MP 206.1 5th Subdivision -

Motor car shed at Wilson, 1950's.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Wilson Indiana. Sometimes refered to as Wilson Lake, circa 1979. Left: North along the former Monon mainline. Right: Looking to the south, towards New Albany.

 

MP 307.8 5th Subdivision -

 

Bennettsville is not so much a town. but a location with a beautiful Catholic church, a former school building and convent complex situated high on a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. There are a few homes scattered around nearby and a restaurant. Picture is circa 1976.

 

 

 

 

Bennettsville 2005

  

Left: Looking RR north along the mainline at Bennetsville. Right: Looking RR south. Note hot air balloon. Someone else was enjoying the mild weather.

 

Downtown Bennettsville. Highway 111 is pictured in the foreground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MP 309.9 5th Subdivision -

  

Left and Right: Pictures of a derailment that happened at St. Joseph February 21, 1965.

St. Joseph 2005

  

Left: Highway 111 crossing at St. Joseph. Caught some northbound action on the former Monon. Right: Looking north along the mainline.

Looking south along the mainline at St. Joseph.

 

 

 

 

 

This location was identified as Thorn on the photograph. It has been better identified as the L. Thorn Company Plant north of Vernia, circa 1979.

 

 

 

 

 

MP 311.4 5th Subdivision -

This location was once named Smith Mills according to a 1911 Tariff. The depot, according to the 1915 inventory was nothing more than half of a box car.

Southbound Train #5 passing through Smiths.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Operations at Smith, early 1960's. Left: BL2 on the lead of a freight, southbound at Smith, October 1963. Right: Less than a year later, a different set of power. C-628's pulling a freight at Smith, March 1964.

Southbound Train #5 splits the signals at MP 313.3 between Smith and Vernia.

 

 

 

 

 

MP 315.5 5th Subdivision -

Thanks to Rick Dreistadt, pictured is Vernia. It's the north end of Vernia siding but not as we know it today.  The photo was taken about McDonald Lane.  The new set off track is to the left of the main.  The industry to the right is a fertilizer company. In the distance is the JR Stem log yard.  Rick was curious as to whether the Vernia siding had ever been extended.  And in consulting with some timetables Rick discovered a 1952 timetable showing Vernia holding 103 cars based on 46 foot car lengths or a total of 4738 ft.  A timetable dated 1962 shows Vernia holding 148 cars based on 46 foot car lengths or a total of 6808 feet.  Rick's neighbor, who retired from Pillsbury a very short time ago says he hired on there when Pillsbury opened in the fall of 1959.  So I can't say for sure but would guess that the Monon extended Vernia  to Grant Line Road when they built the spur into Pillsbury about 1959.  Coincidentally, a 1928 timetable doesn't list a siding at Vernia.

 

  

Industry along the mainline, 1979. Left: Industrial building in Vernia. Note old Monon loading platform to the middle-left side of the picture. Right: Hoosier Panel Company, circa 1979. Just another of the many industries once served by the Monon.

Left: Train #73, May 30, 1965 on the mainline at Vernia.

 

Alco RS2's draw a local freight through Vernia, December 1960.

 

 

 

 

Southbound in red and gray at Durgee Road on the north side of New Albany

 

 

 

 

 

  

Left: The Thoroughbred passes by Hausfeldt Lane, July 1962 on its way to Louisville. F3 #84A spent much of her Monon career in passenger service. Right: Train #5 arriving on the northside of New Albany in June 1962. Note that all the trailing passenger equipment are still in red and gray livery.

Local freight in the hole at Vernia, 1964. -Linton Moss Photograph-

 

Passenger train at McDonald Lane on the northside of New Albany, 1962

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an interesting shot. The train is northbound at the North Wye during the flood of 1937. The Ohio River began rising on January 5, 1937, but it was not a flood at first. On January 20, experts predicted that the river would reach fifty-two feet in average depth. However, the seawalls (walls constructed along the shoreline to prevent erosion) were sixty feet high. No one was prepared for the crest of sixty-five feet in 1937, which caused fifty-six - communities to be evacuated. The flood finally subsided on February 9, 1937. Seventy-five million dollars in damages had been caused, and that was in 1937 when one dollar was equivalent to twelve dollars now. The damages would be equal to nearly one billion dollars today.

 

Southbound CSX freight at Vernia, Indiana Randy Moore Photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Action near Vernia. Left: J772 is the local heading northbound at the "North Wye" just south of Vernia, February 2001. Right: Q686 northbound just south of Vernia, July 1995.

  

Left: Is the motorist lucky, or just stupid? Q687 southbound at Vernia, July 1995. Right: February 1976. New signals that the L&N installed at North Vernia, but they weren't in service yet. These signals would be replaced in 1997 with ugly color light ones along with self restoring power switch.

 

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