new to me

[Ron Simunic]

Classic magazines, summer 2013, has  a picture of a crossing south of Frankfort with the  THI&E. Nice and didn't know it existed.

[Geof Burns]

That crossing was on the south edge of Frankfort, east of Jackson Street near the fairgrounds. There used to be a small brick building on the East side of Highway 39 near Kelly Road that had been a power substation for the traction company tracks.

[Ken Weller]

Here is picture of THI&E crossing near Frankfort in 1909.

By the way, I was on Amtrak's Cardinal recently, and you can still see remnants of THI&E's
line from Indy to Crawfordsville on right (North) side of current track; I counted at least 6
remaining concrete bridges or culverts.  You can trace the line by observing the line of telephone poles on/next to former THI&E right-of-way; occasionally they dip into small towns along the way, then continue next to the tracks.

[Robert Wheeler]

As further information taken from the 2001 Tour Guidebook (Pages 43 & 44), attached:

The crossing just south was given the name of McBride or McBrides and appeared mostly in tariff type publications.

It was at MP B 137.5 with an elevation of 868. It did not appear on timetable schedules as a station and in the notes on INTERLOCKERS AND CROSSINGS as “Frankfort – T.H.&I.E.  (Electric  Line)".

A history of the "station" is given along with ofher similar type information found in all Guidebooks.

There was also a schematic based on the Rules and Instructions Governing the Use of Automatic Block and Interlocking Signals for the C. I. & L. Ry. Co., effective December 1, 1911.

[Ron Simunic]

Thanks, Bob somehow in my reading I missed it.  The pic was the first I'd seen thou. Your knowledge, as always, is immense.

[Ken Weller]

Here is a diagram from the Archives of McBride in 1910.

[Ron Marquardt]

Wow, a railroad crossing almost in the middle of a public road intersection.  Talk about a good place to get run over!!  / Ron

[Tim T Swan]

Geeze Ron, have you forgotten about the Hohman Avenue crossing in downtown Hammond?  Maybe the busiest and most convoluted grade crossing anywhere.  See attached photo, c1940, looking northward.  IHB's Hohman Tower (just out of sight to the left) controlled the interlocking, but crossing guards controlled the gates and auto traffic with hand-carried yellow stop signs and at night, lanterns.  The tracks at the base of the photo are the Erie's on which the C&O exercised trackage rights.  The 4 tracks across the photo in the center are the Michigan Central/IHB (NYC).  The two tracks diagonally beyond them are the Nickel Plate.  Then there's the MONON, out of sight at the bottom, but parallel to the Erie tracks.  All mainline--no trolleys.  Sixteen diamonds, about half of which were set right in the pavement.  Plus, two side streets connecting with or crossing Hohman right amid all these diamonds.  I think there was at least one train through here about every five minutes!  Through passengers and long freights and transfers in and out of Chicago.  Nothing else like it!

[Ron Marquardt]

Wow Tim, I've never seen a picture of that before.  What a mess!!  Is any of it left today?  / Ron

[Eric Reinert]

Tim,

At the risk of dragging this topic even further off-topic:
I like that picture of the big crossing and the Ferree moving/storage building. That whole area from Logan street to Michigan St. east of Hohman Ave. was leveled in the late '60's or so. In fact Logan street doesn't even exist any more I don't think. (The road that paralleled the IHB/MC on the other side of the tracks from Willow Ct.) My Grandparents lived on Logan in the mid 1940's and would put my Dad, as a two year old, in a highchair in the front window so he could watch the IHB and NYC go by, slapping his hands down on the tray and squealing with delight every time a train would pass.
Here's another view of an IHB (or NYC?) Mike passing the Ferree building. Note the Centlivre Beer ad painted on the wall Later to become the Old Crown Brewery in Fort Wayne. Centlivre Beer was a popular brand in Hammond in the '30's I guess. (Old breweries of Indiana are another passion of mine.)

And to answer Ron: All that remains, rail-wise, is the three tracks of IHB that crosses the two track former NKP main of NS. (All under the Hohman Ave. overpass.) Sadly, much less remains business-wise.

Eric Reinert

[Geof Burns]

I don't want to be accused of nit-picking, but Bob's discussion of the Monon/THI&E crossing mentions the nearby Indiana state highway 38, when it is actually Indiana 39. Even numbered roads normally run East-West.

[Heath Matthias]

Also kind of off topic, but I grew up about a mile from the old Centlivre/Old Crown Brewery in Fort Wayne.  Fell asleep to fright trains nightly, especially in the summer with the windows open.