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Indiana Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads

The information included here covers a general history of Indiana interurbans and streetcar railroads once operated throughout the state. Interurban systems were once a common form of transportation for many towns both large and small although they began to fall out of favor in the 1930s and 1940s for the common automobile as its technology and better highways became vastly improved and more reliable. While interurbans served a vital transportation purpose prior to reliable autos and highways from a historical perspective they are fascinating because of many small companies that popped up and also disappeared nearly overnight. During the peak of interurban operations in the country there were even several builders of motorcars including J. G. Brill & Company, St. Louis Car Company, Pullman-Standard, American Car Company, Standard Steel and the Jewett Car Company.

The information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Indiana interurbans and streetcars.

Beech Grove Traction Company: The Beech Grove Traction Company served downtown Indianapolis and the suburb of Beech Grove. It began operations in 1911 operating a six-mile system and remained in service until 1938 when it was discontinued due to its electricity being cut over lack of payment.

Evansville Electric Railway: The Evansville Electric Railway served the city of Evansville and operated for only a few years between 1901 and 1906.

Evansville & Ohio Valley Railway: The Evansville & Ohio Valley Railway was formed through the merger of three smaller systems the Evansville & Eastern Electric Railway, Evansville & Mount Vernon Electric Railway and Evansville, Henderson & Owensboro Railway. Along with serving Evansville the interurban connected Henderson, Mount Vernon and Grandview.

Evansville, Suburban & Newburgh Railway: The Evansville, Suburban & Newburgh Railway was an 11-mile system connecting. The ES&N was originally chartered in December of 1887 reaching Newburgh a few years later. Along with passenger services the railroad also served a coal mines in the area. In 1905 the railroad was upgraded to electric operation. Unfortunately by the late 1920s encroachment by highways and automobiles was taking its toll and by 1930 downgrading began with passenger service ending. Between 1941 and 1947 the ES&N also lost its freight business after the area coal mines shut down and in May of 1948 the entire route was abandoned. For more information on the ES&N please click here.

Indiana Railways & Light Company: The Indiana Railways & Light Company was the creation of a merger in December of 1912 of the Kokomo Frankfort & Western Traction Company (created in 1911 and connected Kokomo and Frankfort, a distance of 26 miles) and Kokomo Marion & Western Traction Company (created in 1903 from smaller companies and connected Kokomo and Greentown). It lasted only ten years before being merged into the Northern Indiana Power Company. The interurban lines remained in operation until the spring of 1932 when they were discontinued.

Indiana Service Corporation: The Indiana Service Corporation was created in 1902. In 1914 it took over the operations of the Fort Wayne & Northern Indiana Traction Company (formerly the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Company), and a few years later purchased the Fort Wayne & Northwestern Railway and Marion & Bluffton Traction Company. ISC served northeastern Indiana and remained in operation until it was purchased by the Indiana Railroad in 1930 (not to be confused with today's Indiana Rail Road, a Class II freight railroad).

Toledo & Chicago Interurban Railway: The Toledo & Chicago Interurban Railway was created in 1906 and would eventually serve the counties of Allen, DeKalb and Noble. Passenger services were discontinued in 1937 and freight operations (between Fort Wayne and Garrett) remained on until they too were finally abandoned in 1945.

Wabash River Traction Company: The Wabash River Traction Company served the town of Peru and was a shortlived operation between 1901 and 1904 before being taken over by the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Company.

Gary & Interurban Railroad: The Gary & Interurban Railroad was created in 1913 through the mergers of the Goshen, South Bend & Chicago Railroad; Valparaiso & Northern Railway; Gary Connecting Railways Company; and Gary & Interurban Railway. For more information on these predecessor lines and Gary's interurban history please click here.

Bluffton, Geneva & Celina Traction: The Bluffton, Geneva & Celina Traction connected Bluffton and Geneva beginning operations in 1910. It was a mostly unsuccessful operation serving sparsely populated towns and went bankrupt in 1917.

Chicago & Calumet District Transit: The Chicago & Calumet District Transit was a very late interurban operation created in 1931 through the merger of the Calumet Railways, Gary Railways, Shore Line Motor Coach Company, and Midwest Motor Coach Company. By this time part of the route also operated buses but rail service was still being provided as well. The C&CDT would survive all of the way into 1974 before being dissolved. However, its interurban rail operations had been abandoned some years earlier in the mid-1940s. For more information about this transit operation please click here.

Union Traction Company: The Union Traction Company was by far Indiana's (and one of the country's) largest interurbans, operating an impressive 410-mile system serving the region surrounding Indianapolis. It began operations in the late 1910 when the Indianapolis, New Castle & Toledo Electric Railway was reorganized as the Union Traction Company upon the completion of its line between Indianapolis and New Castle. The UTC quickly grew through construction and merger. Some of its acquisitions included the Marion Electric Street Railway; Elwood & Alexandria Railway; Indiana Northern; Muncie, Hartford & Fort Wayne; Dayton & Muncie Traction; and the Muncie & Portland Traction. After 1917, however, the system would not earn a profit through its passenger services. Freight continued to carry the railroad until it too began to decline after 1926. In 1930 the UTC became part of Samuel Insull's Midland United Corporation (the UTC routes not abandoned were operated by Insull's Indiana Railroad).

Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction Company: The Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction Company was an ambitious plan to connect its namesake cities. Unfortunately it would not come to pass although it would operate a 91-mile system. The I&CT was created in 1902 extending from Indianapolis to Rushville by 1905 and then to Connersville a year later. In 1906 the railroad purchased the Shelbyville & Southeastern Traction which operated a 28-mile system between Indianapolis and Shelbyville as well as a branch to Greensburg, a 21-mile line. The I&CT was unique in that it operated single-phase AC electrification instead of the traditional direct-current systems. While more efficient and powerful AC system are also much more expensive. By 1906 the I&CT was bankrupt and while it emerged in 1910 found little success. In 1923 it switched to a more conventional DC system and was reorganized as the Indianapolis & Southeastern Railroad in 1929. Three years later in January of 1932 the rail service was discontinued altogether in favor of buses.

Indianapolis & Eastern Railway: The Indianapolis & Eastern Railway operated between Indianapolis and Richmond. It began services in July of 1902 and was purchased by the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company in March of 1907.

Indianapolis & Louisville Traction: The Indianapolis & Louisville Traction Company began operations in 1907 connecting Seymour and Sellersburg and was one part of three different interubans that completed the link between Indianapolis and Louisville, Kentucky. It operated on a 1200-volt D.C. electrification system and remained in service until 1931 when it was purchased by the Indiana Railroad.

Indianapolis, Columbus & Southern Traction: The Indianapolis, Columbus & Southern Traction was created in 1895 as the Indianapolis, Greenwood & Franklin Railroad, changing its name to the IC&S in 1901. The interurban would eventually connect Indianapolis with Columbus serving a 59-mile system. It became part of the Indiana Railroad in 1930.

Indiana Railroad: The Indiana Railroad was a creation in 1930 by its owner Samuel Insull and was made up of five of Indiana's largest interurbans; the Union Traction Company, Interstate Public Service Company, Indiana Service Corporation, Northern Indiana Power and Terre Haute, Indiana & Eastern Traction. In total it operated about a 600-mile system, which included both freight and passenger services. Unfortunately the Great Depression was very hard on the IR, along with increased competition from buses and automobiles and by July of 1933 it was in receivership. In 1937 IR's parent, Midland Utilities, was dissolved by the Securities and Exchange Commission due to bankruptcy and its system was mostly abandoned by the early 1940s.

Indianapolis Traction Terminal: The Indianapolis Traction Terminal was more of a terminal railroad but which operated to serve interurban lines. It was created in 1904 to manage and consolidate the stations of the various interurbans serving Indianapolis. It's decline followed the interurbans and was gone by the 1930s although its impressive station, staging tracks and shed had been built for large amounts of traffic that never came.

Lafayette Street Railway: The Lafayette Street Railway was an interurban serving downtown Lafayette. It was created in 1884 originally operated as a horse-powered service but by 1888 had been electrified. In 1903 it became part of the Fort Wayne, Logansport, Lafayette & Lima Traction Company although after a number of name changes became the Lafayette Street Railway again in 1922. Interurban rail service remained in operation until 1940 when it was discontinued in favor of buses.

St. Joseph Valley Railway: The St. Joseph Valley Railway was actually a Michigan interurban but it was intended to connect the southern Michigan town's of Buchanan and Berrien Springs with northern Indiana. Chartered in 1889 it never made it any further than the two mentioned Michigan communities and was abandoned by 1897 due to heavy debt and bankruptcy.

Chicago-New York Air Line: The Chicago-New York Air Line was an ambitious, almost impossible, plan to connect Chicago and New York via a 742-mile straight and flat "air line". It was chartered in 1906 but made it no further than a few miles of line constructed near LaPorte, Indiana. The scheme turned out to be nothing more than a scam as the builders took the Chicago investors' money who had financed the fist stages of the grand railroad and were never heard from again. For more information about this odd railroad please click here.

Marion City Railway: The Marion City Railway was a shortlived interurban that took over the Indiana Railroad's street operations in Marion in 1933. It remained in operation until 1947 when the service was abandoned altogether in favor of buses.

Marion, Bluffton & Eastern Traction: The Marion, Bluffton & Eastern Traction was created in December of 1905 and connected its namesake cities. It remained in operation until 1931 when rail services were abandoned.

Twin Branch Railroad: The Twin Branch Railroad was not really an interurban passenger railroad but did operate electrified trackage (about two miles) hauling coal to a Michigan Power Company power plant located near Mishawka. For more information about this little railroad please click here.

Home Transit, "The Daisy Line": Home Transit, also known as the "Daisy Line", served the town of New Albany and took over operations of the street lines after the Indiana Railroad gave up on the route in the early 1930s. It remained in operation until the mid-1940s before abandoning all operations itself.

New Albany & Louisville Electric Railway: The New Albany & Louisville Electric Railway was a latecomer to interurban operation beginning service in 1934 on a 4.75 mile railroad line in Louisville, a former Interstate Public Service property. The NA&L lasted until 1945 when it was discontinued.

Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana Railway: The Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana Railway was created in 1907 and took over the operations of the Northern Indiana Railway Company which served Michigan City. In 1930 the CSB&NI was sold to the Northern Indiana Railway, Inc. and two years later all streetcar service was mothballed for buses.

Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company: The Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company was one of the state's largest operating over 400 miles of routes. It began operations in 1907 from four smaller companies: the Indianapolis & Western Railway, Indianapolis & Eastern Railway, Richmond Street & Interurban Railway and Indianapolis Coal Traction Company. Soon after it took over several other lines: the Terre Haute Traction & Light Company, Indianapolis & Northwestern Traction Company, Indianapolis & Martinsville Rapid Transit Company and the famed Indianapolis, Crawfordsville & Danville Electric Railway (also known as the "Ben Hur Route"). It system radiated out in all directions from Indianapolis and remained in service until April of 1930 when it fell into bankruptcy. A year later it was acquired by Samuel Insull's Midland Utilities and operated by his Indiana Railroad.

Winona Railroad: The Winona Railroad began life in 1902 and known as the Winona & Warsaw Railway. The route served its namesake city but unfortunately the system was in bankruptcy for most its existence changing its name in 1905 to the Winona Interurban Railway and in 1924 was renamed the Winona Service Company before its final reorganization in 1926 when it came to be known as the Winona Railroad. Passenger service on the line survived until September 1 of 1934 with freight services lasting until May 31, 1952.

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Indiana interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

For more reading on Indiana interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurban railroads and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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