Fort Wayne, IN: Traction (Interurban) Terminal

(Satellite, as with so much history in America, it is now a parking lot)

The power plant, storage and repair facilities were further north.

Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
The Indiana Railroad passenger terminal in Fort Wayne. (Howard Pletcher Collection)
Adrian Strickrott https://youtu.be/JOvF4J6djCs

CassHistory, p31

Dennis DeBruler commented on Tommy's post
On page 21 it states the Traction Terminal was on the corner of Pearl and Harrison.
https://www.casshistory.net/pdf/interurban-allen-co.pdf
The building we see on the right in the photo was on that corner. I think that the tracks were west of that building between Perl and Main and that we are looking North over Main because the smoke stacks that were on the Science Center when it was a power plant are visible in the background.

Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
1921
Interurban Station
Ft. Wayne, Ind.

 

Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted

Year?

Interurban Station, Harrison St, near Main

Ft. Wayne, Ind

Dan'l Miller

1) no automobiles at all

2) round Bergoff Beer sign

3) 3- or 4-color printing press technology that printed the postcard with a likely-German manufactured printing press that were mostly used in Europe

4) JV209,509 serial number in German handwriting at the postcard manufacturer indicates age and location of postcard printer in Europe

Higher resolution:

http://contentdm.acpl.lib.in.us/digital/collection/coll6/id/6781

Steve Mensch

Dan'l Miller

 Looks like an early automobile in the center of photo in the higher resolution.

Dan'l Miller

Steve Mensch

, good catch! I hadn’t analyzed the diameter of those wheels & the apparent lack of horse on that one due to facing away. That model of car is the narrowest bound on time: which model looks like that from the rear?And which years was it made?

Keith Petersen posted

FT. WAYNE AND WABASH VALLEY TRACTION COMPANY

This is before my time, but I’d like to see at least one interurban or street car back in service.
[The power plant for this interurban became the I&M Power Plant.]

Mike Snow commented on Keith's post
The history of this car is interesting.. it resided in Mongo Indiana for the approximately 60 years before being taken to IRM for restoration.. I have the history and photos if interested. Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Co. # 504
Named Talisman
Delivered May 14, 1906
Became the Smith Family Home-Dec 1933
Acquired by IRM-1993
Builder - Cincinnati Car Co.
Cost when new $12,500
They were 7 of these cars built and were as follows:
Ft Wayne & WVTC Co.
#501 Kenilworth
#502 Ivanhoe
#503 Woodstock
#504 Talisman

IUT
#297 Kokomo
#298 Peru

Lima & Toledo Traction CO.
#101 Van Wert

All these cars were delivered between March & July 1906 The railroads were under control of the Schoepf-McGowan investment syndicate at the time of the purchase
of these cars which accounts for essentially the same cars going to 3 different railroads.

Sometime around 1920 the car had it's multiple removed and installed on other cars being constructed being built by the railroad and # 504 was renumbered # 354 after a rebuild.

In the early 30's the car was retired and sit in Fort Wayne IN and that's when this story really starts.

December 1933 Mr & Mrs Charlie Smith pay $150.00 for the car and the moving cost to relocate the car to Mongo Indiana.

Spring 1934 A Carpenter from Hicksville OH boards with the Smith's in return for helping build a kitchen on the east side of the car. The original heater from the interurban was placed in the basement of the Smith home and reconnected to the heater coils in the car. Mrs, Smith states in her diary that she cleaned and varnished the interior of the interurban the same red color that it was.

1940 Mr. & Mrs. Smith buy 80 acres of land and log part of it, The lumber is used to add an addition on the interurban car, A living room, bedroom, and a dining room was added. The interurban was covered with asbestos's shingles like the addition. The house and the interurban were wired with electricity .

1941 The heater pipes were removed and the two bedrooms in the interurban were dry walled.

1979 Body of the car was seen Norman Krentel of the IRM while looking at the old ROW of the St Joe Valley Ry.

1993 IRM Members remove the body for the trip to the IRM in Union Ill,

May 1 1994 Work starts to rebuild # 504 @ IRM

Sept 16, 1995 The car is rolled out of the building by it's own trucks and pulled by it's own coupler for pictures and exterior work.

July 4, 1997 The car is once again on display and the exterior is finish painted and lettered.

Tim Shanahan shared
[Power plant]

Douglas Kyle commented on Tim's share
Greg Runions posted a slightly higher resolution version of this map

Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
Mar. 18, 1908

I'm going to save this here for now because this is as close as I currently get concerning Indiana interurbans.

Huntington County, Indiana, Time Capsule posted
Map, Winona Interurban Railway Company and Connections: “This is the map portion of a three-part card that provided the Winona's schedule and schedules of connecting lines., according to the online information. Originally, the interburban Winona Railroad was developed to transport the many visitors who attended the Christian Chautauqua in Winona Lake. It expanded to include towns north and south of the Winona Lake area to serve people who lived along the line. (Accessed online: Grace Digital Library. Repository: Archives & Special Collections, Morgan Library, Grace College & Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana)

Information concerning the Indiana Railroad System, which went north.