Caption on this old post card shows "Big Four Depot, Crawfordsville, Indiana". Once again, no date, but looks to be prior to 1920, based on motive power of train pulling into station. Suspect that this depot is long gone, even though the line itself is still in use between Crawfordsville and Indianapolis -- don't know whether the depot sat to the north or south of main line, so can't tell if the train is EB or WB. - CAPT Rex Settlemoir collection
Nice photo. I agree that the steamer is an old design with its tall stack and smallish boiler, probably late 19th century. Also no evidence of an infernal combustion vehicle, only a lone one horse power conveyance.
The station and grounds are well maintained. The neighborhood to the right of the depot looks like a prosperous area, large houses,broad streets. Cant tell about the left side as the picture is darker but that side looks more industrial.also what looks like an industrial siding or team track is buried in mud. Great photo of a more simple era. Charlie
Crawfordsville, IN was a surprisingly busy place in its day, also served by through lines of the Monon and Pennsy, as well as two lines of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company, one from the east and the other from the southeast. Here's a color postcard of Roger's depot, courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society. Thanks again for your postings Roger. Having grown up in IL, I enjoy these threads a bunch.
I am guessing 1890-1910 but definitely before 1918. I love those old photographs of the Big Four. New York Central control came in 1906, but the railroad still kept its own character into the 1930s.
I would say about 1905 looking at the area on the industrial track. On the newer photo the side track has been removed. The signals are lower quadrant probably train order signals. They are in front of the operators bay window, but next to the track . Most of the signals in this time period were located just outside of the office window because they were manually operated . Where this one is located would require underground pipe connections , but who knows. The loco was probably a 4-4-0 . LEW
Roger, another nice historic photo, and Hardcoaler, thanks for the postcard view. LEW, your insight is always helpful. Never thought about the hand operated signals. Here is a 4-4-0 from my Vollrath collection which may be from about that period.
Well if it is the 9255 it is a class c-103 P&LE blt. 5/01 Sc 3/27 . If the 9266 class c-105 P&LE blt. 4/06 Sc 8/26 with 72" drivers ,200 lb. boiler press. LEW
LEW, according to Mr. Vollrath's notes, the 9255 was photographed in 1927 in New Castle. Soon to be in the scrap line?
It looks like 9255. You can see the P&LE sublettering on the coal boards, but barely. From where did the Big Four buy most of its power before 1906?
The B4 was made up of many railroads in the area it covered and bought locos from the many builders jncluding their own shops . By 1905 they had organized enough to renumber the locos they owned . LEW
Okay, ya' made me look it up. I was thinking in terms of big four, NYC, Penn, etc. How wrong I was! The Big Four Railroad In Indiana By Ared Maurice Murphy PREFACE This collection of sketches is not presumed to be a complete history of the various Big Four (or Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis) lines in Indiana. Such a work would be too comprehensive for the purpose of these sketches, and would probably contain much of little interest to the average reader. Accordingly, the beginnings of the different roads now comprising the Big Four in Indiana have been featured—their building, financing, original planning, and the like. In some cases, some later history has been included, in order to carry the effects of the policies inaugurated when the roads were built, to their logical conclusion. Again, some later history has also been introduced to show the gradual changes which took place and which welded several small and struggling lines of railroad into parts of one great system. Title: The Big Four Railroad in Indiana Author: Ared Maurice Murphy Date: 1925 Source: Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 21, Issue 2-3, pp 109-273 Article Type: Article https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/6363/6442
BTW - The article I referenced is a great read for all railroad enthusiasts as it was written in 1925 and delves into the financing, construction, and social issues of building a new rail line!
I think it's ironic that while most of Rogers photos, Lew's contributions, and the predominance of this thread's posts deal with the B-4's existence and operation in Indiana, not one Indiana city is contained in its name.
And what's more ironic is that in the majority of the videos of the NYC, PC, and CR, virtually none of them take place in Indiana and none of them take place in Anderson. Anderson was a great crossing of two main lines of the Big Four. Hoo Haa!
May I infer that B-4 fans were a parochial bunch, recognizing only their Company. Maybe there were some "branch lines", but not worthy of photos.
Fitz I hope you mean Newcastle , IND. If you do that is about 15 miles from our house . This is on the P&E div. of the B4 that crossed the Mich. Div. at Shirley, IND. These two Div. crossing made the town of Shirley to exist . At one time New castle had 3 railroads but now only 1 . LEW