Nostalgia & History > Need a few more photos to finish project

Does anyone have any early photos or postcard views of the following
locations on the Wabash 4th District that ran through northern
Indiana from Montpelier, Ohio? (West of Clarke Junction, Indiana the Wabash
used the B&O Chicago Terminal and its predecessor and the Chicago & Western Indiana
to reach its terminals in Chicago.)

Hamilton, Eddy, Stony Creek, Millersburg, Benton, New Paris,
Foraker, Pine, Dillon, Morris, Calumet, Crocker, Aetna, Willow
Creek, Gary, Tolleston and Clarke Junction. (Not all locations had
depots, some were just telegraph offices or interlocking towers.)
The New York Central's Big Four crossed at New Paris, the Lake Erie
& Western (later NKP) at Dillon, the EJ&E at Crocker, the New York
Central's Michigan Central and the B&O at Willow Creek as well as the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago at Clarke Junction(Pennsy mainline);
So cross reference your collections. (I'm also looking for any
photos of steam motive power used by Wolcottville Sand & Gravel at
Wolcottville, Indiana.)

The photos are needed for an illustrated history of the 4th District
that will be submitted early 2004 for the Wabash Railroad Historical Society
Banner magazine. There will be two feature articles. This one is titled : "Railroading on the 4th District", Part I, The Early Days". I'm fortunate to have found some early material for many other locations on the line but if you have anything on this line that you
are willing to share, please contact me. I've included a map of the
4th to help you locate the line. It is my intention to match up the photos with track diagrams made from official sources in my collection.


I've been researching this seriously for several years now and am
also fortunate to have some oral histories from railroaders that
worked the 4th in the early days including one engineer who worked
the 4th including the Stroh Branch from the early 1900's until
1937. (I even have some photos of the Ashley, Indiana engine
facilities, including a track diagram, before the yards moved to
Montpelier, Ohio in 1907.) Folks, Part I should make for some interesting reading.
Part II will continue where Part II left off and also include
testimonials. The emphasis on both feature articles is history as
told by those that remember it first hand.

If you have anything that you are willing to share, or can refer me
to another source, please contact me. You will receive credit and if
not a member of the Wabash Railroad Historical Society a free copy
of the publication. There is no reason for you hand over your
precious material. We can make arrangements to have it reproduced
digitally. Please help make this a worthwhile project for all.
The 4th deserves to be historically recognized as a signifcant part
of the Wabash Railroad. Those that have seen my byline in other
publications know that I spare no effort in entertaining my readers
and at the same time accurately documenting railroad history.

Victor Baird
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Kingsbury, Indiana

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I have many slides taken in '85 and '86 of the line east of Pine to Topeka, IN, as NS removed it, and of NS operations from South Bend (ex-NJI&I) through Pine to Dillon at that time. I can scan some, if you are interested in them. Gerry

I sent you a reply. Thanks.

Wabash, I tried to answer your email and it bounced. Can you verify the address?

fwj@mail.fwi.com