Chris Parker and I arrived at the French Lick, West Baden & Southern parking lot.
Brief HistoryThe Indiana Railway Museum is a tourist railway located in French Lick, Indiana. The Museum was founded in 1961 in the town of Westport, Indiana where the railroad operated a tourist excursion, utilizing one small locomotive, three passenger cars, and about twenty volunteers. Ridership was estimated at about 500 passengers in 1962. The museum and railway remained in Westport until a move was necessitated in 1971. The organization relocated to Greensburg, Indiana where it operated until 1976 when it again, it changed locations. The Museum was relocated to French Lick in 1978 after an agreement with the Southern Railway Company. They deeded the Museum a total of sixteen miles of track stretching from West Baden, Indiana, approximately one mile north of French Lick, to a small town named Dubois, to the south.
Idling away was Indiana Railway 80 ton switcher 6, nee United States Navy 65-00356 built by General Electric in 1953. I walked into the station and found Alan Barnett, Executive Director and General Manager waiting for us. He showed how this common carrier handles their freight business, which consists mainly of soybean meal and petroleum products. After talking, we went out to the switcher, on which Alan would give us a tour of the railroad.
We left and crossed the highway, then passed a small yard and started out on the former Monon Railroad but moved to the former Southern Railway tracks built in 1907.
Looking back.
Making our way out of the small yard across the highway from the station.
Our train began our trip out of French Lick.
We crossed one of the many grade crossings.
Passing the boyhood home of famous basketball player Larry Bird, who played for the Boston Celtics.
Crossing the last grade crossing in town.
Curving left as we started to climb a one percent grade for five miles towards Burton Tunnel leading into the Hoosier National Forest.
Through the trees as we climbed the grade.
Taking a right hand curve.
We rolled forward on another short piece of straight track.
Approaching another curve.
Ready for another piece of straight track.
A rock outcropping.
Rolling southwest on more straight track.
It was after one of these curves that we spotted Burton Tunnel.
We rolled closer to it.
We slowly made our way through the 2,200 foot tunnel built in 1907, which is the second longest tunnel in Indiana. It hosted the Southern Railway which ran the branch line from French Lick to Huntingburg, Indiana and was dug out from both ends and joined in the middle.
On the other side, Alan stopped the locomotive and Chris Parker and I climbed off the engine for a photo runby.
The engine reversed into the tunnel and I relocated for a different view.
Our engine then came forward and stopped, after which we reboarded and continued toward Cuzco.
Looking back at Burton Tunnel.
We rounded a curve then returned to straight track.
Parson Falls.
A slight left hand curve.
Continuing our journey.
Rounding another curve.
Rolling down the rails towards Cuzco.
Once out of the forest we passed some fields.
Crossing a large field as we rolled along.
We arrived at Cuzco where the three of us climbed off to take pictures.
Indiana Railway 80 ton switcher 6.
A house near the tracks. We reboarded for the return trip to French Lick with our locomotive climbing back up to Burton Tunnel and started down the grade to French Lick.
On the way, we passed an 1850 log cabin. Alan then demonstrated the grade by letting our engine roll downhill which was a very interesting way to see the affect of the grade on a train.
All too soon, we reached the French Lick station, ending a very interesting trip on the French Lick, West Baden and Southern. Now it was time to start exploring the yard.
French Lick and Western Baden Trolley 313, nee Oporto 313 built by Carris de Porto in 1930. Before coming to Indiana, it served on the Waterfront Electric Railway in Toledo, Ohio.
In 1903, the roads were dirt and horse-drawn carriages were the norm. When electric trolley service began, guests could catch the streetcar at the steps of West Baden Springs Hotel and go all the way (a whole mile) into downtown French Lick. The trolley was a raging success and in 1916 it set a record for carrying 250,000 people in a single year. At a nickel a ride, that's over $300,000 in revenue in today's world. Not bad for what was billed as the "world's shortest trolley line."
According to Railway Historian Alan Barnett, the electric cable car offered "ping-pong" service because it was not designed to make turns. When the car reached French Lick, the conductor would physically move the overhead power line around the back, allowing for the return trip to the depot at West Baden. The advent of the automobile put the brakes on the trolley service in 1919. That is, until Barnett and the folks at the Indiana Railway Museum resurrected the idea in 1987.
North American Despatch Pluto Water boxcar NADX 2688 builder and year unknown.
Charleston and Western Carolina caboose 10.
French Lick, West Baden and Southern 2-6-0 208, ex. Fort Worth, Texas 1980, exx. Trinity Valley Railroad Club, Incorporated at Weatherford, Texas 1963, exxx. Angelina and Neches River Railroad Company 208, exxxx. Conroe Lumber 208, exxxxx. transfer to Delta Land and Timber Company (Neame, Carson and Southern Railroad 114, nee Missouri & Louisiana Railroad 114 built by Baldwin in 1912.
Mobile & Gulf Railroad 2-6-0 97, ex. George Norcross (Ocean City Western 97), exx. Mobile and Gulf Railroad 97, exxx. transfer to United States Army Transportation Corps 6932, exxxx. transfer to United States Army Quartermaster Corps 5631, nee Virginia Hospsital 1000 built by Baldwin in 1925 for stock.
Indiana & Ohio Gravel 0-4-0T 11 built by Baldwin in 1936. It operated in Westport, Indiana over the west end of the Milwaukee Railroad branch that connected with the New York Central.
French Lick, West Baden & Southern Railway emblem.
Amtrak 10-6 sleeper 2860, nee Southern Railway 10-6 sleeper 2020 "Tye River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949.
Some of the passenger cars that the railway uses.
French Lick West Baden and Southern 80 ton switcher 3, nee Dow Chemical 90 built by General Electric in 1949.
Indiana Railway Museum RDC-3 430, ex. Chicago and North Western 430, nee New York, New Haven and Hartford 130 built by the Budd Company in 1953.
Algiers Winslow and Western RS-1 4, nee Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic 103 built by American Locomotive Company in 1947. The Algiers, Winslow and Western was a Class III short-line railroad that served the surface mining operations in Pike County, Indiana. It operated approximately 19 miles of track which reached from the coal mines west of Cato south to those at Enos Corner, and ran close to the Norfolk Southern Railway and Indiana Southern Railroad. It was acquired in March 2007 by Norfolk Southern, but still operating under the original company's name. The railroad's name comes from the Pike County towns of Algiers (now virtually extinct) and Winslow.
Indiana Hi-Rail S4 119, ex. Indiana Hi-Rail 1519, ex. Michigan Northern 1519, nee Santa Fe 1519 built by American Locomotive Company in 1951.
Indiana Railway Museum S4 101, ex. Dubois County Railroad 101, nee Algiers, Winslow and Western S4 101 built by American Locomotive Company in 1953.
Yard scenes.
Monon Railroad centre-cupola caboose 81532 built by the railroad in 1927 and rebuilt in 1957.
Chicago and Eastern Illinois caboose 1953, builder and year unknown.
After our photographs, Chris and I returned to the station and said goodbye to Alan, thanking him for an excellent ride and visit to the French Lick, West Baden & Southern Railway. We drove back to US 150 to Paoli, where we turned right onto Indiana 37 and stopped at a Walmart then north of town, paralleled the former Monon Railway.
A pair of former Monon Railway semaphores. We continued north along Indiana 37 to Martinsville, where we spent the night at the Best Western. Tomorrow would be the Beech Grove Shop tour.
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