Chapter I. Officers and Corporate Stock.
II. Enumeration of Powers.

III. Business, How Conducted.

CHAPTER I.

Officers and Corporate Stock.

Section

454. Election, directors.

Section

457. Sinking fund, must provide. 455. Additional provisions in as- 458. Fixed capital to be fixed. sessment and transfer. 459. Fixed capital payment.

456. Corporation

tions.

bonds, limita

454. Directors of railroad corporations may be elected at a meeting of the stockholders other than the annual meeting, as a majority of the fixed capital stock may determine, or as the by-laws may provide; notice thereof to be given as provided for notices of meetings to adopt by-laws in article two, chapter one, title one, of this part.

455. No stock in any railroad corporation is transferable until all the previous calls or installments thereon have been fully paid in; nor is any such transfer valid, except as between the parties thereto, unless at least twenty per cent has been paid thereon and certificates issued therefor, and the transfer approved by the board of directors.

456. Railroad corporations may borrow, on the credit of the corporation and under such regulations and restrictions as the board of directors thereof, by unanimous concurrence, may impose, such sums of money as may be necessary for constructing and completing their railroad, with its equipments, and for the purchase of all necessary rolling stock and all else relative thereto, and may issue promissory notes therefor, or may issue and dispose of bonds to raise moneys necessary to pay therefor, at a rate of interest not exceeding ten per cent per annum; and may also issue bonds, or promissory notes, at the same rate of interest in payment of any debts or contracts for constructing and completing their road, with its equipments and rolling-stock, and all else relative thereto, and for the purchase of railroads and other property within the purpose of the corporation. The amount of bonds, or promissory notes, issued for such purposes must not exceed in all the amount of their capital stock; and to secure the payment of such bonds, or notes, they may mortgage their corporate property and franchises, or may secure the payments of such bonds, or notes, by deed of trust of their corporate property and franchises. Any person or corporation formed under the laws of this state, or of any other state within the United States, that the directors of the railroad corporations may, by unanimous concurrence, select, may be trustees in such deed of trust. 1899-57.

457. The directors must provide a sinking fund, to be specially applied to the redemption of such bonds on or before their maturity,

and may also confer on any holder of any bond or note so issued, for money borrowed or in payment of any debt or contract for the construction and equipment of such road, the right to convert the principal due or owing thereon into stock of such corporation, at any time within eight years from the date of such bonds, under such regulations as the directors may adopt.

458. When, at any time after filing the articles of incorporation, it is ascertained that the capital stock therein set out is either more or less than actually required for constructing, equipping, operating, and maintaining the road, by a two-third vote of the stockholders the capital stock must be fixed, and a certificate thereof, and of the proceedings had to fix the same, must be made out and filed in the office of the secretary of state.

459. Within thirty days after the payment of the last installment of the fixed capital stock of any railroad corporation organized under this title and part, the president and secretary and a majority of the directors thereof must make, subscribe, and file in the office of the secretary of state a certificate, stating the amount of the fixed capital stock, and that the whole thereof has been paid in. The certificate must be verified by the affidavit of the president and secretary.

Section

CHAPTER II.

Enumeration of Powers.

Section

465. Powers, railway corporations. 472. Condemnation for crossings.

465a. Motive power.

466. Map filing.

467. Line changes.

473. Consolidations generally. 473a. Leasing authority.

474. Use of state land.

468. Franchise forfeitures, limí- 475. Town lots excepted.

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465. Every railroad corporation has power:

1. To cause such examination and surveys to be made as may be necessary to the selection of the most advantageous route for the railroad; and for such purposes their officers, agents and employees may enter upon the lands or waters of any person, subject to liability for all damages which they may do thereto;

2. To receive, hold, take, and convey, by deed or otherwise, as a natural person, such voluntary grants and donations of real estate and other property, which may be made to it to aid and encourage the construction, maintenance and accommodation of such railroad; 3. To purchase, or by voluntary grants or donations to receive, enter, take possession of, hold and use all such real estate and other property as may be absolutely necessary for the construction and maintenance of such railroads, and for all stations, depots and other purposes necessary to successfully work and conduct the business of the road

4. To lay out its road, not exceeding ten rods wide, and to construct and maintain the same, with one or more tracks, and with such appendages and adjuncts as may be necessary for the convenient use of the same;

5. To construct their roads across, along or upon any stream of water, watercourse, roadstead, bay, navigable stream, street, avenue or highway, or across any railway, canal, ditch or flume which the route of its road intersects, crosses or runs along, in such manner as to afford security for life and property; but the corporation shall restore the stream or watercourse, road, street, avenue, highway, railroad, canal, ditch or flume thus intersected to its former state of usefulness as near as may be, or so that the railroad shall not unnecessarily impair its usefulness or injure its franchise;

6. To cross, intersect, join, or unite its railroad with any other railroad, either before or after construction, at any point upon its route, and upon the grounds of such other railroad corporation, with the necessary turnouts, sidings and switches, and other conveniences in furtherance of the objects of its connections; and every corporation whose railroad is, or shall be hereafter intersected by any new railroad, shall unite with the owners of such new railroad in forming such intersections and connections, and grant facilities therefor; and if the two corporations cannot agree upon the amount of compensation to be made therefor, or the points or the manner of such crossings, intersections and connections, the same shall be ascertained and determined as is provided in title seven, part three, Code of Civil Procedure (secs. 1237-1263);

7. To purchase lands, timber, stone, gravel or other materials to be used in the construction and maintenance of its road, and all necessary appendages and adjuncts, or acquire them in the manner provided in title seven, part three, Code of Civil Procedure, for the condemnation of lands; and to change the line of its road, in whole or in part, whenever a majority of the directors so determine, as is provided hereinafter, but no such change must vary the general route of such road, as contemplated in its articles of incorporation; 8. To carry persons and property on their railroad, and to receive tolls or compensation therefor;

9. To erect and maintain all necessary and convenient buildings, stations, depots, fixtures and machinery for the accommodation and use of their passengers, freight and business;

10. To regulate the time and manner in which passengers and property shall be transported, and the tolls and compensation to be paid therefor within the limits prescribed by law and subject to alteration, change or amendment by the legislature at any time; 11. To regulate the force and speed of their locomotives, cars, trains or other machinery used and employed on their roads, and to establish, execute and enforce all needful and proper rules and regulations for the management of its business transactions usual and proper for railroad corporations;

12. To purchase, lease or acquire the franchises, rights and property, or any part thereof, of any railroad corporation, leasing or owning any railroad outside of the state of California, and to operate the same, and to use the franchises of any such road, and to build and operate extensions thereof; provided that nothing herein shall authorize any corporation to purchase the franchises, rights, and property of any railroad operated in competition with it; and to purchase, acquire and hold the stocks, bonds or other securities of any railroad corporation organized under the laws of this state or of any other state or territory, with full power to sell the same; provided that nothing herein will authorize any corporation to purchase the stock of any railroad corporation operated in competition with it. 1907-99.

465a. Every person or corporation now or hereafter authorized to operate a railroad by steam motive power, is also authorized to use electricity or compressed air, or both, either with or without

such steam, for the purpose of propelling cars or trains on such railroad or upon any portion thereof. In incorporated cities, towns, or cities and counties having more than five thousand inhabitants, authority must be obtained from the legislative authority thereof. 1905-574.

466. Every railroad corporation in this state must, within a reasonable time after its road is finally located, cause to be made a map and profile thereof, and of the land acquired for the use thereof, and the boundaries of the several counties through which the road may run, and file the same in the office of the secretary of state; and also like maps of the parts thereof located in different counties, and file the same in the office of the clerk of the county in which such parts of the roads are, there to remain of record forever. The maps and profiles must be certified by the chief engineer, the acting president and secretary of such company, and copies of the same, so certified and filed, be kept in the office of the secretary of the corporation, subject to examination by all parties interested.

467. If, at any time after the location of the line of the railroad and the filing of the maps and profiles thereof, as provided in the preceding section, it appears that the location can be improved, the directors may, as provided in subdivision seven, section four hundred and sixty-five, alter or change the same, and cause new maps and profiles to be filed, showing such changes, in the same offices where the originals are of file, and may proceed, in the same manner as the original location was acquired, to acquire and take possession of such new line, and must sell or relinquish the lands owned by them for their original location, within five years after such change. No new location, as herein provided, must be so run as to avoid any points named in their articles of incorporation.

468. Every railroad corporation must, within two years after filing its original articles of incorporation, begin the construction of its road, and must every year thereafter complete and put in full operation at least five miles of its road, until the same is fully completed; and upon its failure so to do, for the period of one year, its right to extend its road beyond the point then completed is forfeited. After the completion of any railroad, or any part thereof, capable of being operated, its owner must operate it, and upon his failure to keep it, or any part thereof, in full operation for the period of six months, his right to operate it in whole or in part, as the case may be, is forfeited, and the lands occupied for the purposes of the road, so far as the same is not operated, revert to the original owners or their successors in interest. A railroad is in full operation when one passenger train, or one mixed train, is run over it once a day in each direction and a sufficient number of freight trains to accommodate the traffic on the road. If a railroad is wholly constructed at an elevation of five thousand feet or more above the level of the sea, its owner is not required to maintain and operate it, nor to run passenger or other trains thereon, between the fifteenth of October of any year and the fifteenth of May of the year following. This section must not be construed to require the operation of a road when prevented by the act of God, nor when the operation of the road, together with its branch and trunk lines, does not yield income sufficient to defray the expenses of maintaining and operating it in connection with its branch and trunk lines. The railroad commission of California has the power to examine and determine whether a railroad, together with its branch and trunk lines, yields income sufficient to operate the same.

The railroad commission of California shall also have full power

and authority to authorize the discontinuance of operation in whole or in part of any branch line of railroad for such period of time and upon such conditions as the railroad commission may in its discretion determine, without forfeiture of the right to operate the same. 1923.

469. Whenever the track of one railroad intersects or crosses the track of another railroad, whether the same be a street-railroad, wholly within the limits of a city or town, or other railroad, the rails of either or each road must be so cut and adjusted as to permit the passage of the cars on each road with as little obstruction as possible; and, in case the persons or corporations owning the railroads cannot agree as to the compensation to be made for cutting and adjusting the rails, the condemnation of the right of way over the one for the use of the other road may be had in proceedings under title seven, part three, Code of Civil Procedure, and the damages assessed and the right of way granted as in other cases.

470. No railroad corporation must use any street, alley, or highway, or any of the land or water, within any incorporated city or town, unless the right to so use the same is granted by a twothird vote of the town or city authority from which the right must emanate.

472. Whenever the track of such railroad crosses a railroad or highway, such railroad or highway may be carried under, over, or on a level with the track, as may be most expedient; and in cases where an embankment or cutting necessitates a change in the line of such railroad or highway, the corporation may take such additional lands and material as are necessary for the construction of such road or highway on such new line. If such other necessary lands cannot be had otherwise, they may be condemned as provided in title seven, part three, Code of Civil Procedure; and when compensation is made therefor, the same becomes the property of the corporation.

473. Any railroad corporation incorporated under the laws of this state may consolidate with one or more railroad corporations incorporated under the laws of this state, or under the laws of any other state or territory of the United States, its capital stock, properties, roads, equipments, adjuncts, franchises, claims, demands, contracts, agreements, obligations, debts, liabilities and assets of every kind and description, upon such terms and in such manner as may be agreed upon by their respective boards of directors; provided, no such consolidation shall take effect until the same shall have been ratified and confirmed in writing by stockholders of the respective corporations representing three fourths of the subscribed capital stock of their respective corporations. In case of such consolidation "articles of incorporation and consolidation" must be prepared, setting forth: First, the name of the new corporation; second, the purpose for which it is formed; third, the place where its principal business is to be transacted; fourth, the term for which it is to exist, which shall not exceed fifty years; fifth, the number of its directors (which shall not be less than five, nor more than thirteen), and the names and residences of the persons appointed to act as such until their successors are elected and qualified; sixth, the amount of its capital stock (which shall not exceed the amount actually required for the purposes of the new corporation, as estimated by competent engineers), and the number of shares into which it is divided; seventh, the amount of stock actually subscribed, and by whom; eighth, the termini of its road or roads and branches; ninth, the estimated length of its road or roads and branches; tenth, the names of the constituent corporations, and the terms and conditions of consolidation in full. Said articles of incorporation and consolidation must be signed and countersigned by the presidents

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