Monon Color Steam Photo

[George Lortz]

You so rarely see any Monon steam color photos that this one caught my eye.  I tried to enhance the photo to catch the road number and (I think) it's #354 street running in Lafayette.

The problem is that the Monon had two #354s - one a 2-8-0 and the other a 4-6-2.  If it is #354, I have no idea which one.

Can anyone help out with the road number, engine type and location?

George L.

[George Lortz]

Ron Marquardt has done some research on the photo in question and here's what we now think:

The locomotive number is still in question, but the steam train is S/B on 5th. St. at Main St. in Lafayette.  The shot was probably taken in the very late 1930's or very early 1940's.  The picture was shot in the afternoon, probably during the winter months, and therefore would be Train #5.

George L.

[Ken Weller]

Wonderful color picture of steam on Lafayette's 5th Street.  My office is in the 3-story building on the left behind the bus depot sign (the top 2 stories are a light color).  The street railway tracks are directly in front of the loco, on Main Street crossing 5th.  The Lafayette street railway service ended in 1940, so I think the photo is c1940.   

Attached is another very similar (tho black & white) photo that I think was taken at the same time, shifted slightly to the right of the color photo.  For example, note the car on the left near the bus depot sign, and the 2 vehicles on the right (the car next to the curb, and the vehicle (pick up truck?) on 5th St next to the train.  I wish we could read the year on the license plate of the car on the right.  In this photo, it is very clear that this is loco #444.   

[John Taylor]

Is the color photo from the MRRHTS archives or does an individual have the rights to it?  The reason I ask is, I think it would make a terrific painting or drawing but I wouldn't use it without permission.

[Tim T Swan]

Great photos George and Ken!

[George Lortz]

Ken,

I think your guess is pretty good.  It looks like the two photos were taken just a few moments apart.  The number 444 also fits.

The digital photo appeared in an Bay auction and was displayed on-line without any copyright notice.  I'm guessing that puts it somewhere in the public domain category as far as using it as the source of any future artwork.  I agree, that it would make a great su[not allowed]ect to represent the history of the Monon Railroad.

George L.

[Robert Gibson]

Since it's on a passenger train I would think it would be the 4-6-2.

[Robert Gibson]

The b&w photo was probably taken by the guy with his back to the camera in the color photo. 

We're running a series of J. Parker Lamb photos in the C&EI HS magazine.  One his photos was taken at Tuscola, IL in May, 1958.  I have a photo taken by Bruce Meyer on the same day showing Lamb near the tracks just after he took his photo.  Good stuff.

[Steve Dolzall]

The 1940 Indiana license plates were black with white lettering with the word "Indiana" stamped on the bottom of the plates. It would appear that the B&W photo is from 1940.

[Ron Marquardt]

Good find Steve, that should also date the colored photo to 1940.  That corresponds with what Dick Fontaine told me about the streetcar tracks being removed in 1941 or 1942 for the scrap metal for the war effort.  Good detective work guys.  Thanks,  / Ron

PS, does anyone have any idea who the photographer was that shot the color photo?  Also, we don't have a good copy of that B&W photo in the archives.  Anybody got a really good high-rez copy of it?