Monon Streamliners Timeline

[Christopher Stone]

I've been working on this on and off for about 30 years. The information is gleaned from just about every available source, some of which have slightly conflicting information. I've never seen all of this data presented in one place, so I thought I would share.

I welcome any corrections or additions, and I will post an updated version if there is any feedback.

-Chris Stone

[Christopher Stone]

I supposed that I should point out that there are 3 pages in that PDF. 

1) List of trains and a timeline of which equipment was used on each train
2) History of Paint Schemes
3) Car Rebuild Timeline

[Pete Pedigo]

Good work Chris. I wish I could help but you are way ahead on this one. Very good compilation. Like you I don’t know of a source with more detail than what you have put together here.

[Tim T Swan]

Nice effort, Chris.  Good, useful info.  I don't see and Car Rebuild Timeframe, however.

Here's a little conflicting information:

In May 1964. I returned home from basic training at Fort Knox on Train 6, the Thoroughbred, Louisville to Hammond.  They had food service.  A lone vendor with a sandwich, chips, and soft drink cart boarded at Bloomington and later detrained at Crawfordsville (he would later board southbound Train 5 to return).  Of course this service presumably ended in October with that change to using a single consist.

The short-lived Bluegrass service, Trains 3/4, picked-up and dropped off the cars for French Lick at McDoel yard (Bloomington), not Bedford.  The even shorter-lived RDC service started out at Bedford each day, then headed to Bloomington and Lafayette, arriving at Monon to meet Train 11, the Tippecanoe there, then returned to Lafayette, Bloomington, and Bedford.  Then it repeated the same routine, returning again to Monon to meet Train 15, the Hoosier, before returning finally to Bedford.

[Christopher Stone]

Thanks, Tim!  I'll update the part about 23/24 leaving from McDole. I'm not sure where I got Bedford from.  I looked at my one timetable that shows the Bluegrass (March 1949) and it does show both 23/24 leaving from Bloomington.  The Jan 49 timetable on page 147 of Dolzall shows show 23 leaving from McDole, but 24 starts from Bloomington.

I had seen references to the Sandwich vendor between Bloomington and Crawfordsville.  Does anyone have exact dates for this service?

The Budd RDC schedule is from p85 of Dolzall's book.

The PDF has 3 pages.  Where you able to see page 2 with the Paint Scheme changes?  That's actually where I have the most questions.  I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures with even more paint scheme variations than I have listed.  For instance, I'm pretty sure I've seen 2-tone grey but with out the gold pin stripes. Also there seem to be some variations with white vs red MONON above the windows that is independent of whether the rest of the livery had 1 or 2 shades of grey.

Page 3 about the car rebuilds was taken from Dolzall and the very first issue of "Monon Railroad News & Notes" from 1975. I just limited the cars covered and put it in chronological order so that it's easy to cross-reference with the other 2 pages. I should probably add the various Box Cars that were converted early on with steam lines (and painted to match the passenger livery) so that they could be used in Express Service as head-end cars on passenger trains before the Kitchen Cars were converted.

[Cully Kowal]

I also rode 5 & 6 several times  in the fall of 1964.  The "news butcher" with the snack cart was Mr. O.I. Kimmons.  He brewed the coffee that he served aboard the northbound train in the depot at Bloomington. Mr. Kimmons lived in Crawfordsville and at one time worked in the dinning cars on the Santa Fe.  He told me that he was  once involved in a wreck on that road while in a diner.  He said that if a train derails "dive for the floor."

[Rick Berg]

I attached [not allowed]opher's Monon Streamliners Timeline document again but with the changes noted by Tim.

[Christopher Stone]

I had added that line, and a few others, as well as consolidating the last 2 pages.  Here is the latest version:

[Rick Berg]

Under Thoroughbred 5/6
9/29/67 All Service ends (coach 25 & HD coach 42, Business car 2 made the last run)

I confirmed with Frank Van Bree that:

According to Frank Van Bree, Dave Randolph via Tom Rankin

#5 left Chicago with Business Cars #2 & #3, RPO #13 Baggage Car #101 and coaches #42 and #25 with engine 502.

The #2 Business Car was cut off at Lafayette for Joe Stein's football game
trip to Notre Dame.

The same consist minus the #2 business car brought #6 north to Lafayette where Engine 510 was substituted for the 502 because it was also needed for Joe Stein's football game trip to Notre Dame.
It had a steam generator which was needed for the comfort of Joe Stein's guests.

The last Southbound Thoroughbred to Louisville #5 was on 9/29/67

The last Northbound Thoroughbred #6 was to Chicago 9/30/1967.

Making the last day of service 9/30/1967.

Reference also: THL article in #26-3 August 2007 on this event..... Monon notice is below the picture that is below.

I believe the picture below is the actual train #6 at Lafayette.

I am not sure which direction the train is going.