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Faster Than The Limiteds by Thomas Bullard & William Shapotkin CERA Bulletin#137
Faster Than The Limiteds by Thomas R. Bullard and William M. Shapotkin Central Electric Railfan's Association Bulletin 137 CERA
Hard Cover With Dust Jacket Address sticker on front page
280 pages
Copyright 2004
Contents
Preface 3
Table of Contents 4
Acknowledgments7
About the Authors8
Family Tree 10
Chapter 1 A Man and His Dream:
Alexander C. Miller and the Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad 12
Alexander C. Miller 13
The Miller Signal Company 13
The Dream 14
The Interurban Era 14
The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad 18
Air Line News 31
The Route 32
The Co-Operative Construction Company 33
Legal Problems 33
Directors of The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad 35
Chapter 2 The First Division:
The Goshen South Bend and Chicago Railroad 36
LaPorte Franchise 38
Construction and Operation: LaPorte 39
LaPorte Service Begins 41
Construction and Operation:: The Air Line Mainline 44
The Coffee Creek Fill 53
Air Line Park 55
Getting Along with the Competition 56
East from South LaPorte 57
The Goshen Franchise 58
Carbarn/Powerhouse 58
Rolling Stock 60
Directors of the Goshen South Bend and Chicago Railroad Company65
Chapter 3 Trolleys in the Steel City:
The Gary and Interurban Railway Company66
Securing a Franchise 70
Construction Begins 72
Service Begins 73
West 11th Avenue 76
Tolleston 77
Lake Wood Park 81
Hammond81
Troubles in Tolleston 85
West 5th Avenue - Bridge Works 86
Battle of the Bridge 88
Gary Carbarn 91
Power 92
Fares 92
Accidents 93
Rolling Stock 94
Directors of the Gary & Interurban Railway Company99
Chapter 4 From the Vale of Paradise to the Lakes:
The Valparaiso and Northern Railway 100
Securing a Franchise - Valparaiso 101
Securing a Franchise - Chesterton 102
Construction and Operation - Chesterton to Goodrum Junction 103
Construction and Operation - Valparaiso to Goodrum Junction 106
Directors of the Valparaiso & Northern Railway 108
Carbarns 112
Power 114
Incidents Along the Line 114
Signal Problems 114
Rolling Stock 115
Chapter 5 Out from Gary:
The Gary Connecting Railways and the East Chicago Street Railway Company 116
Gary Connecting Railways Company 117
Construction Begins 118
Service Begins 119
The Gary Connection '120
The "First Division" is Complete 121
Gary Home Builders Company 121
Rolling Stock 122
Directors of the Gary Connecting Railways Company 122
The East Chicago Street Railway Company 123
A Planned Industrial Development 123
A Sub-Subsidiary 124
Construction and Operation -- Indiana Harbor 125
Kennedy Avenue (Gibson) Branch 127
The Route that Almost Was 127
Indiana Harbor Extension 128
Power 128
Fares 128
Rolling Stock 128
Directors of the East Chicago Street Railway Company 128
Chapter 6 Merger, Receivership and Failure:
The Gary and Interurban Railroad 130
Opposition 132
Expansion Plans 132
Franchise Fight 133
An Odd Through-Route 134
Incidents along the Line 134
Business Declines 136
Receivership 136
Broadway Improvements 136
Hammond Improvements 137
More Accidents 137
Bankruptcy Sale 138
Where did they go? 138
Power Distribution System 138
Funeral Service 140
Freight Service 140
Milk Trains 141
Rolling Stock 142
Directors of the Gary & Interurban Railroad 143
Chapter 7 After the Air Line:
The Gary Street Railway Company and the Gary & Valparaiso Railway 146
The Goshen South Bend and Chicago Railroad Company 147
Gary Connecting Railways and the Gary & Valparaiso Railway 147
Samuel Insull and Midland Utilities 148
Milk Service and Carload Freight 149
Incidents Along the Line 150
Accidents 150
Rolling Stock 151
The Gary Street Railway Company 153
West 5th Avenue - Sheet Mill/Tin Mill (Buchanan Street) Line 153
Tube Works Line 155
Miller Line 159
Lake Front Park 159
Streetcars Finally Arrive 160
Indiana Harbor Retrenchment 160
Jitney Competition 161
The Birney Car Era 161
South Broadway Extension 161
Car Rebuilding 162
Samuel Insull and Midland Utilities 162
Rebuilding Broadway 163
Hammond Loop 163
Gary Carbarn 163
Power 163
Fares 164
Rolling Stock 164
Chapter 8 South from Gary:
The Gary & Southern Traction Company 174
Story of a Railroad Man 175
Crown Point 175
The Seaman Road 176
Selecting a Route 176'
Construction Begins 176
Service Begins 177
South to Crown Point 178
Crown Point Service Begins 179
Troubled Times 180
Samuel Insult and Midland Utilities 182
Mail Service 182
Milk Service 182
Freight Service 182
Snow 182
After Samuel Insull 182
Incidents along the Line 183
Rolling Stock 185
Directors of the Gary & Southern Traction Company 187
Chapter 9 Interurban to Hobart 188
The Earles of Hobart 189
Electric Railway Proposals 189
The Line that Almost Was: The Gary Hobart & Valparaiso Traction Company 190
The Gary Hobart & Eastern Traction Company 192
Valparaiso Extension Proposed 193
Construction Begins 194
Service Begins 196
Trolleys Finally Arrive 196
Service Begins - Again 197
Trackage Rights Dispute 197
The Hobart Extension 197
Gary Extension Proposed 198
Financial Problems 198
Receivership 198
Foreclosure 198
Rolling Stock 199
Directors of the Gary Hobart & Eastern Traction Company 200
The Gary & Hobart Traction Company 201
Retrenchment 201
Business Picks Up 202
Samuel Insull and Midland Utilities 202
Facilities 203
Fares 203
Accidents 204
Rolling Stock 204
Directors of the Gary & Hobart Traction Company 205
7Prosperity, Hard Times and Abandonment:
Chapter 1 0Gary Railways 206
Indiana Harbor Division 207
Hammond Division 207
Broadway Line 207
Valparaiso Division 209
Taking a Pass on Sunday 209
Gary & Southern Traction Company 210
The Depression 212
A Fare Deal 212
The End of Crown Point Rail Service 213
Hard Times in Indiana Harbor 213
Losing Track in Hammond214
South Shore Line 214
Miller Line Abandonment 215
Rebuilding 5th Avenue 215
End of the Birneys 216
_ Tin Mill Extension Snipped 216
Valparaiso Line Cut-back 216
The First Fantrip 224
Hobart and Indiana Harbor Service Ends 229
Abandonment of 5th Avenue and Garyton Lines 234
Reprieve 234
The End Finally Comes - 235
After the Streetcars 240
Rolling Stock 241
Searching for the Air Line 258
Chapter 11LaPorte - Goodrum Junction Line 259
Chesterton - Valparaiso Line 262
Woodville Junction - Gary Line 264
Gary - Crown Point Line 264
Gary - Hobart Line 266
West 5th Avenue - Indiana Harbor Lines 267
West 11th Avenue - Tolleston - Hammond268
Gary Lines 268
Tube Works 268
Miller Line 268
Broadway Line 268
Carbarn 269
Chronology 271
Bibliography 274
Index 276
At the dawn of the 20th Century, travel between cities and towns was frequently both time-consuming and expensive. America's highways were frequently little more than dirt paths. Even in cities, dirt streets were more the rule than the exception. Automobiles were few, unreliable for long trips, and priced beyond the means of most people. As a result, the nation's railroads played a vital role in linking cities, towns and rural areas. Passenger trains ran the gamut, from slow local trains having few amenities but serving even the smallest settlements, to the "limiteds." The "limiteds" represented the best that the railroads had to offer; giving the passengers who could afford the fare, meal service, sleeping accommodations, lounge and observation cars. But most of all, these trains operated on the fastest schedules enabling both leisure travelers and businessmen traveling between - say, Chicago and New York, to complete their journeys in the shortest possible time. At that time, the two dominant railroads competing for the Chicago-New York market were the Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroads. Although the "air line" (straight) distance between the two cities is just under 750 miles, mountainous terrain in the east, along with historical development patterns, meant that trains had to travel over 900 miles - a journey that consumed about 18 hours.
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