Anderson Street Railway circa 1900 (Postcards)

Early 1900s Union Traction depot at Orestes. The interurban ran directly down the middle of this street. At the end of Broadway it curved slightly to the north then straightened out as it made its way to West Orestes and the Powell Brick and Tile factory. The interurban made stops at Young's Crossing, Republican Hall, the depot, and the Brick works. If the trolleys weren't too full they would make other stops in between those stops. Union Traction Shops - 1905 (postcard) View of the Indiana Union Traction shops in Anderson, Indiana. Several sets of train tracks run along side of the building. Various train cars sit on the tracks in front of the shops. Note the two yellow city cars and the several green interurban cars to the left of them. An American flag tops the building.

1) 2) 1) UTC Shops 2) Wye NE of 5th and Main

Pictured with an eary Elwood Car is 'Red' Maley, Motorman and Clarence 'Bud' Powell, Conductor. Elwood Public Library Collection

1907 Union Traction #273 stands beside train order semaphore. Built by Cincinnati Car Co 1903, original name "Peru", renamed "Ingalls", out of service 1932

1908-1910 - Pendleton The bridge on the right is the Interurban bridge over Fall Creek around 1908. The supports still can be seen in the park. Gene Ingram Collection

A traction Birney Car in Anderson. 06/20/2009

Yorktown, In. 1909 Jack Grant Collection

Postcard taken in Marion about 1909 06/20/2009

Bob Trueblood supplied me with this 1910 postcard showing a UTC car on its way into Pendleton from Anderson. It had just passed Falls Park heading south. It was pretty faded, but I think that it came out pretty well.

Middletown, IN station, 1910. This was a short branch of the U.T.C. system from Anderson to Middletown, about 10 miles southeast. Abandoned just before the Indiana Railroad takeover in 1930.

Another shot of Middletown taken about 1910 Note the Interurban Car far down the tracks 06/20/2009

September 21, 1910 - Kingsland A wreck occured on the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley's Bluffton Division just north of Kingsland. The heavy WV car ran about half way through the lighter UTC car, and all of the 42 people killed were on the UTC car. The crews of both cars survived.

The crew posses for a photo before leaving the shops. Anderson Daily Bulletin Collection.

This is one of the trolleys that serviced the Alex-Elwood & Tipton Line in Madison and Tipton counties. This is a rare photo. I have only seen two with the names of these towns. I have the other one also as the trolley is parked at the Union Traction office in Alexandria. Dave Dwiggins Collection.

General Railway Signal Company Catalog showing AP Block System of Indiana Union Traction 1912

The aftermath of the 1913 Flood at the bridge between Anderson and Chesterfield. The location is at the current Airport site at the White River on SR 32. - 6/6/2009

Highland Sanitarium, Martinsville IN

Here is a postcard I came upon recently. It is of the Interurban station and a car in Martinsville. It is postmarked June 6, 1914. Gene Ingram.

This was the home of the Union Traction Co in the early years of the 20 Century. They made their HQ on the 6th Floor.

Martinsville Traction Station with car.

UTC Box Motor #607 with Trailer

I just rebuilt this pdf from a three-clip article from the Elwood Call Leader October 1, 1923. We have talked about this before when I was searching for info about it. To my knowledge this is the worst accident in Madison County with the exception of the Alfont crash. Use it as you need to. Dave Dwiggins

1924 At Alfont just west of Ingalls, 21 die in the firey collision of two UTC cars on Feb 2, 1924 "Run, boy, run!" said the Motorman to the young boy standing beside him. The boy ran and lived. The Motorman didn't. It is said that the wreck train was called as soon as the dispatcher in Anderson realized that one of the cars had passed a 'Stop Signal'. However, they had no way to contact either car.

UTC Car on the way to Indianapolis circa 1925. (Postcard)

UTC Box Motor #150 with Freightcar The photo on your website is an old postcard from Herschel Vansickle which is THI&E 150 in the siding at West Pittsboro, Indiana on the THI&E's Crawfordsville Division. I used this photo in an article I did in 1984 for the "Central Headlight" magazine of the NYCSHS on the Peoria & Eastern. The Crawfordsville division followed the P&E from Clermont to Crawfordsville. Just thought I would clarify this for you. - Larry A. Graham

The ROW at night. Absolutely striking isn't it!

UTC #439 (just becoming IRR #439 has a Sleeping car) ca. 1931

UTC #432, now IRR #432 has Parlor Cars "Purdue" and "Indiana" in 1933

Power House and generators at Anderson

It's 1935 and you can travel to Indy for $0.76 one way. In fact, from 5 AM to Midnight, there was a car in each direction every hour.
(Click on the Price list at left for the Travel by Ingterurban Ad.)

Is this the "Railfans CERA Special" loading in Anderson? The timing is about right and the car is correct.

IRR 376 on NRHS Fantrip in Pendleton Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR 376 on NRHS Fantrip near prison - Pendleton Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR 376 on NRHS Fantrip near Pendleton Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR 376 at Anderson Kirk Hise Collection.

Highspeeds meet at Anderson #72 and #76 load packages, Oct. 27, 1939 Charles E. Williams photo - 6/20/2009

1940 Number 57 stops to phone the dispatcher before heading east. This stop was mandatory.

IRR at Yorktown, Indiana Jack Grant Collection

In Anderson, many passengers boarded trains in the business district rather than at the station. Westbound on 11th Street, car 68 crosses Meridian Street where a commission ticket agency was maintained in a drug store.

At 5th & Man, on October 10, 1940, highspeed 68 passes one of the company's local delivery trucks. Both are slowing for the Pennsylvania RR crossing. The car will continue south on Main Street.

1)	2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Roger Hensley Collection

Two colorized photos of locos near the end. 1941 is rapidly approaching.

Car 52, southbound on Anderson's Main Street, is close to the abandoned city car track on Ninth Street. This is the last Sunday for the Indiana Railroad, January 12, 1941.

January 18,1941

This is the last interurban out of New Castle, Jan. 18,1941.

IRR carbody used for office at Myers Gravel and Sand Co on Alexandria Pike near Cross Street in North Anderson Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR Box Trailer used as a shed on Alexandria Pike near Cross Street North Anderson Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR Box Motor used as a shed on Alexandria Pike near Cross Street North Anderson Kirk Hise Collection.

IRR Box Motor used as a shed on Alexandria Pike near Cross Street North Anderson Kirk Hise Collection.

Marvin Crim writes: You may have seen this photo from the Bill Volkmer Collection on Dave's Rail Pix web site (http://www.davesrailpix.com/). It's the interurban overpass over the PRR railroad just north of New Castle. On a closer look, this would appear to be the Elwood car on the overpass. It appears to be IRR 1150 and that was UTC 443 and IRR 443, both the "ELWOOD" car . Here's 2 views of the overpass from later years. 1) from the winter of 1962, PRR's Train 70 passes EB under the former UTC overpass. 2) from the mid '80s, the overpass was still standing. This view is from the same direction but a little closer. (Marvin Crim is in the photo - rph) 1) 2) Marvin Crim Photos. And now the demolition of concrete arch over PRR New Castle 1989 Henry County Historical Society, New Castle, Indiana Collection. Lastly, Marvin sent over this scan of the UTC/IRR Parlor Car, Purdue. Marvin Crim Collection.

Here is a scan of the freighthouses that sat behind the Indianapolis traction terminal.

...and a scan of THI&E interurban # 55 "Wabash"

Picture of historical marker in downtown Alexandria. A rural shelter that the UTC used where the rail line crossed a road. One could flag down an interurban car with any thing available such as a lantern, burning newspaper or other light source. This shelter is preserved in Beulah Park in Alexandria. John Reehling Collection