Eastern Railroad Discussion > Naptown Question.....

Does any of the Indpls area foamers or employees know the reason for the old viaduct to nowhere at CP Holt? It's plainly visible from I-70 and looks like it went south at some time, but there is nothing noting a right-of-way south of the Interstate.
Any info would be helpful...

I know where you are talking about. Did the interurban go out that way?

Awful large viaduct for the interurban. I almost think it was a coal dock or ash pit....maybe.

My guess would be the interurban as well. The THI&E paralleled the PRR in many places, so I would assume that it would be here as well.

Caylorman

I am nearly sure it was the interurban. It paralleled the Pennsy to T.H. In fact, if you walk east to the Eagle creek bridge you can see faint remnants of a lighter bridge to the south of the Pennsy main. Also remnants at Warman Ave. and Oliver St. Another clue is the power lines. Most interurbans were owned by utilities who have kept the ROW for power lines. The reason the overpass you mentioned was so high is that it had to clear the tracks below, and they may have used a deck bridge instead of a truss.

Gents --

A local historian once confirmed for me that this abutment was indeed for the interurban bridge over the connection from the PRR's Main Line to the Indianapolis & Vincennes line.

If you look east of the abutment, you can see the huge fill that ran east to Eagle Creek. At some point (don't know when) the fill to the west of the abutment was obliterated for industrial development.

That abutment indeed seems way overbuilt, but then again, early in the century I think everything related to railroads was overbuilt!

EP
Indianapolis

Thanks all. I guess when you think about it, it had to be the interurban line. It makes much more sense.
On another note, is there anything up on the right-of-way left? i.e linepoles, ties, spikes?

If you head out further west, there are depots left in both Plainfield & Amo. Danville also has a former THI&E depot, as well as another bridge abutment in the park in town. This depot, however, was on a seperate line than the one that follows the PRR.

Here is a shot of the interurban depot/substation that is in Amo. The Pennsy past about 50 feet in front of the building.

Caylorman

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I've seen the abutment in Ellis Park. There in another abutment just west of the IMI Concrete Plant on US36, it looks like the bridge spanned the wide creekbottoms behind the Kroger. In the winter, the right-of-way is visible in the trees.

That bridge abutment behind Kroger's is the old alignment of the Big 4, not the interurban line.


Caylorman