TRAINS! 1941 last of the interurban

[W2NAP]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5BB6acTrk0

1941 the Indiana railroad interurban came to an end, 15min vid with some cool video of the IR in its last days.

[K7SGJ]

Thanks for the video.

When I watch an old video like that, and see all the old cars, I have to wonder where in the hell did they all go. I sure wouldn't mind having two or three just for fun.

[KG4CGC]

Thanks for the video.

When I watch an old video like that, and see all the old cars, I have to wonder where in the hell did they all go. I sure wouldn't mind having two or three just for fun.

Some of them are resurrected by wealthy land and business owners for personal use on private rails.

[N8YX]

Others are left in the woods to rot...sitting on stretches of track which hasn't been connected to a working railroad in many years.

I know where one such flatcar sits, maybe a mile southwest of me. It would be nice to get permission to ride the abandoned right-of-ways that haven't undergone the Rails-to-Trails revamp and which may have a hidden surprise or two tucked away on them.

[W2NAP]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Railroad

some cars have survived the years at museums

wish we had this today, be nice to ride a train to where ever in Indiana.

also the Union Traction Company was based right here in Anderson. and the old traction building still stands to this day on south Broadway just north of the river. (sits just south of the prairie farms plant) and in the parking lots you can see rails peaking out from underneath the pavement.

http://madisonrails.railfan.net/3_traction.html

History of railroads in Madison County Indiana. and somewhere on that site they have old logbooks from the UTC/IR interurban dating back to the very early 1900's

[W2NAP]

http://madisonrails.railfan.net/08interurban.html

a good read. tells of the L.E.&W. push west going though northern Madison County. and how 1 man forced the LE&W to honor the agreement they had him.

[ka4dpo]

I don't know if it's still there but a few years ago we rode on one in Elkins, WV. There is a company that does train tours of the mining country they run a steam engine ( mining engine with worm gear drive) and also an electric rail car just like the ones in the video. The electric car runs for about 20 or 30 miles then does a U turn and goes back. Lots of fun and beautiful scenery in the fall.

[ka4dpo]

Thanks for the video.

When I watch an old video like that, and see all the old cars, I have to wonder where in the hell did they all go. I sure wouldn't mind having two or three just for fun.

Here's a WIK story for you. The year before I went to college I worked for a small oil company in Newport Beach California that was owned by Mohawk Petroleum in Canada. Anyway, one day my boss gave me and another grunt an address and told us to go pick up an old truck they were going to use for a promotional run.

When we got there were knocked out. The guy had all of these beautiful old cars from the 1920's through the 1950's, he must have had at least a hundred cars from the 1930's. I asked him if he was a car collector. He said no, he restored old cars and leased them mostly to movie studios when they needed old cars to film scenes in period movies. one of the more interesting things I discovered was that many of the cars didn't run, theses were the ones they parked on the streets on movie sets. Some other cars were actually towed by cables but the camera angle was such that you couldn't see them. So that turned out to be one helluva interesting day for me.

[VE7DCW]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5BB6acTrk0

1941 the Indiana railroad interurban came to an end, 15min vid with some cool video of the IR in its last days.

Tony ..........is this the same "Indiana Railroad" that currently runs trackage and trains across Indiana to this day?

Most interesting,this looks just like the same sort of Interurban transport setup they ran in the Greater Vancouver area and here on Vancouver Island in the Greater Victoria area! ....... both area's Interurban services were discontinued in the early 1950's :(

[W3WN]

Others are left in the woods to rot...sitting on stretches of track which hasn't been connected to a working railroad in many years.

I know where one such flatcar sits, maybe a mile southwest of me. It would be nice to get permission to ride the abandoned right-of-ways that haven't undergone the Rails-to-Trails revamp and which may have a hidden surprise or two tucked away on them.There's a deadline at least a mile long behind the roundhouse on the New Hope & Ivyland. It's full of old rail cars, box cars, at one time a couple of old ex-Army 0-6-0 switchers (I think those were finally sold off or scrapped about 10 years ago)... all "stored", all left to rot.

Some are (technically) owned by individuals or private groups. Technicalities aside, most appear abandoned.

You'll find stashes of old stuff all over the place, if you look. There was also a lot of stuff stashed on the Black River & Western, at the Ringoes yard. It was very sad to see the current state of the PRR 4666 Doodlebug; it will take a massive overhaul to ever get the poor thing running again.

Now, the good news is that some of the interurban cars are saved and on display at museums. The Trolley Museum down in Washington County, adjacent to the County Fairgrounds, not only has a large display, but a working track that they actually run a lot of the cars on. Really fun to watch!

[W2NAP]

Tony ..........is this the same "Indiana Railroad" that currently runs trackage and trains across Indiana to this day? Most interesting,this looks just like the same sort of Interurban transport setup they ran in the Greater Vancouver area and here on Vancouver Island in the Greater Victoria area! ....... both area's Interurban services were discontinued in the early 1950's :( no not the same, the current "indiana railroad" (INRD) came into existence in 1986, the Indiana Railroad (IR) that had the interurban died in 1941. Central Indiana is now ran pretty much by CSX and NS via the Conrail buyout 1999

[VE7DCW]

no not the same, the current "indiana railroad" (INRD) came into existence in 1986, the Indiana Railroad (IR) that had the interurban died in 1941. Central Indiana is now ran pretty much by CSX and NS via the Conrail buyout 1999

I note too that Canadian Pacific has been making in roads towards that direction.......beware CP...... a cut throat company if there ever was one! :yes:

[W2NAP]

I note too that Canadian Pacific has been making in roads towards that direction.......beware CP...... a cut throat company if there ever was one! :yes:

if they want rail down in central and southern IN, they going to have to buy out CSX or NS.

[K4PIH]

They have some Shae engines (side cylinder worm drive) running in cheat WV. Old logging Trains that go up the mountain and at the top they have a museum. Instead of going around the mountain they see - saw up using a series of switches. One the web.


I don't know if it's still there but a few years ago we rode on one in Elkins, WV. There is a company that does train tours of the mining country they run a steam engine ( mining engine with worm gear drive) and also an electric rail car just like the ones in the video. The electric car runs for about 20 or 30 miles then does a U turn and goes back. Lots of fun and beautiful scenery in the fall.

[N8YX]

They have some Shae engines (side cylinder worm drive) running in cheat WV. Old logging Trains that go up the mountain and at the top they have a museum. Instead of going around the mountain they see - saw up using a series of switches. One the web.
Several of my family members worked that road when it was in operation. One of the great uncles was a hogger on Shay #4.

[K4PIH]

My bad spelling, Shay not Shae, that was a stadium right? We rode it up to the museum and of course back down. Real coal powered train. I like mechanical things like that almost as much as radios. I once reto-engineered a semi-electronic keyer using relays and capacitors. Was living in the sticks in Korea and the local radio/TV store had very limited parts. WHen I first got to Korea in 85 there were still a few steam engines running on the local commuter tracks. Mostly old American but a few Russian and Chinese left over from the war. Friggin amazing!


Several of my family members worked that road when it was in operation. One of the great uncles was a hogger on Shay #4.

[ka4dpo]

My bad spelling, Shay not Shae, that was a stadium right? We rode it up to the museum and of course back down. Real coal powered train. I like mechanical things like that almost as much as radios. I once reto-engineered a semi-electronic keyer using relays and capacitors. Was living in the sticks in Korea and the local radio/TV store had very limited parts. WHen I first got to Korea in 85 there were still a few steam engines running on the local commuter tracks. Mostly old American but a few Russian and Chinese left over from the war. Friggin amazing!

That is exactly what they run in Elkins. That was the first and only time I had ever seen one so I was kind of fascinated by it. The engineer saw me staring underneath and invited me into the cab for a look. He explained the working in detail and was one of the guys who rebuilt the boiler and engine assembly. I really wanted to stay but it was so hot in there I don't know how they could stand it. The cab is pretty small and there is just enough room for the engineer and the fireman, a job I couldn't do. When he opened the fire door to shovel in some coal it felt like a blast furnace. Anyway that little engine pulled like a mule and we had a very pleasant rip, 88 miles through the country side and up the hills. It takes all day but it was worth it just to ride on that thing.

Shortly after my wife and I got married we took a trip to the Grand Canyon and rode a steam train (The Grand Canyon Railroad) from Williams Arizona into the park, probably 100 miles or more since it takes about three hours to make the trip. If your ever in Flagstaff or Williams it is definitely worth doing.

[kd6nig]

They have some Shae engines (side cylinder worm drive) running in cheat WV. Old logging Trains that go up the mountain and at the top they have a museum. Instead of going around the mountain they see - saw up using a series of switches. One the web.

Big Trees and Pacific in Felton, CA uses a lot of Shays as well still.

[W9WLS]

Hey Tony ,,,,, you might want to take a look at this site !

http://www.frenchlickscenicrailway.org/

Good little ride , short but good .

[W2NAP]

Hey Tony ,,,,, you might want to take a look at this site !

http://www.frenchlickscenicrailway.org/

Good little ride , short but good .

ill have to check that out sometime

[n2ize]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5BB6acTrk0

1941 the Indiana railroad interurban came to an end, 15min vid with some cool video of the IR in its last days.

Awesome video. I love urban transit systems.

[n2ize]

Thanks for the video.

When I watch an old video like that, and see all the old cars, I have to wonder where in the hell did they all go. I sure wouldn't mind having two or three just for fun.

Well if they operate anything like the NYC Transit authority then most of them were probably scrapped. The retired cars here in NY, they either scrap them, reef them, use them as work cars, and some they preserve and run for special occasions and/or keep them at various transit museums. One old NYC car happens to be in some guys back yard in Florida.

Since the Indiana system was shut down altogether my guess is most of the cars were probably scrapp Or in some guy's back yard in Florida. ;)

[W2NAP]

Well if they operate anything like the NYC Transit authority then most of them were probably scrapped. The retired cars here in NY, they either scrap them, reef them, use them as work cars, and some they preserve and run for special occasions and/or keep them at various transit museums. One old NYC car happens to be in some guys back yard in Florida.

Since the Indiana system was shut down altogether my guess is most of the cars were probably scrapp Or in some guy's back yard in Florida. ;)

the wiki url I posted, actually tells what cars were saved and where they are. most saved cars stayed in the semi local area.

[n2ize]

the wiki url I posted, actually tells what cars were saved and where they are. most saved cars stayed in the semi local area.

That's good to hear.

[N8YX]

The abandoned railcar picture bit would be a nice theme for a thread of its own. Find them, capture them, post them here.

[W5BRM]

http://jalopnik.com/a-train-from-1836-could-be-buried-in-brooklyn-because-o-1693833760?google_editors_picks=true

I read this story this morning. So sad petty politics get in the way of such a possible engine find.

[n2ize]

http://jalopnik.com/a-train-from-1836-could-be-buried-in-brooklyn-because-o-1693833760?google_editors_picks=true

I read this story this morning. So sad petty politics get in the way of such a possible engine find.

Maybe for the better. The way things are in NYC these days they would probably turn it into an overpriced underground trendy hipster club. Sometimes it is for the better that the past remains concealed.

[NQ6U]

Electric interurbans ran across the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland from the time the bridge opened until 1958. I have vague memories of seeing one while riding in my father's truck on the lower lever of the bridge which, at that time, was reserved for trucks and Key Line trains.

http://baybridgeinfo.org/sites/default/files/images/timeline/first_electric_train.jpg

[K7SGJ]

Electric interurbans ran across the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland from the time the bridge opened until 1958. I have vague memories of seeing one while riding in my father's truck on the lower lever of the bridge which, at that time, was reserved for trucks and Key Line trains.

http://baybridgeinfo.org/sites/default/files/images/timeline/first_electric_train.jpg

So that's where they made the Key Lime pies.

[N8YX]

Found this while doing a search for abandoned rail cars around Ohio:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/connetta/sets/72157604054812353/

[N8YX]

Those of you with Google Earth can search I-70E for the Lancer Rd. overpass; the lot where those cars are sitting is a couple hundred yards to the east. There appear to be several short sections of track on which some cars are sitting. I would love to know how they got to the facility as no other trackage exists in the area.

[K7SGJ]

That really is a shame to just watch some great pieces of Americana just rust away.

[W3WN]

Found this while doing a search for abandoned rail cars around Ohio:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/connetta/sets/72157604054812353/What a shame, that they were all left to rot.