Friday, April 16, 2010

Louisville Bridge Car -- From the David Wilkins Historical Collection

This next photo from the David M. Wilkins historical photo collection comes to us from the same stack of photos I found wedged in a book a number of years ago. As always:



These photographs are copyrighted by the David M. Wilkins Historical Photo Collection
Do Not Reproduce Without Permission!




This car appears to be part of the suburban fleet that operated over the Big Four Bridge to Jeffersonville and New Albany. Photographer and date is unknown.



Louisville had two over-the-bridge lines providing interurban service to the three small cities across the Ohio River in Southern Indiana, New Albany, Jeffersonville and Clarksville. The line over the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Railroad bridge just west of downtown was a broad gauge operation, using gauntlet tracks. This line is best known for it's later incarnation as the New Albany and Louisville, using Peter Witt streetcars and trailers leased from the Louisville Railway Company.

The other operation used the Big Four Bridge and dual gauge streetcar tracks in downtown Louisville. This operation eventually rated Kuhlman-built steel suburban cars, of which IRR 205 in the IRM collection is an example. This line went over the Big Four Bridge, and then headed west, down to New Albany. Thus, at one time it was possible to make a "traction circle" trip in the region using the two lines.

1 comment:

Scott Greig said...

I'm trying to remember...did one of those cars later wind up on the ill-fated Lee County Central interurban in northern Illinois? I vaguely recall reading that some car from Kentucky wound up there.