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Union Traction Co - Indiana Railroad Co (1st) INTERURBAN

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, February 20, 2023 6:01 AM

The Shore Line Historical Society (www.shore-line.org)has published a bunch of articles on the Indiana Railroad in their magazine First & Fastest.  Their web side lists back issues for sale with at least two in the current list containing articles on the Indiana Railroad (well, THI&E).

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Saturday, February 18, 2023 9:54 AM

You may wish to contact Commonwealth Edison Company and Northern Indiana Public Service Company.  Both were Insull utilities and may have some records of the various interurbans in the Insull empire.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, February 17, 2023 9:05 PM

daveklepper
The Central Electric Railfans Association Book, "The Induiana Railroad, the Magic Interurbasn," is full of the material you are requesting.  George Krambles was an employee, later was Generasl Manager of ther Chicago Transit Authority, and he made it a priority to salvage as much as he could.  The book is very-well written, has numerous photographs, maps.amd schedules, and is well worth obtasinig.

Been in that book multiple times. (especially what passes as footnotes)...Macro maps are not much better than cartoons. Interurbans drive surveyors nuts with the lack of surviving detail.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 3:58 PM

BaltACD
When my family lived in Garrett, IN 1959-62 our house faced a median that at that time I wondered why it was there.

When I learned of the Indiana Railroad as a Interurban carrier it all fell into place - that median was the IRR's 'country' right of way to where it began 'city' running in Garrett.

https://earth.google.com/web/search/garrett,+in/@41.34173285,-85.13628336,267.7021716a,194.04930521d,35y,0.00000001h,44.94579952t,0r/data=CnYaTBJGCiUweDg4MTYxMDE3MmRhMDk1M2Y6MHg3ZjAwNmI2OThjMTJhNmUxGWRTUze8rERAIQcPLnisSFXAKgtnYXJyZXR0LCBpbhgBIAEiJgokCQp2kReeRENAEZ-oTksuRENAGSRVauhMrFTAIRpy3aLmrFTA

A busy day at the Interurban station in 'downtown' Garrett - back in the day!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 3:50 AM

The Central Electric Railfans Association Book, "The Induiana Railroad, the Magic Interurbasn," is full of the material you are requesting.  George Krambles was an employee, later was Generasl Manager of ther Chicago Transit Authority, and he made it a priority to salvage as much as he could.  The book is very-well written, has numerous photographs, maps.amd schedules, and is well worth obtasinig.

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  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
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Posted by rrnut282 on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 10:24 AM

Here is one example where the powerlines follow the old interurban line.  As a bonus here is the diamond with a steam line abandoned ca 1910.   The Vee shaped tree lines indicate the former tracks.  The N-S is the CB&C, a short line that tried to survive on overhead traffic that could take a route 30 miles longer to cut them out of the revenue.  The NE-SW line is the former Ft.Wayne, Bluffton & Marion that eventually became part of the Indiana RR. line to Indianapolis.   

 

https://earth.google.com/web/search/garrett,+in/@40.72543273,-85.17805949,253.1276412a,809.08864481d,35y,0.00000001h,44.94970671t,0r/data=CigiJgokCQp2kReeRENAEZ-oTksuRENAGSRVauhMrFTAIRpy3aLmrFTA

Mike (2-8-2)
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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 9:50 AM

When my family lived in Garrett, IN 1959-62 our house faced a median that at that time I wondered why it was there.

When I learned of the Indiana Railroad as a Interurban carrier it all fell into place - that median was the IRR's 'country' right of way to where it began 'city' running in Garrett.

https://earth.google.com/web/search/garrett,+in/@41.34173285,-85.13628336,267.7021716a,194.04930521d,35y,0.00000001h,44.94579952t,0r/data=CnYaTBJGCiUweDg4MTYxMDE3MmRhMDk1M2Y6MHg3ZjAwNmI2OThjMTJhNmUxGWRTUze8rERAIQcPLnisSFXAKgtnYXJyZXR0LCBpbhgBIAEiJgokCQp2kReeRENAEZ-oTksuRENAGSRVauhMrFTAIRpy3aLmrFTA

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
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Posted by rrnut282 on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 7:44 AM

If you are in need of metes and bounds, check out power line easements.  I know of several medium voltage transmission lines that "took over" the easement or R/W of the Indiana RR or its predecessors radiating out of Fort Wayne.  Whether they were diligently recorded is another matter.  I follow one former R/W to work some mornings. Many are still easy to spot out in the field, especially when they leave bridge abutments behind, like on the East side of Logansport.  

Mike (2-8-2)
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Union Traction Co - Indiana Railroad Co (1st) INTERURBAN
Posted by mudchicken on Friday, February 3, 2023 11:00 AM

Continues to amaze me that a railroad (interurban) the size of Indiana Railroad System at 790 miles long (440 miles of that being interurban) saw none of its records preserved (especially the maps and land records). Because it was largely not federally regulated, nobody at the state level seemed to preserve much of anything.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west

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