Auburn, IN: Auburn (UN) Junction and Depot: Aban/PC/NYC/FW&J vs. CSX/B&O vs. Aban/PRR/Wabash

(Satellite)        FW&J = Fort Wayne & Jackson

Mike Snow posted
Auburn Junction when it was a Junction ! That would be the Ft Wayne & Jackson crossing in front of the locomotive.
[The B&O train is eastbound]
Harry Doolittle What RR went to the left in this photo? Was it a PRR branch?
Mike Snow Yes to Butler Indiana. Vandalia/Eel River.
[Actually, we are looking in the direction to Logansport. Butler would be to our back.]

Mike Snow posted again

Auburn Junction.. when it was actually a Junction !

Auburn Junction was at the junction of three railroads near Auburn, hence the name. The view in this postcard a person would be looking up the Eel River on the left and the Baltimore & Ohio is on the right with the LS&MS/NYCRR Fort Wayne & Jackson crossing just in front of the locomotive.

At Auburn Junction, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the Eel River Railroad, and the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad all met at grade. The only thing that remains of Auburn Junction today is the B&O trackage, now owned by CSX and a half mile section of the Ft Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw that serves as an industrial spur to two local businesses.

A post office was established at Auburn Junction in 1884, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1931.
Eric Zerkle Both the FW&J and Eel River were removed in the 70s.

Tyler Allen posted

I found myself in a rabbit hole! I live in Auburn, IN and am fascinated by the history of Auburn and Auburn Junction. Our library is chock FULL of old photos, including this wonderful image of Auburn Junction. You can see the current CSX line that this train is on, but even cooler is to the left is an interurban car! The track crossing the B&O is the old Fort Wayne and Jackson. Just out of view is the Eel River. None of the town remains except the B&O, now CSX, and a branch of the Fort Wayne and Jackson that feeds a couple industries. If you look at a current map, a little street called Boxcar Lane used to be Auburn Junction Main Street.

Source: https://willennar.catalogaccess.com/photos/6853

The yellow line was the NYC/FW&J. The blue line was the PRR. According to the SPV Map, this route was originally owned by Wabash. (Update: see below for the correct history of the "blue line.")

Satellite plus Paint

A comment on a post corrects the corporate linage of the "blue line."

Mike Snow This route was not originally owned by the Wabash Rwy. they only had it from 1879-1901. The DER&I was opened between Logansport and Butler in 1873. Successor Eel River RR was sold under court order and reorganized as PRR subsidiary Logansport & Toledo Ry. in 1901, and consolidated with other lines as the Vandalia RR in 1905. Here is Craig Berndt's recently-updated corporate timeline:

1852 Incorporated as The Auburn & Eel River Valley Railroad (proposed only in DeKalb Co.).
1853 Incorporated as Auburn & Eel River Valley Railroad (proposed from DeKalb Co. to Cass Co.).
1853 Renamed Logansport & Northern Indiana Railroad. 
1863 Sold at foreclosure and reorganized as Toledo, Logansport & Northern Indiana Railroad. 
1869 Sold at foreclosure and reorganized as Detroit, Logansport & St. Louis Railroad. 
1870 Sold and reorganized as Detroit, Eel River & Illinois Railroad.
1877 Sold at foreclosure and reorganized as Eel River Railroad (leased to Wabash Railroad 1879-1901). 
1901 Sold by court order and reorganized as Logansport & Toledo Railway. 
1905 Consolidated with four other railroads as Vandalia Railroad. 
1917 Consolidated with four other railroads as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad 
(“Pan Handle”). 
1956 Merged into Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington Railroad. 
1968 Consolidated with the New York Central as Pennsylvania-New York Central Transportation 
(“Penn Central”).
1976 Consolidated with five other railroads as Consolidated Rail (“Conrail”). 
1984 .7-mile in Logansport, from 6th St. to 15th St. extended, acquired by Logansport & Eel River Railroad Museum.
1986 .1-mile in Logansport, from Ottawa St. to 6th St., together with 1.4 miles of the South Bend Branch, from TP&W connection to Ottawa St., acquired by Logansport & Eel River Railroad Museum.
1989 Track in Logansport (1984 and 1986 above) acquired by Logansport & Eel River Short-Line.

The depots southwest of Columbia City, and some northeast, were built in 1868, but the track was opened in segments, 1871-1873.

It is interesting that there are now a lot fewer buildings in Auburn Junction than there were in the photo. It appears that the intersection of IN-8 and former US-27 became more important than the intersection of railroads.

Bill Nimmo shared
In conjunction with the recent post of the rail setup on auburn junction - this is a photo of the old station that sat at that junction somewhere.

Darren Reynolds posted two photos with the comment: "B&Os 'UN' tower (Auburn Jct.) Auburn, Indiana."

Tim Shanahan shared

Tim Shanahan shared

1

2
[A nice example of signalling pipelines.]

Craig Jon Berndt commented on Tim's second share
UN controlled the crossings of 3 steam and 1 electric interurban railroad, whose track is along the county road at left in the lower photo above. B&O's train has stopped on the Ft. Wayne & Jackson RR's mainline on this side of the tower, and the Eel River/Vandalia RR's track crosses B&O a few hundred feet ahead. A view of the interlocking plant is below.