Historic Railroad Photos, Page 4

As can be seen in this photo another light snow has fallen since the track was re-laid. The crane is on the passing track and is rerailing cars on the main track. The tracks run on the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee and some of these cars almost ended up on the ice. Photo by Charles Faulkner, HVRM collection.

Pennsy 2-8-0 #9985 (as near as I can tell from the photo) is working, near the bulk oil plant in Culver. My guess is that ballast is being dumped at the wreck site. The engine is on the main line, the center track leads to the grain elevator and the closest track is for the bulk oil plant, which the corner of can be seen in the photo. Notice the weather has warmed up and the snow is gone. Photo by Charles Faulkner, HVRM collection.

The Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago built the Plymouth, Indiana depot in 1856 served the railroad until about 1914, when a new brick depot was built. The 1856 depot was sold to Jacob Lacher for $315; the lumber was used to construct a barn. The two depots appear to be built on or very near the same site, so Plymouth may have been without a Pennsy depot for a short period of time. The water tank is just west of the LE&W crossing, which is just west of the Vandalia crossing. Postcard from Bob Albert collection.

It appears that the male population of Poneto, Indiana are not camera shy. Poneto is located about six miles south of Bluffton on the Lake Erie & Western (now Norfolk Southern) line from Ft. Wayne to New Castle. Check out the fenced lawn and the Big Four boxcar. Postcard from Bob Albert collection.

B&O engine #5584 is crossing the C&O's Pere Marquette District at Wellsboro, Indiana. The Grand Trunk Western crossing is about the fifth car back from the tender and the depot is barely visible behind the tower. The date is unknown, but must have been the early to mid 1950s, note the B&O semaphore still in use. The tower was razed in the late 1950s, the depot was destroyed by a GTW train wreck on November 21, 1985 and the C&O diamond was removed in 1998. Photo is courtesy of Harry Zillmer.

A little known, five-mile long branch of the Wabash ran between Helmer and Stroh, Indiana. The branch was built in 1899 to serve a cement plant and was out of service by 1945. The town of Stroh must have been bustling with the cement business as a 1901 Stroh newspaper reported the freight agent took in $4800 in freight charges. Stroh also had a limber yard and a combined flouring mill and grain elevator. Of note is the caboose in the photo; it appears to be set up for passengers and LCL freight. Postcard from Bob Albert collection.

Smoke is apparently not an issue on this day in 1946 as Nickel Plate #626 heads north across the Wabash at Peru, Indiana. The Nickel Plate made a sharp curve here, crossed the Wabash and started a steep uphill climb to Denver. Helpers were a normal routine leaving the Wabash River valley. Take note of the tilting target signal, these were very common on the IMC District and a few still exist. Also of note is the rider car behind the engine, these were common on locals to accommodate an extra brakeman and LCL shipments. Photo is courtesy of M. D. McCarter Photographs Photographs, please check our links page for his catalog.

This Pennsylvania depot at Etna Green, Indiana was probably built by the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago in the 1870s. It was replaced about 1914 with a similar size depot that appeared to be a standard Pennsy design. The elevator behind the depot is still being used. Postcard view from Bob Albert collection.

If some Monon fan can tell me the history of this depot at Monon, Indiana it would be greatly appreciated. I do know that a limestone depot was built at this location during the McDoel era. In 1953 a brick depot was built at the same location after a 1951 train wreck demolished the limestone structure. Postcard view from Bob Albert collection.

Sometime between 1946 and 1949, Nickel Plate 2-8-2 #669 was northbound past the Walkerton, Indiana depot. Notice the rider car behind the tender; this was used for an extra brakeman (also called listman) and LCL freight. Also notice the white pilot truck wheels, this is an indication that the wheels had recently been checked for cracks. Photo is courtesy of M. D. McCarter Photographs Photographs, please check our links page for his catalog.

The New York Central coal dock and water tank was located north of state road 10, west of North Judson, Indiana. The facility was built in 1923, replacing a ramp type coal dock that dated from the 1890s. I don't have a clue to why the men and women are dressed up. Photo courtesy of Bob Jachim.

Anyone remember Dodge's Institute of Telegraphy at Valparaiso, Indiana? To become a telegraph operator, person could learn telegraphy, typewriting and penmanship at this school. The Grand Trunk Western had a train wire installed in the school for instruction of advanced students. Postcard from the Hoosier Valley RR Museum collection.

On September 6, 1952, Nickel Plate 2-8-4 #765 storms through Willvale, Indiana with the first section of train #56. This was a train of mostly refrigerator cars and judging from the smoke trail, it is moving at the 60 mph speed limit. Don't bother trying to find Willvale on your current state highway map, but it will show on much older maps. The community is long gone; it was where state road #39 crosses the tracks between Brems and Hayville. How's that for pinning the location down, it is west of Knox. Sandy Goodrick took the photo.

A Vandalia passenger train is crossing the B&O at LaPaz Jct., Indiana. This photo is not very good, but is a seldom seen scene. The B&O is being double tracked at the time of the photo; you can see the new tower and rods at the left. In the center is the old tower that will be closed soon. On the right is the Vandalia depot (with outhouse), which is a standard design except it is bent at the bay window to accommodate the junction. Hibbard also had an identical depot. Photo is from an old newspaper.

In the spring of 1964, the Nickel Plate Road is still providing high speed service for its customers, as shown by the blurred RS36 on the eastbound extra. GP30 #900 is making a set out and pick up from the Argos, Indiana yard. The trainman waves a friendly greeting to the eastbound as he inspects the train on the south side. In October 1964 the NKP will be merged into the N&W and scene like this will cease to exist. Photo by Bob Albert.