General Questions from new member

[Tom Kepshire]

Regular scheduled passenger service ended in 1959, but passenger trains continued to deliver mail over the Indianapolis Branch into the 1960's. I don't know the exact dates on either. Freight was moved throughout the Monon era.

[Tim T Swan]

To clarify the answers to Chuck's questions:

The B&B branch originated as an independent railroad--and narrow-qauge at that--which the MONON acquired around 1895 to provide access to the coalfields west of Bedford.  The MONON almost immediately standard-gauged the line.  The line experienced many derailments due to its narrow right-of-way and it's use as a coal-hauling route became redundant just 15 years later when the MONON built its I&L "Pumpkin Vine" line into the same area.

As for the Indianapolis branch, the MONON did not end freight service on it--L&N did.  MONON did end all passenger service on the branch though, about 12 years before the merger.  L&N slowly abandoned the line piecemeal, starting from the Indy end.

[Chuck Stewart]

Thanks, guys, for the excellent info.  I had read that Barriger saw no future hauling freight on the Indy branch so I guessed wrong that the Monon had pulled the plug on freight earlier than the passenger service.