Lapel, IN: Central Indiana (CIRY) and Central Indiana & Western (CEIW)

Jason Jordan shared
It appears that the C. I. & W. uses both a GP - 7 and a GP - 10. 05/03/11

Looking at Google, there is a short stretch of track from Lapel to Anderson. When I looked at my 1928 RR Atlas to see what this was a remnant of, I thought it was Big Four. But further study indicated the Big Four route was further south. So I looked at my 1973 RR Atlas. For the first time in my studies, I have found a significant route that existed in 1973 that did not show in 1928 --- Central Indiana Railway. In 1973 the map shows it going through the towns of Anderson, Lapel, Noblesville, Westfield, Lebanon, and Advance.

The route was begun in the 1870s as Anderson, Lebanon & St. Louis Railroad. It went through more reorganizations and name changes than I care to count, let alone list.

In 1902 Crawford arranged for the sale of the line at a foreclosure sale to the Big Four (CCC&StL) and the Pan Handle (PCC&StL) who purchased the railroad jointly as a traffic bypass around Indianapolis. The C&SE was sold on Sept 1, 1902 and was once again renamed on March 16, 1903 to the Central Indiana Railway, the name that would last until 1986. At it's peak, it ran from Muncie, Indiana to Brazil, Indiana and with the failure of the Natural Gas fields around Anderson and Muncie, the CIRwy made money by hauling coal to the communities and the factories that had grown up during the Gas Boom. Stations on the line were Muncie, Avondale, Anderson, Lapel, Noblesville, Westfield, Jolietville, Roston, Gadsden, Lebanon, Advance, New Ross, Ladoga, Waveland, Waveland Junction, Sand Creek, E. Rockville, Bridgeton, Carbon and Brazil. The CIRwy ran a total distance of 117 miles and owned 11 locomotives and a variety of rolling stock. In 1986 the remaining remnant, Anderson to Lapel, was named Central Indiana & Western. (MadisonRails)