Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction
by Art Peterson
The first installation of the Westinghouse single-phase AC system was made on the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction (I&CT) Rushville line, which opened in 1905. Owing to its pioneering status and the hoped-for economy that the single-phase system seemed to offer, there was considerable attention given it in the electric railway press.
However, by the early 1920s, the Electric Railway Journal (ERJ) observed that “recent developments in motors and automatic substations, and excessive costs of operation with this early alternating current car equipment have thrown new light upon the relative economics of alternating and direct current service.” Charles L. Henry (of Union Traction fame) had moved to the I&CT from 1904 and was still serving as the President of the road in the 1920s.
Following conduct of what would today be called a “feasibility study” on the practicality of re-equipping the road using the improved DC technology, by mid-1923 I&CT had let contracts in the amount of $736,146 for the following:
- With Westinghouse for “the complete motor, air brake and control equipments for twelve new motor passenger cars, and four extra motors; for complete equipments for freight motor cars, and the full equipment for eight automatic substations, one semi-automatic substation and one portable substation.”
- To the Cincinnati Car Company for twelve all-steel carbodies
- To the Baldwin Locomotive Works for twelve pairs of passenger car trucks
- To the Western Electric Company” for the new cable required for the changeover
The ERJ noted that JF Wild & Co. had provided the equipment trust that would fund the purchase of the required equipment and conduct of the work. I&CT management expected that it would finally gain entrance to Cincinnati via the new interurban subway/connection. With that direct service, the I&CT expected that it would have “sufficient earnings to pay present fixed charges, 7 per cent on the new money necessary to complete the line, and have sufficient remaining to pay 5 per cent dividends on the present $1,000,000 of preferred stock and 5 per cent on the present $2,000,000 of common stock.”
Through the benefit of hindsight, we know that nothing would come of the Cincinnati subway, let alone any work on building the 64 miles of new line that I&CT would have required to bridge the gap between Rushville and College Hill.
Despite moving to all-steel cars, I&CT estimated the new cars would weigh just over 72,000 pounds versus the 103,000 pound weight of the old cars. I&CT would use the big steel combines for just over five years, before replacing them with a fleet of Cincinnati-built curved-side cars. Thanks to the depression, I&CT rail service would end on January 14, 1932.
One of the collections of photos that George Krambles saved were those taken by ES Santman, an engineer for Westinghouse who was assigned to the I&CT conversion project. From the notes on his photos, we know that Mr. Santman was responsible for the equipment drawings, design and performance of the re-equipping work on some of the older I&CT cars that would be retained for operation on the 600 Vdc system. For example, he indicated that he did the rewiring on I&CT 305, one of 10 cars supplied by St. Louis Car in 1905.
His photo of freight motor 408 (Barney & Smith, 1911) in front of the Rushville car shops noted that the conversion work was in process when he recorded that scene. Mr. Santman photographed the automatic portable substation (car 101) at Rushville, as well. This car was a conversion from one of the 1911 Barney & Smith passenger cars. Spotting features for that order include a rounded end letterboard, as well as a taller center window on the car ends. Design of the portable substation was directed by the I&CT’s Master Mechanic, William G. Waggoner.
The new 600-series steel combines were being received from Cincinnati during Mr. Santman’s time on the I&CT. The first car of this order, number 601, was tested on the THI&E, since the I&CT conversion work was not yet complete. He participated on those test trips on the THI&E.
Conversion of another of the Barney & Smith-built passenger cars yielded stock motor 412. Test runs were made with this car, including one trip Mr. Santman photographed where the motor was pulling five stock trailers through the streets of Rushville.
Mr. Santman was not alone in photographing that test trip, as similar images showed up in I&CT/Indianapolis & Southeastern (the final reorganization of this operation) advertising, noting the motor and five trailers were a “typical I&C livestock train.”
That same image also appeared in an article in the American Electric Railway Association (AERA) publication in February 1925, which commented on the many ways in which I&CT was promoting the benefits of the re-equipped line to on-line communities and shippers. Interestingly, the article commented on the rebuilding of stock motor 412, reporting that the car had cabs on both ends, but that the road would gladly accommodate livestock shippers in the trailing cab “who wish to accompany their stock to market.”
I&CT had run a number of promotional fare trips to acquaint the public with the new cars. In June 1924, I&CT offered a $0.50 round trip between “all stations, any distance, either direction, all trains.” This amounted to a penny per mile round trip if you rode the full distance to Shelbyville. I&CT limited the car capacity to 75 persons (no baggage was handled on these trips to maximize passenger capacity) and even on that basis, the bargain fare required the operation of 84 cars for that Sunday promotion. Normal service on the Shelbyville line on a Sunday called for 14 car trips.
Theater rates were also offered by the I&CT. These fares went into effect after 5 pm, to avoid raising objections by shopkeepers that would be concerned about the bargain fares cutting into their store’s business.
I&CT Bulletins
Thanks to Dick George’s foresight, a number of I&CT/I&SE bulletins and other notices/circulars have been preserved. The earliest of these date from 1927, when the line was in receivership. As you’d expect, for a company in this state, some of the material in the bulletins reflects a company trying to economize operations. For example, Train Master’s Bulletin No. 13 of November 18, 1927, advises crews that there will no longer be a car inspector on duty in the Traction Terminal on Sundays. “Trainmen will deliver all milk and cream to the Express Company’s man, who will take care of same. Trainmen will see that car floors are cleaned of all papers or rubbish so as to avoid complaints about dirty cars.”
With the interurban industry in general decline, this meant that many of I&CT’s traction connections were also implementing economy measures to try and postpone the inevitable. An example of this situation can be found in Traffic Department Circular No. A-3, issued on June 22, 1928. In this circular, the road’s Traffic Manager, A.R. Baxter, advises that “effective June 30, 1928, the Freight and Passenger Agency at Maumee, Ohio on the Lima-Toledo Railroad Company will be closed.” The Lima-Toledo would end up being part of the C&LE, with this line finally being abandoned on November 19, 1937.
As discussed above, the I&CT had been in receivership; this ended with the reorganization of the railway and the power business in July 1928. Receiver’s Bulletin No. 6 issued on July 27 of that year advised employees that “the Traction Company property has been transferred to INDIANAPOLIS AND SOUTHEASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY, Mr. Charles T. Dehore, President” and that “the I and C Light and Power Company has been transferred to SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA POWER COMPANY, Mr. Charles T. Dehore, President.” The former receiver of the I&CT, Mr. William A. Frazee, became the “Director of Public Relations of the Southeastern Indiana Power Company and Indianapolis and Southeastern Railroad Company” effective August 1, 1928.
Many thanks to Art Peterson for sending this history of I&CT and the remarkable trove of images shown here.
The Cars
The Original Passenger Fleet
Cars 301-310 were built by St. Louis Car Company in 1904 on order #467. Besides operating on single-phase AC, they also boasted a highly unusual bow trolley at the front in addition to a trolley pole at the rear.
Car 301 trails a three-car train
Car 301 at the shops at Rushville. There are a couple of photos of this car with poles at both ends, so those may precede the installation of the bow trolleys. Note the Van Dorn coupler.
Car 301 is shown traversing the streets of Rushville, apparently prior to the addition of its bow trolley.
Car 301 is shown - where else - under the shed at the Indianapolis Traction Terminal.
Car 303 in Rushville
Car 303, location unknown
Car 304, location unknown. Check out that headlight!
Car 304 is shown at the St. Louis Car Company plant. It's possible the car is being shipped to the I&CT. It was more common for electric car builders to use railroad flat cars rather than their own cars, so the SLCC flat car is a bit unusual.
Car 305 in Rushville, photo dated 1924. It appears to be parked behind a side-dump ballast car. The Van Dorn couplers have been replaced by MCB couplers. Photo by E.S. Santram, a Westinghouse engineer who worked on the conversation to 600V DC and, among other things, rewired car 305.
This interior view of car 306 shows the car set up for parlor car service.
Car 306 is shown in a photo dated 1924 - perhaps the car had already been rebuilt for 600V DC operation when this photo was taken? Photo by E.S. Santram.
Car 308 is at the Indianapolis Traction Terminal. It's got an MCB coupler by this time.
Car 308 earlier in its career, with the giant headlight.
Interior view of car 310
On March 18, 1911, car 310 and an unidentified freight motor (labeled 406, but this doesn't match other photos of 406) suffered a major collision in Fountaintown.
Another view of the Fountaintown wreck
Cars 311-320 were built in 1911 by Barney & Smith. It's likely that one of these cars was rebuilt as stock motor 412 and three more may have been rebuilt as trailers 651-653.
Car 311 in the early days with a bow trolley and enormous headlight
A similar view of car 311, this time with its crew
A nice view of 313 a few years into its career, still with its bow trolley but now with a smaller dash headlight and a shrouded rooftop headlight. It looks like the bow trolley may have been raised and lowered by an air cylinder. Photo by W.B. Cox.
Car 313 is shown on Kentucky Avenue in Indianapolis, a street packed with interurban cars. To the right is Union Traction 298, a parlor car built by Cincinnati to the same plans as Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley 504, which is preserved at IRM.
Car 315, location unknown. Photo by W.B. Cox.
As blog contributor David Wilkins said, "the crash protection is YOU!"
A nice side view of car 317 after it got a headlight and coupler swap.
The IC&T had three trailers purchased secondhand from Interurban Railway & Terminal. These were arch-roof combines, one with an open rear platform, and photos of them in operation are very rare. It's not known who built them or when.
One of the ex-IR&T cars is shown being towed by an unidentified 300-series car. The I&CT fleet numbers of the ex-IR&T cars are unknown.
The Later Passenger Fleet
Cars 601-612 were big, handsome, all-steel railroad-roof combines built in 1924 by the Cincinnati Car Company on their order #2760. They only lasted until about 1930, when they were replaced by cheaper-to-operate curve-side lightweight cars. Eight cars were sold to the TMER&L, where they were heavily rebuilt into articulated cars, while four were sold to Union Traction and thence went to Indiana Railroad. The body of one of these, I&CT 606 (later IRR 447), ended up at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville and was scrapped by that organization in 2018 during its death throes.
Brand-new car 601 is pictured at Rushville in 1924. This was the first car delivered and it was initially tested on the THI&E because the I&CT itself hadn't yet switched over to 600V DC traction power. Photo by E.S. Santram, a Westinghouse engineer who was along on the THI&E test runs.
Car 605 is at the Indianapolis Traction Terminal, albeit not under the trainshed
Car 605 is again shown in Indianapolis in the company of Union Traction 265 on the right and an ex-IR&T trailer (see below) on the left. Photo by W.B. Cox.
The 600s were quite handsome when new, though perhaps a bit severe looking. Car 606, shown here, was sold as a body by the Indiana Railroad after retirement and eventually made its way to Noblesville. Car 606's body made it until the summer of 2018, when the Indiana Transportation Museum scrapped the car just before that organization ceased operation.
Here we see the interior of car 606's baggage compartment looking toward the rear of the car in a Cincinnati builder's photo. The Peter Smith water heater is to the left, with piping over the door to feed the left side of the car (right side of the photo). There's a fold-down wooden bench for extra seating with a wrecking tool box over it. Beyond is the smoking compartment, with the main seating compartment beyond that.
Here we are in car 606's main compartment looking toward the rear of the car. These cars had a lot of glass globes in them! Another unusual feature is that rather than a more modern closed-off clerestory with ventilators, the car has older-style clerestory windows with cranks to open them.
Car 606 is shown in Indianapolis, near the Traction Terminal train shed.
It looks like the conductor is bailing out of car 607 near the state capital, circa 1924.
Freight Equipment
Freight motor 402 was apparently built by Barney & Smith in 1911, possibly built new as a freight motor or perhaps rebuilt from a 300-series car. This photo is noted as Rushville, 1924, and it looks like the car may have been converted to 600V operation. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Car 402 is in Shelbyville on December 28, 1930. This car was later sold to Western Indiana Gravel Company. Photo by W.B. Cox.
Attractive freight motor 403 is shown at Rushville with a freight trailer. This car looks very much like it was built by Barney & Smith in 1911, but it's not certain whether it was built new as a freight motor or rebuilt from a 300-series car.
Cars 406-408 were built in 1913 by the Cincinnati Car Company on their order #1715.
This photo of car 406 in service is said to be in St. Paul. Photo by W.B. Cox.
Freight motor 407 is shown in Rushville in 1924. It's got an I&C shield painted on the side. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Also dated 1924 and marked as Rushville is this photo of freight motor 408, with portable sub 101 in the background. Car 408 was said to be in the middle of a rewiring job when this was taken, converting it to 600V DC. Photo by E.S. Santram.
It's a stock motor! These were pretty rare on traction lines, but the THI&E had them and obviously the I&C had at least one. Car 412 looks like it may be a rebuilt 311-series car but it's hard to say. This photo is said to be Rushville in 1924. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Another photo of car 412 described as Rushville 1924. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Yet another photo of car 412 in Rushville. Photo by W.B. Cox.
Also noted as Rushville in 1924, this shot of car 412 with some stock cars in tow is described as a test train. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Portable substation 101 is much nicer looking than most railroads' portable subs. It was probably rebuilt from a freight motor, and possibly rebuilt before then from a 300-series passenger car. Photo by E.S. Santram.
Facilities
The Westinghouse automated substation at Rushville is shown in 1924. Photo by E.S. Santram.
This photo of the IS&SE barn in Shelbyville dates to sometime around 1903. Photo by R.P. Woods.
This is the IS&SE power house in Shelbyville sometime around 1901. Photo by R.P. Woods.
This view shows the shops at Rushville sometime around 1924. Among the cars visible are (L-R) a 406-series freight motor; a 300-series car, ex-IR&T trailer, 600-series steel car, and 301-series car in front of the car barn; 600-series cars in the center distance; portable substation 101 in front of what I assume is the power house; and more 600s off to the right.
Indianapolis Shelbyville & Southeastern
IS&SE cars 1-7 were built by Jackson & Sharp in 1902, J&S shop numbers 2269 through 2275. Four of the cars were resold to the Hammond Whiting & East Chicago (their 508-511, later 58-61) while one was resold to Interstate Public Service for use on its Charleston, Indiana, branch line.
This photo of IS&SE car 2 is thought to have been taken on Meridian in Indianapolis around 1903.
IS&SE car 1 is shown in a builder's photo. That's quite a pilot!
Miscellaneous
This is an inspection train on the I&CT while it was under constructed, dated October 20, 1904. It's hard to see but it looks like the locomotive is I&CT 2, while the flat car is I&CT 505.
An unidentified 301-series car is shown at the Indianapolis Traction Terminal. You've got to like the "Sanitary/Sani-Dairy" legend painted on the window of Busy Bee Lunch.
This postcard shows an I&CT car in downtown Greensburg. It's postmarked 1911. The view is looking east on Main at Franklin, and most of the buildings on the right are still there.
This is a Baldwin MCB motor truck, exact type uncertain. It's possible this is an 84-30AA, which was the type used under the I&CT 600s.
The last surviving I&CT wood car may have been this car, which ended its career as trailer 652. It and the other two cars in the 651-653 series were rebuilt in the company shops, likely from 311-series cars, and pulled by the 600s in the 600V DC era. This car ended up on the ground in Rushville, where it's shown on May 29, 1938.
It seems there's been a bit of a mishap on the B&O sometime around 1925, but in the background, an I&CT 600-series car proceeds blithely on its way. This wreck was said to have been in Arlington, Indiana, northwest of Rushville. The building (substation?) being passed by the interurban car also looks a lot like the structure still standing in Gwynneville, the next town northwest of Arlington.
