The Monon Route, The Hoosier Line

The little Monon Route, known for years as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway until its nickname became the railroad’s official name, was a Midwestern system that struggled on and off for many years but for the last thirty years of its history did quite well. The Monon was never a large railroad and lived among giants only owning a bit over 500 total miles of track at its peak. As its original name implies it served the cities of Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville and was also a bridge route, hauling traffic for larger railroads like the Southern Railway and Louisville & Nashville Railroad.  Today, large sections of the classic Monon have either been abandoned or sold to small shortlines.  However, some corridors remain in use by successor CSX Transportation.

Nearly new Monon C628 #402 had only been in service for a few weeks when pictured here at Hammond, Indiana during March of 1964. The locomotives turned out to be far too heavy for the railroad's infrastructure to handle and were sold after just a few years of service.

The Monon Route had its beginnings dating all of the way back to 1847 with the New Albany & Salem Railroad, chartered to connect New Albany, Indiana with Salem, Indiana. The NA&S would eventually connect with Michigan City on Lake Michigan, at the time thought to be a strategic gateway for inbound and outbound traffic, even more so than Chicago to the west! In the late 1850s the railroad realized Chicago was fast becoming the nation’s largest gateway (which continues to this day) and connected to it, including Louisville, Kentucky to the south.

After problems forced the company into reorganization, it emerged in the early 1880s as the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway. After acquisitions and mergers by the late 19th century the Monon Route had all but taken its final form, a rough “X” connecting Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville with a number of branch lines extended to other areas through Indiana (for instance, the original Michigan City main line was reduced to all but a branch after that city failed to live up to traffic expectations).

The Monon Railroad continued to struggle as it entered into the 20th century. While it carried the shortest route between Chicago and Indianapolis it unfortunately had few allies. Surrounded by much larger systems such as the New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, those roads chose to use their own lines or subsidiaries to reach Chicago and Indianapolis and not the Monon. Even the Southern Railway and Louisville & Nashville Railroad who jointly controlled the Monon during this time usually chose the PRR to handle its northbound traffic!

With almost no friends and because it depended heavily on bridge traffic, the Monon Route’s owners were seriously considering completely shutting down the railroad after the Great Depression forced the carrier into yet another bankruptcy. Its savior would come in the way of wartime traffic in the early 1940s, which gave the entire industry a much-needed boost after the rough years during and after the depression. After enjoying the prosperity of wartime traffic the Monon Railroad gained its most influential president in 1946 who would secure its future, John Barriger.

Barriger insisted on upgrading the entire railroad from its locomotive and freight car fleet to its right-of-way, making the Monon a first-rate operation. Where he could, track was straightened and grades reduced. Barriger also quickly understood the efficiencies of diesel locomotives and he had the entire railroad dieselized before 1950! These tactics quickly helped to improve the railroads fortune and it would remain in the black for the rest of its life. During this time the Monon Railroad also introduced two new liveries. The first to debut was a red and gray scheme with white trim and the other a gold and black scheme with white lettering. What’s most interesting about these liveries is that they are inspired from Indiana colleges and universities the railroad ran near. The red and gray was that of Wabash College and the black and gold of both Purdue University and DePauw University.

One of the Monon's only GE products, U23B #608, is seen here at Hammond with a C420 during early April of 1971.

Not surprisingly this down home look the Monon Railroad gave to its locomotive fleet earned it a devout following with the local communities along its lines. Because of this, while the railroad never spent heavily on passenger operations and streamlining it did do quite well for many years following WWII, in large part due to the number of local colleges and universities it served. It was also during this time that the railroad completely dropped its original name as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway and instead became known simply as the Monon Route in the mid-1950s (it had received this nickname because Monon, Indiana was where all of its lines converged).

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s the Monon Route remained a top-rate railroad, albeit always a David surrounded by Goliaths. It was during this time that due to mergers beginning to sweep the industry the Monon Railroad went looking for a partner. Its first choice was turned down with the Southern Railway but in 1971 its other former owner, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad accepted its offer and merged the Monon Railroad into its system that summer.

A Monon NW2, #16, is doing switching work at Hammond on a frigid March 31, 1964.

While the Monon remained relatively obscure for most of its life it is well remembered and beloved in the communities it served, which continues on today in the historical society dedicated to preserving its memory. The railroad also lives on under CSX Transportation although due to better routes by the Monon's one-time surrounding competitors much of the trackage that CSX inherited upon its creation in 1987 has either been sold off to shortlines or abandoned altogether (including much of its famous street trackage in small town Indiana).

Monon Railroad Diesel Locomotive Roster

For an all-time diesel locomotive roster of the Monon Route please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the Monon please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved Monon diesel locomotives.

The American Locomotive Company

Monon Railroad Steam Locomotive Roster

For a more complete roster of Monon Railroad steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving Monon steam locomotives please click here.

Notable Monon Railroad Passenger Trains

Daylight Limited: Chicago - Indianapolis

Hoosier: Chicago - Indianapolis

Midnight Special: Chicago - Indianapolis

Night Express: Chicago - Louisville

Red Devil: Operated in Conjunction with the Pennsylvania Railroad between Indianapolis and French Lick.

Thoroughbred: Chicago - Louisville

Tippecanoe: Chicago - Indianapolis

Varsity: Chicago - Bloomington

Monon C420 #504 is pictured here at Hammond on April 2, 1971. The railroad very much liked Alco products, owning 36 examples altogether between RS2s, C420s, and what proved to be the far too heavy C628.

For more reading and history on the Monon Railroad you might want to consider Monon: The Hoosier Line from Gary Dolzall. The author gives an excellent history of the railroad in his book with over 200 pictures (all black and white). If you are a fan of the Monon and/or are interested in learning more about the railroad I am sure you will find the book very enjoyable as it is one of the most comprehensive titles on the company which you can find that is currently in print. 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.