Steam in the 1937 flood leaving New Albany

[Stew Winstandley]

A trip a diesel can't make.

[Joe Land]

I was a kid in southern Indiana in the 1950's. The 1937 flood was still a much discussed topic among the people. The memory of such a disaster does not go away for the people who witnessed, and lived through it.

[Gene Remaly]

Stew
Looks like the crossing guard left his shanty
I also think the power is out to the wig-wag signal

[Victor Sauerheber]

I wonder how far they got.  it's hard to tell how deep the water is, but It looks like all the journal boxes would be flooded.Vic

[Ron Marquardt]

That "crossing shanty" in the picture is actually the operator's shack and train order office at the North Wye.  The old heads told me that during the 1937 flood, they operated trains into and out of New Albany until the water got so deep it put out the fires in the fire boxes on the steam engines.

Diesels were restricted in deep water because the traction motor blowers would suck water into the traction motors and short them out.  / Ron

[George Lortz]

Stew,

Is this a Monon photo?

George L.

[Ron Marquardt]

George, it is a Monon photo of a N/B at the North Wye, the dividing switch in New Albany between the line that goes to the bridge, and the line that goes downtown to the old freight house and NA&S yard.  The photo came from Zeke Kaufmann's collection originally.  / Ron