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68-722: The museum was founded in 1953 by ten people who joined to purchase Indiana Railroad interurban car 65. Originally called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum , the museum was located on the grounds of the Chicago Hardware Foundry in North Chicago. In 1961, it was renamed to the Illinois Railway Museum to reflect its expanding scope. In 1964, the museum moved to Union, Illinois along the former right-of-way of

136-449: A board of directors , elected by the regular membership of about 160 active volunteers . A board president is elected by the directors. The board oversees the general manager , a volunteer who in turn has oversight over an array of department heads. Major departments include Steam, Diesel, Electric Car, Passenger Car, Freight Car, Track & Signal, Buildings & Grounds, Trolley Bus, Motor Bus, and Operations. Other departments oversee

204-433: A 1,200-US-gallon (1,000 imp gal; 4,500 L) capacity, while 2,400-or-3,000-US-gallon (2,000 or 2,500 imp gal; 9,100 or 11,400 L) tanks were optional. In practice, all SD24s ordered had the 3,000-US-gallon (2,500 imp gal; 11,000 L) tank except for the last built, Kennecott Copper 's single locomotive. In order to provide room for a larger fuel tank, the air reservoirs were relocated on

272-646: A branch of the Louisville and Indiana Railroad from its former Pennsylvania Railroad line south from Indianapolis to Louisville, Kentucky . The L&I purchased the line in 2022 between Speed, Indiana and Watson Junction from the Southern Indiana Railroad, the last true IR line. This branch, using diesel power, handles concrete from Essroc Cement in Speed for interchange with the CSX at Watson on

340-545: A modification as #423, but it was refitted with a 16-645 engine, AR10 alternator and Dash Two electrical cabinet in May 1974, making it effectively an EMD SD40-2 . This was a testbed for a proposed upgrade of all UP's SD24s, but UP decided not to go ahead with the work. Both UP 3100 and UP 414 were classified as "SD24m" by the UP, but some UP internal documents class UP 414 as a "SD24-4". Several high-nose Southern SD24s were rebuilt by

408-444: A passenger revival with the purchase of new equipment, UTC went into decline in the 1920s along with the other Indiana interurban systems. In 1925, it entered receivership whereby it continued operating by delaying paying interest on its bonded debt. It survived this bankruptcy whole and passed intact into IR control in 1930. At the same time that UTC was acquired, three other systems already owned by Midland Utilities were put under

476-416: A series were offered with turbocharging (e.g., the 38 sub-models within the 40 Series were Roots-blown). Optional equipment that could be specified by ordering railroads included multiple unit controls, a steam generator , dynamic brakes , winterization equipment, an air signal line, and hump control. Despite the options the vast majority were similar in configuration. The standard fuel tank offered

544-529: A very bad wreck near Kingsland, Indiana . Two wood bodied cars impacted head on, with one "telescoping" into the other, resulting in 41 fatalities. This is considered the worst accident in the history of interurban transit and forced the FW&;WV into bankruptcy. FW&WV reorganized as the Fort Wayne and Northern Indiana, but failed in 1919 and was purchased by ISC. ISC had also acquired two other lines,

612-588: A year before. They were single-ended, low-floor cars designed for operation by a single man and were built largely of aluminum to save weight and, therefore, require less power to operate. The biggest difference from the C&;LE cars was in the trucks : whereas the C&LE cars had smaller arch-bar trucks, the IR cars were designed with heavy Commonwealth cast steel trucks designed specifically for high-speed service and to cope with poor light rail track. A total of 35 cars

680-760: Is not sufficient exhaust heat energy to drive the turbine fast enough for the compressor to supply the air necessary for combustion, the engine drives the compressor through a gear train and an overrunning clutch. At higher power levels, the overrunning clutch is disengaged, and the turbo-compressor operates as a true turbocharger. It is possible for the turbo-compressor to revert to compressor mode momentarily during commands for large increases in engine power. Turbocharging provides higher horsepower and good running characteristics at all altitudes. Turbocharging also improves fuel consumption and reduces emissions. Previous Union Pacific experiments with turbocharging had utilized multiple Elliot or Garrett AiResearch turbochargers feeding

748-951: The Chicago & Illinois Midland , the Wisconsin Southern (WSOR), the Iowa Interstate (IAIS), and the Indiana Harbor Belt . These units are slowly being retired, with the IAIS and WSOR having completely removed them from their rosters. The IHB has only 3 left, and the CIM (now the Illinois Midland ) retains only 1 of their 5. From January 1973 through January 1978 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway rebuilt its fleet of eighty SD24 locomotives, naming

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816-641: The Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway would want to start purchasing the SD24 and sent the first demonstrator to the DMIR painted in the road's livery. The DMIR did not end up purchasing the SD24 and the demonstrator went to the Union Pacific Railroad . The turbocharger was the then-new EMD mechanically assisted turbo-compressor. During engine startup, and at lower power levels, during which there

884-525: The Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company . In 1968 the first steam locomotive was operated at the museum. The first storage barn was erected in 1972. In 1981, a one-mile (1.6 km) streetcar loop was constructed. The right-of-way the museum was constructed next to still had back taxes into the 1980s. To gain full use of the track, the museum paid the back taxes, and gained the 4.6 miles (7.4 km) of railroad track to add to their property portfolio. In 2016,

952-634: The Fort Wayne and Northwestern and the Marion and Bluffton Traction Company , in 1924 and 1926, respectively. In the 1920s, IPS purchased a group of heavy steel combines and coaches (class 400) from St. Louis Car Company . ISC was absorbed into IR essentially intact, with only the Battle Ground branch having been previously abandoned. The 400 class ISC cars were operated by Indiana Railroad along with IR's new high speed cars until abandonment. One of

1020-476: The Milwaukee Road and Morrison Knudsen for Precision National's lease fleet in 1979. The turbochargers and dynamic brakes were removed, and Precision gave them class SD10. In 1980 more followed, though they were low-nose units of Union Pacific origin. In 1982 the Chicago & North Western bought 22 of the high-nose and four of the low-nose units. Producing 1,800 horsepower (1,340 kW) (without

1088-451: The Union Pacific Railroad . The SD24 was the first EMD production locomotive to be built with an EMD turbocharged diesel engine. The first SD24 was built sixteen months before the four-axle ( B-B ) model GP20 . Power output of the SD24 was 33 percent higher than the 1,800 hp (1,340 kW) of the concurrent Roots blower -equipped SD18s with the same engine displacement . The SD24 has 400 hp (298 kW) per axle, limited by

1156-485: The "torpedo tube" air reservoirs further back on the long hood, and gave the SD26 a noticeable "hump-backed" appearance. One unit was wrecked, 44 were traded to EMD in 1985 and 35 were sold to Guilford Rail System in 1986. All have since been scrapped. The Union Pacific Railroad modified three SD24 locomotives experimentally to see if it would be worthwhile to upgrade their fleet of 30 such locomotives. Unit 410 received

1224-466: The 1990s. The city cars, excluding earlier wooden types that were scrapped, consisted mainly of single-truck Birney cars inherited from UTC and THI&E. The only exceptions were a handful of double-truck cars left over from UTC and from IPS's suburban Louisville operations. The freight and work equipment was a hodgepodge of mainly home-built designs, outdated passenger cars converted for alternate use, and secondhand equipment. Most of this equipment

1292-620: The Cincinnati and Lake Erie Ohio interurban which ran from Cincinnati through Dayton to Toledo and east to Cleveland using the Lake Shore Electric interurban. The IR and the C&LE moved much freight at the time to Cleveland. When the Lake Shore Electric was abandoned, severing the ability to ship to Cleveland, the C&LE soon stopped running too. Eventually, the IR did not have the funds to continue to lease

1360-676: The D&;W. The lease was dropped, the D&W shut down, and the important freight connection was lost. In 1937, the final slide into bankruptcy began. By order of the Securities and Exchange Commission , Midland Utilities was dissolved and the interurban lines it controlled were divorced from the subsidy income of their parent electric power generating company. In March 1937, the line abandonments began. The old Indiana Service Corporation ISC lines from Fort Wayne north to Waterloo , Garrett , and Kendallville were abandoned on March 15. On May 9,

1428-820: The EMD SD24B, the EMD SD7 , and the EMD SD35 ) to 2000 horsepower roadswitchers powered by EMD 645E prime movers, resulting in the EMD SD20 . All units had the electricals upgraded to Dash 2 technology, and the turbocharger was removed on the SD24s and SD35s. 35 of the 42 SD20s built were rebuilt from either the SD24 or the SD24B. Illinois Central, the successor to the ICG, retired them in 1995. They later found work on shortlines such as

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1496-514: The IR to ship freight from Indiana to Dayton, and from there on the C&LE north to Toledo and Cleveland, south to Cincinnati, and east to Columbus. Like many interurbans, the Dayton and Western struggled financially into the 1930s. Its track ran adjacent to the new U.S. Route 40 highway between Richmond and Dayton, and as the 1920s passed, the Dayton and Western crews apprehensively watched as more and more of their business moved onto that highway in

1564-649: The IR was essentially gone. The name IR ceased to be used and the one remaining stub of serviceable trackage, between Indianapolis and Seymour along the old IPS route, continued to operate under the Public Service Company of Indiana name. This service was operated with just two of the high-speed cars (the balance were scrapped at the Anderson shops in 1941), running just one round-trip a day to fulfill franchise obligations. Even this fragment of interurban service did not last long. On September 8, 1941, one of

1632-526: The IR would have had a promising future. Instead, it collapsed further. When the Indiana Railroad lost its important freight interchange connection with neighboring interurban Dayton and Western, prospects for the line's survival were poor. The IR continued to barely survive with only the Indiana freight business, but its lines were abandoned one by one. Today, one operation on IR track survives as

1700-475: The IR's arch windowed wood bodied box motors would tow one or two gondolas loaded with coal for the local power plant through the streets of towns. In some cases, freight trains operating on city streets faced objections from town councils, particularly if those trains operated during the day. Many merchants, newspapers, and small manufacturing companies used the frequent interurban scheduling provided. Had an improving economy allowed this freight business to increase,

1768-612: The IRM purchased a 130-foot turntable from Union Pacific's former Denver & Rio Grande Western Burnham Shops complex in Denver for $ 10,000. The turntable is large enough for any locomotive in their collection, and will be used to store their steam locomotives, along with a planned roundhouse. There are over 500 pieces of equipment, and over 100 acres of land owned by the museum. The museum's operations are primarily concentrated around its main campus just east of Union. Train rides are offered on

1836-405: The IRM. Scenes depicting steam era operations in the late 1920s were shot for the 1993 television series The Untouchables . The show Chicago Fire features the IRM onsite in the season 2 episode "No Regrets". Indiana Railroad The Indiana Railroad ( IR ) was the last of the typical Midwestern United States interurban lines. It was formed in 1930–31 by combining the operations of

1904-600: The combines was eventually purchased by the CSS&;SB South Shore Line , where it still operates today as a catenary maintenance car. Absorbed into IR along with ISC and IPS was the Northern Indiana Power Company , a successor to the Kokomo Marion and Western Traction Company. This line was the smallest and weakest of the companies that were folded into IR. A year later, on June 23, 1931,

1972-500: The company continues to operate but does not pay interest on its bonded debt) in 1930, and several major branches, including lines to Danville , Martinsville , Lafayette , Crawfordsville , Sullivan , and Clinton were abandoned prior to absorption by IR in 1931. Its Indianapolis to Richmond line connecting with the Dayton and Western interurban was an important IR link to the Ohio interurbans for interchange of freight. IR quickly retired

2040-466: The company's operating income declined and eventually became inadequate to repay the bond interest. This forced an eventual declaration of bankruptcy. The public's desire to travel by interurban diminished as the Depression deepened and as more roads were paved with more cars driven on them. On July 28, 1933, IR went into bankruptcy but continued to operate. Control was placed by bankruptcy court into

2108-504: The control of IR. The largest was the Interstate Public Service Company (IPS), which was reorganized as an independent company known as Public Service Company of Indiana, but was operated under the auspices of IR. The IPS operated the line from Indianapolis to Louisville that had been built between 1896 and 1907 under a variety of small independent lines. Through service between Indianapolis and Louisville

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2176-860: The control of the Schoepf-McGowan Syndicate in 1902. UTC purchased or leased several neighboring interurban lines in short order: the Elwood and Alexandria was bought in 1903, the Indiana Northern in 1905, and the Indiana Muncie Hartford and Fort Wayne was leased in 1906. In 1906, UTC also purchased all of the Dayton and Muncie's trackage in Indiana. UTC absorbed the Indianapolis, New Castle, and Toledo in 1912 and extended its trackage from New Castle to Muncie, but it did not reach Toledo. Although it attempted

2244-612: The country that operates both electric and diesel trains, and the only one to offer trolleybus rides on a regular basis. The Illinois Railway Museum property covers more than 80 acres (32 ha), the most extensive physical plant of any rail museum in North America. In 2009, the museum bought another 89 acres (36 ha) of adjacent land as a buffer against development. The main campus is located at 42°13′40.0″N 88°31′38.08″W  /  42.227778°N 88.5272444°W  / 42.227778; -88.5272444 . In addition to

2312-421: The factory had a pronounced downward slope of the top towards the nose, as did those of the contemporary GP20. Many of the high short hood units had their noses chopped later on, often as a consequence of rebuilding; these as a rule have flat-topped short hoods. As the SD24 locomotives aged, they began to develop reliability problems, especially electrical ones. In addition, the extra maintenance requirements of

2380-479: The final piece of the IR system was added when the Terre Haute Indianapolis and Eastern (THI&E) was purchased at auction. The THI&E was the second-largest interurban system in Indiana, operating just over 400 miles (640 km) of interurban lines as well as streetcar service in several western Indiana cities. It operated branches out of Indianapolis west to Terre Haute and Brazil , to

2448-419: The first couple of years of IR's existence, leaving a fleet made up predominantly of heavy steel single-ended combines. There were about half a dozen 400 class ISC combines, 30 UTC steel combines (including 15 modern cars only five years old), and nine of Interstate IPS's heavyweight combines, parlor, and sleeping cars . A few of these former Interstate cars were still operated by a British Columbia railroad in

2516-537: The five major interurban systems in central Indiana into one entity. The predecessor companies came under the control of Midland Utilities , owned by Samuel Insull . His plan was to modernize the profitable routes and abandon the unprofitable ones. With the onset of the Great Depression , the Insull empire collapsed and the Indiana Railroad was left with a decaying infrastructure and little hope of overcoming

2584-834: The form of cars, trucks, and buses. From 1931 to 1933, the Cincinnati & Lake Erie leased the D&W to prop it up. In 1936, the IR took over the lease, but in May 1937 it had to drop the lease for lack of funds, forcing the D&W to abandon operations. The resulting loss of revenue business to Ohio wounded the IR. IR inherited a large fleet of interurban cars from its various predecessor companies, totaling perhaps 100–150 interurban cars (of which about 60 were retained), probably 200 or so streetcars (of which about 150 were retained), around 50 pieces of freight equipment and about 55 work cars of various types. The interurban cars varied considerably in age and design. A number of pre-1910 very large arch-windowed wooden combines that had survived in service on ISC and THI&E were disposed of within

2652-466: The former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line running northeast from Louisville. In its startup years just before the beginning of the Great Depression, the Indiana Railroad obtained funds for improving its physical plant and purchasing new interurban coaches and freight equipment by selling corporate stock and bonds. Interest was to be paid on the bonds semi-annually from operating income, but

2720-446: The former THI&E line east of Indianapolis to Richmond was abandoned, severing the IR's important connection with the C&LE interurban network in Ohio. In September 1938, the former Union Traction line from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne via Peru was abandoned, leaving the more southern Indianapolis to Ft Wayne via Muncie route intact. A year later, the major trunk of the former Interstate Public Service Indianapolis to Louisville line

2788-420: The growing competition of the automobile for passenger business and the truck for freight business. The IR faced bankruptcy in 1933, and Bowman Elder was designated as the receiver to run the company. Payments on bonded debt were suspended. Elder was able to keep the system virtually intact for four years, and IR operated about 600 miles (970 km) of interurban lines throughout Indiana during this period. During

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2856-547: The hands of Bowman Elder as receiver. Elder was able to keep the system virtually intact for four more years with increasing income from freight. The IR was operating about 600 miles (970 km) of interurban lines throughout Indiana during this period. In 1936, IR actually showed an operating profit, the only time in its history that it did so. In that year, the IR brought the Dayton and Western under its control by leasing it for two years. This continued its valuable freight link to

2924-695: The late 1930s, the routes were abandoned one by one until a 1941 wreck with fatalities south of Indianapolis put an abrupt end to the Indiana Railroad's last passenger operations. The late 1890s was a time of horse-drawn carriages and wagons pulled along unpaved streets and roads, so the arrival of the town streetcar was appreciated. Some of these trolley lines eventually expanded into the countryside and, by 1911, had grown into hundreds of miles of interurban lines networked across Indiana. "When before we had moved by horse and carriage, we now rode on plush seats to places 20 miles (32 km), 30 miles (48 km), even 50 miles (80 km) distant." The Indiana Railroad

2992-656: The main line as well as the streetcar loop. Electric trains are operated from April through October and diesel and steam trains from the beginning of May through the end of September. Trolleybus operation occurs on the Saturdays of the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekends, as well as on "Bus Day"; the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October. IRM is one of only two railway museums in

3060-509: The most minor modification: upgraded air filters. UP 423, however, was substantially rebuilt to UP 3100 in August 1968 with a constant-speed 16-645 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) prime mover, a new alternator and new traction motors. With the constant-speed engine, speed control was via changing the level of excitation of the alternator; the traction motors were permanently wired in parallel. New, variable dynamic brakes were also fitted, as

3128-548: The museum's EMD SD24 diesel locomotive. The museum's grounds and some of the passenger cars were used in the movie The Babe , starring John Goodman . In late 2005, the Burlington 9911A and several coaches operated to Chicago for filming in Flags of Our Fathers , a Clint Eastwood film. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) made IRM the host of several scenes. Many television shows' railroad sequences have been shot at

3196-408: The museum's libraries, electrical infrastructure, and display and education functions. Most department heads are volunteers. All workers at the museum fall under the direct authority of one of the department heads. The vast majority of workers are volunteers. Anyone who is interested in trains or other collections/aspects of the museum is actively encouraged to volunteer, with required training done by

3264-647: The museum's revenue trackage, the main campus in Union includes: IRM also owns one off-site library; the Strahorn Research Library in downtown Marengo. The Pullman Archive, formerly located in downtown Union, IL moved on campus to the Multi-purpose Building in 2021. Paper, Inc. Locomotive The Illinois Railway Museum is an IRS Chapter 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation owned and managed by its membership. Museum management includes

3332-488: The museum. IRM has been used in several films, due to its proximity to Chicago and its extensive collection of historic railroad equipment. In the 1992 film A League of Their Own , starring Tom Hanks , Geena Davis , and Madonna , the museum's depot was used for several small-town depot scenes; other scenes featured with the Nebraska Zephyr and only surviving EMD E5 . The 1993 movie Groundhog Day featured

3400-462: The resulting type the SD26 . The rebuild boosted the power output of the locomotives by upgrading the 16-567D3 engines with EMD 645 power assemblies . Other work improved the reliability by replacing the entire electrical systems, and replacing the multiple body-side vents with a central air filtration system. The large box fitted high on the body behind the cab for the air filters required relocating

3468-485: The roof just behind the locomotive's cab . The tanks were known as " torpedo tubes " due to their long, thin design. Winterization included a winterization hatch over one of the radiator fans, to direct warm air back into the engine compartment. Either a low or high short hood could be ordered; in either case, the short hood was front by default. The Burlington, Southern and first EMD demonstrator had high short hoods; all others were low short hood. Low short hoods from

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3536-534: The track was removed. This was the end of the Indiana Railroad. EMD SD24 The EMD SD24 is a 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) six-axle ( C-C ) diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors ' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July 1958 and March 1963. A total of 224 units were built for customers in the United States , comprising 179 regular, cab-equipped locomotives and 45 cabless B units . The latter were built solely for

3604-585: The traction motors available. Nevertheless, the turbocharged SD24 provides full rated power at all altitudes, which the Roots-blown SD18 could not provide. In terms of sales, the SD24 was only a moderate success, and had average service lives in SD24 configuration (though a few deturbocharged rebuilds are still in operation), but the SD24 was a milestone in EMD locomotive development and the forerunner to today's high-powered six-axle locomotives. EMD thought

3672-545: The turbocharged engine were acceptable when they were some of the most powerful locomotives available, but in secondary service, they were an expensive way to get 2,400 hp (1,800 kW). Thus, a large number of SD24s were rebuilt by various owners to extend their lives. From August 1979 through December 1982, the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad rebuilt various C-C locomotives (the EMD SD24,

3740-457: The two high-speed cars still in use met the one remaining work car in a head-on collision at speed. The high-speed car had stalled, and the work car had been sent from Indianapolis to investigate. But the first car had recovered and proceeded, leading to a head-on collision and injured passengers and crew. The operator of the high-speed car eventually died, as did one of the passengers. The Indianapolis to Seymour service immediately ceased, and soon

3808-418: The university town of Lafayette , and east to Richmond . It stretched nearly from the eastern to the western boundaries of the state. Due to lack of operating revenue and funds, it had never modernized, and was financially among the weakest of the Indiana lines. As a power utility it had profits, but the interurban division had been losing money for a decade. It fell into receivership (a form of bankruptcy where

3876-527: The usual pair of Roots blowers. EMD's mechanically assisted turbocharger eliminated the need for the pair of Roots blowers and also integrated the turbocharging function from two (Elliot) or four (AiResearch) smaller add-on turbochargers into one much larger, turbo-compressor (turbocharger) with intercooling. The introduction of the EMD-type turbocharger was successful and all subsequent SD series were offered with this turbocharger, although not all models within

3944-462: The various IR-linked towns (and to or from Ohio) were not available from the competing railroads; the latter typically required two to three days to complete a shipment. An example is delivering machined parts made in Terre Haute overnight to Auburn, Indiana, auto manufacturer Auburn . Prior to 1930, cartage business already existed due to the interurban's ties to local power companies. At night

4012-551: The very dated THI&E arch-windowed wood combines. The Indiana Railroad was able to interchange passengers and considerable freight with the Cincinnati and Lake Erie interurban in Ohio, but the financially very weak Dayton and Western interurban was the essential rail link between the two companies. The 53-mile (85 km) D&W tied into IR tracks at its west end at Richmond, Indiana, and into C&LE tracks at its eastern end at Dayton, Ohio. The D&W connection allowed

4080-514: The years before the Great Depression. The all-steel interurban sleeper cars, with traction controls and motors removed, were purchased and used into the 1960s by British Columbia Railway. The Indiana Service Corporation (ISC) became part of IR at the same time as the IPS. ISC was the successor to the Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley Traction Company (FW&WV), a system that had been assembled from smaller predecessors around 1902. In 1910, FW&WV had

4148-641: Was a group of ten Cummings -built lightweight cars that were bought in 1935. They were not brand new; they had been constructed in 1930 for the Northern Indiana Railway but had been seized by Cummings when the Northern Indiana couldn't pay for them. These cars were numbered 90-99. Although considerable planning and expenditure in 1930 went into improving the passenger operation, IR hoped to increase revenue from its freight business. Overnight less-than-carload (LCL) deliveries between

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4216-438: Was a self load feature enabling testing under load without an external electrical load apparatus. This latter feature became standard on later locomotive models. The constant-speed prime mover, on the other hand, was not successful enough to duplicate. From 1975, the locomotive was used as a heavy switcher at UP's North Platte, Nebraska hump yards , a fate common to UP's other surviving SD24s. UP 414 did not receive as major

4284-590: Was created on July 2, 1930, when Midland Utilities purchased the Union Traction Company of Indiana (UTC) and transferred ownership to the IR. Union Traction (UTC) was the largest interurban system in Indiana with 410 miles (660 km) of interurban trackage and 44 miles (71 km) of streetcar lines in Anderson , Elwood , Marion and Muncie . UTC had been created in 1897 to operate an initial line between Anderson and Alexandria , and came under

4352-412: Was created, its owners knew that they would have to modernize their fleet of interurban cars if they hoped to prevent further erosion of their ridership. In 1930 and 1931, IR designed a series of lightweight, low center of gravity, high-speed interurban cars that could operate quickly and economically on the far-flung IR network. The new cars owed much to the Cincinnati and Lake Erie lightweight cars built

4420-471: Was cut back to Seymour . In January 1940, the former THI&E line west of Indianapolis to Brazil, Greencastle, and Terre Haute was abandoned. On January 18, 1941, the remaining Union Traction Indianapolis to Fort Wayne and Bluffton line and tlhe Muncie to New Castle branch were abandoned, ending practically all service on the IR. With the abandonment of its two principal remaining lines in January 1941,

4488-517: Was inaugurated over these separate lines in 1908, but it was not until 1912 that ownership of the different segments was consolidated and IPS was created. During the 1920s, IPS modernized its fleet of cars extensively. It operated frequent passenger services between Indianapolis and Louisville and operated suburban services around Louisville. By 1930, it was one of the strongest of the Indiana interurban lines. IPS operated three-car overnight sleeper trains each way between Indianapolis and Louisville during

4556-629: Was ordered. The first 14, cars 50–63, came from the American Car and Foundry and were deluxe cars with coach seating at the front and parlor car chairs at the back. The remaining 21 cars, numbered 64–84, came from Pullman and had all coach seating with a small baggage section at the rear. Delivery of the new high-speeds began in July 1931 and they were an immediate success, making it possible for IR to reduce running times on some of its routes and economize on its operations. The second series of new cars

4624-406: Was quite old, but even some equipment dating to before 1905 remained in IR's employ for years. Some of the retired passenger coaches that were in better condition were rebuilt into box motors and utility cars. IR purchased two series of modern interurban cars during its life, and it was the first series — the famed Indiana Railroad High-Speeds — that always symbolized the railroad. When IR

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