Barriger "Unknown" folder goodies

[Eric Reinert]

The Barriger Library FlickR site has a folder of "Unknown" photos from his collection that have no information or notes accompanying them. It appears that there are a good portion of Monon related photos among the group. This one is particularly interesting to me: I am 99% sure it shows South Hammond yard from the South side of the Little Calumet River. The evidence: The yard lead immediately North of the bridge, the Coaling tower, yard office, sand tower, roundhouse and water tower are all in their relative, correct positions for circa 1945 or so. I see the two wooden cars that were used as crew quarters as well. I've never seen anything quite like this that shows such a broad view of the facilities here. Great photo. There are dozens of others in this folder that were pretty clearly taken on the Monon as well. They have asked for help in identifying locations, etc.

[George Lortz]

Eric,

Good to hear that you are working on this Barriger project.  The good and bad news is that a number of people are doing this also (including me), but I'm not aware of any way to share this work amongst everyone.

FlikR has several hundred Barriger negatives that are accessible and at least three folks are working on identifying them that I'm aware of.  There was also a large effort amongst Monon Society members and their identification results were significant although I haven't been able to see the end result of that effort.

One thing that would help is if everyone working on this effort would identify the negatives by number inscribed on the edge of the negative.  I think these numbers are all unique.

Keep up the good work.

George L.

[Robert Gibson]

It looks like most of the unknown photos are from the Monon.  Shots from Louisville, New Albany, Hammond, Monticello, and Shops so far.

[Robert Gibson]

Greencastle and Limedale too.

[Steve Dolzall]

Indianapolis Union Station also.

Steve

[Eric Reinert]

Hi George,

I figured I couldn't be the only one who had discovered the trove of Monon related photos. Why not use this forum to come to a consensus on the photos before posting a note (perhaps through an MRRHTS flickr account?) on the Barriger site? Unless someone already has a direct conduit to them of course, which I suspect already exists. Sorry if I am stepping on toes or jumping the gun on an ongoing project. Ron? lol

Eric Reinert

[Mike Aufderheide]

Thanks for posting this link.  I think this is Midland:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/19140882098/in/album-72157652984498874/

Another gon with a hutchins end in this photo.  That makes two, time to model it!

Mike Aufderheide

[Chad Boas]

How about #28 169. It one of the Monon 60's series coach.
#30 016 is Limedale looking down the PRR.
#39 013 and #39 015 are also Limedale.
#30 101 and #30 103 are the Lafayette yard office.
#30 007 is Monon and #30 008 looks like the south yard at Monon.
Chad

[Mike Aufderheide]

39 008 is the old wood crusher at Monon.  This is the only shot of this building I've seen newer than about 1920.  If only he had pressed the shutter a few seconds sooner!

39 005 and 39 008 are good views of Monon that are better than what we have had in the past.

Also 28 155 is an interesting view of the south yard at Monon (always seems to be empty...) with billboards I've never seen at the curve of Hwy 43 and one of those rogue houses on the east side of the track.

Regards,

Mike Aufderheide

[Steve Dolzall]

Power in 28-169 appears to be a K&IT Baldwin switcher.

Steve

[Tim T Swan]

You are absolutely correct, Eric, about that being a shot from Munster looking north toward South Hammond.  That’s the view of the coal chute I remember from my youth.

28-152 is also Munster, looking north from about the PCC&StL crossing, usually called Maynard because it was controlled from the nearby PRR tower there.  Ridge Road is just inside that tree line in the distance.   The Dutch Reformed Church on Ridge Road, which burned down around 1950, is visible just left of center.  BTW, anybody know what those rod-operated “thingies” between the rails are--looking like lost guard rails?

24-196 to 199 are New Albany, the depot to VI Tower.  24-194 is the K&I Bridge.

24-202 is North Y, in New Albany.  The line to the left is the main toward 15th St. and the K&I Bridge; the track to the left leads to the New Albany yard, the original NA&S terminus.

24-204 - MP 315.1 is Vernia, looking south.

28-144 is State Line Junction, looking northwest.  The Tower is just off camera, to the right.  28-143 is also Stateline.

28-147 is Hammond, looking north toward the Grand Calumet River bridge, the MC/IHB diamonds in the foreground.

28-148 & 28149 are also Hammond, both looking north; the old downtown Sibley St. depot and approximately where the “new“ joint Monon-Erie depot would eventually be built.

28-154 is Dyer, looking north past the EJ&E diamonds and the MC/NYC tower beyond.

28-167 looks like Boulevard Station to me.

28-173 to 176 are Louisville Union Station.

39-011 is Greencastle, looking north.  Best shot of the steel water tank there I’ve seen.  The Monon Grill is the white structure in the right background.

664-003 is Gary depot on the CSS&SB.  The other “under wire” photos are likely South Shore also.  664-006 definitely is, only a block or so away from the high school I attended.

[Steve Dolzall]

It looks like 24-206 is Salem.

Steve

[Eric Reinert]

Thanks Tim, I wondered if 28-152 was the slight S-curve in Munster. The two-digit milepost on the signal should have been a clue for me as well. It looks to me like the rod-operated "thingy" is a derail. If you move those points into contact with the rail on the left it would surely put a train on the ground. Also, wasn't the PRR/Monon crossing called Air Line Junction? This 1949 PRR schematic shows 3 Derail levers here that control 6 derails. It looks like L10/11 derail north of the junction is the one pictured. 

Eric

[Tim T Swan]

Yep, PRR always called it Airline Junction I guess because when their PCC&StL line was built through there, the Monon's predecessor into the area originally had been called the Indianapolis & Chicago Airline ("airline" in those days meaning simply the shortest route between 2 points).

Thanks for the PRR schematic of the interlocking there.  I kinda thought they might have been derails of some kind, but I don't remember seeing any on mainline trackage before.  As I recall from my childhood, both Monon and PRR trains roared though there at speed and it seems to me an applied derail would probably have caused major damage, albeit maybe less than a full-on crossing collision.

[Bob Lalich]

Thanks for the tip on all the "new" Monon photos from the Barriger collection. Tim, the PCC&StL was built through Munster in the 1860s before the Airline came through, which brings up a question. Why would the Panhandle choose to operate and maintain the tower?