M.P. 203.1 - 4th Subdivision -

Stock pens and wood mill at Gosport Junction, circa 1883. The bridge in the picture is the predecessor to the bridge that remains today. The wood mill was destroyed in an explosion in which several people were killed. There was a lot of livestock shipped from the Gosport area via railroad. Before the railroad, the livestock was shipped by boat.

 

 

 

Official Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad drawing of the stock pens, pictured above left, at Gosport Junction.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Above Left and Right and Below: 1920 postcard views of Gosport Junction. -William Schnaiter Collection/ MRHTS Archives-

 

  

Gosport Junction. Left: Looking at one leg of the wye at Gostport Junction. The mainline curves away towards the right side of the picture. Right: Gosport Junction, circa 1960. Note boxcars on the interchange tracks in the right background.

 

Gosport Junction. Looking south. Monon is on the left side of the picture.

 

Coal drag off the old PRR V&I crossing the former Monon mainline at Gosport Junction, 1973. -Larry Ratcliffe Photograph-

 

 

 

 

Steve Mosier contributed this photo. Steve is on the northbound I&V line about to cross over the former Monon. This photo was taken back in June of 1982. The L&N signal maintainer is working in the relay house.

 

 

 

 

Gosport Junction 2004

  

Left: Looking at the former junction from the old highway bridge. Tracks pictured are the former PRR. The Monon mainline crossed the PRR at the bottom of the image. The former right of way would be to the left of the tracks pictured. You are looking toward the depot, railroad south. Right: Looking to the north from the old highway bridge. The mainline is to the left of the shed.

  

Left: Looking to the south along the mainline. Picture taken railroad north of the old highway bridge. Right: View of the bridge supports and open decking of the old bridge.

Looking north along the old mainline on the railroad north side of the old highway bridge. Old home signal concrete bases can be seen alongside the right of way.

 

 

Gosport Junction area 2020

Pictures by Nathan Miles
click on map to view all pictures by number

 

 

M.P. 203.9 - 4th Subdivision - GS/G

Since the site of Gosport had been used as a shipping point for flat boats going down the White River, and there was a need for a trading point in the area, Ephraim Goss and Abner Alexander purchased the site, laid out lots and had it recorded in June 1829. The little village languished for many years until in the mid 1830's when its natural advantages as a trading and manufacturing site were strong enough to cause substantial growth. In addition to being the trading center for a large portion of the surrounding area, a thriving industry was conducted in buying and shipping cattle, hogs, grain and lumber to New Orleans and other cities on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. In 1850, Joseph Goss and Dr. Hussey engaged in the pork business on a large scale and erected a large pork packing house. The company slaughtered as many as 33,000 hogs annually, and was the largest establishment of its kind in southern Indiana. This was in the days before railroads, and the White River served as means of transportation, the principal marketplace being New Orleans. The advent of the railroad in 1855 caused the decline in flatboat shipping on the White River and allowed competitors, which had not had access to the river but who now had access to the railroad, to become established.

The New Albany and Salem Railroad arrived in Gosport in 1854. There it build a very unique and famous depot. Known as a "run through" depot, it sat along the banks of the White River. The depot survived the entire independent existence of the Monon only to be torn down by the L&N in the late 1970's.

Incredible shot of the Monon depot at Gosport, circa 1860's. This photo shows the turntable that was once near the depot. Also note the wooden trestle on the PRR line. This was later backfilled. -Gosport Historical Society Collection-

 

 

 

 

  

Left: Gosport Depot, 1947. Train #5 paying a call to Gosport. Right: Northbound freight, with A-B-A lash up of 4500 horsepower, at Gosport. The White River is in the background.

Locating railroad tracks so close to a river, at times, proved not to be such a great ideal. Pictured is the White River flood of 1910. All of the Monon facilities are under water.

 

 

 

 

Another look at the flood of 1910 and the effect it had on the Monon.

 

 

 

 

Steam locomotive #433, southbound, making a stop at Gosport. February 1932. Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Photo Archive Collections.

 

 

 

  

Left and Right: The original highway bridge over the White River at Gosport.

 

  

Left: Diesel meets steam at Gosport. Brand spanking new F3 61 brings Train #72 north on the mainline while J-2 Mikado #551 stands on the siding with a southbound local. Right:Photographer Richard Baldwin took this picture in April 1966. The BL2, which was so "ugly" it was beautiful, could not be mistaken for any other locomotive. The BL2 was also one of the few EMD mistakes. BL2 #34 sits at the Gosport Depot waiting out for a meet with a northbound.

October 1961. Looking at the Monon Gosport depot from the former location of the PRR depot.

 

 

 

 

The Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Gostport, Indiana. Picture is not dated.

 

 

 

 

Gostport, December 12, 1926. Looking to the southwest. The railroad tracks pictured are those of the PRR. Note the lumber mill pictured. Today, there is nothing but weeds and old foundations.

 

 

 

 

Looking RR north towards the depot, circa 1970. Unknown original photographer. Max Foltz Collection.

 

 

 

 

  

Two view of the Gosport depot, circa 1973. -Larry Ratcliffe Photograph-

 

  

These pictures are courtesy of Richard Koenig, from his collection. Left: The Gosport Depot, July 24, 1976. Right: Inside the run through section of the depot, looking railroad south.

Interesting view of the depot from the window of the pump house.

  

Left: Circa 1977 and the depot is starting to crumble. Back wall of the depot. Right: Southbound L&N passing by the remains of the depot.

1973 view of the "Run Through" depot at Gosport. You are looking towards the north.

The demolition of the depot at Gosport. Even though placed on the list of Historic Landmartks, it could not save this building from demolition.

 

 

 

 

 

Steam power crossing the White River bridge at Gosport. Unknown passenger train crossing the birdge, May 3, 1927. From the Hohenberger Photograph Collection at Indiana University's Lilly Library. -Courtesy of Pete Pedigo.-

 

 

 

 

The year is 1948. The old bridge over the White River tremble as the Thoroughbred as Train #6 rolls north at Gosport. The ancient stone piers date back to the original bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

Another view of the White River bridge at Gosport. F3 #62 pulls the tonnage over the bridge. This would be at the start of the "Barriger Years" on the Monon.

 

 

 

White River Bridge, date unknown. Gosport (railroad north) is to the top of the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

Gosport 2004

Gosport and Gosport Junction were featured on the 2004 Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society's Bus Tour at their 2004 Annual Meeting and Convention. While in town, I took some pictures. I also returned October 9, 2004 and took some additional pictures of areas the tour did not see.

  

Left and Right: Main Street business district, downtown Gosport, Indiana. Specializing in small town charm.

 

This residence might be one of, if not the, oldest house in Gosport. My tour guide, Ron Marquardt, was not one hundred percent certain. It dates back to the 1820-30's. The road in front of the house leads down to the old depot location.

 

 

 

  

Left: One of the many hotels that once thrived in Gosport. This one is up, or down, the street from the depot location. Right: Looking down from the former PRR mainline at where the Monon depot once sat along the White River. The area is silent now.

Gosport 2004. This picture looks at the old PRR mainline and was taken close to where the depot, pictured above, was located.

 

 

 

 

All that remains of the mighty White River bridge near Gosport. The railroad sold the bridge to another road out east, then came in and removed the bridge. The piers stand silent in the river, a reminder of what once was.

 

 

 

 

  

Left: Foundation from an old mill. There are a couple of these foundations on the town side of the viaduct. Right: The concrete viaduct. Picture taken from the old mainline. Foundations would be on the other side.

  

Left: Standing on the former mainline looking back up at the bluff and the former PRR line. Pictures on display at the Gosport Historical Museum show a wooded trestle under what was the PRR. What are the odds that if you excavated the old PRR right of way you would find a wooden trestle? Pretty good, I would wager. Right: Looking at the old depot location. Looking toward the railroad north.

Looking to the railroad south along the former mainline at Gosport. Picture taken in front of where the small building, in most of the pictures of the depot, once was.

 

 

 

Looking to the railroad north along the mainline from the former depot location. Amazing how quickly nature has reclaimed the land.

 

 

 

 

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