The Rail History of Elwood, Indiana - The ELWOOD Car

The Rail History

of Elwood, Indiana

The ELWOOD Car

The Interurban car of the

Union Traction Company

and the

Indiana Railroad

named for the city of

Elwood, Indiana

Updated: October 17, 2013

The Interurban Car Named “ELWOOD”

Notes Relative to the “ELWOOD” Car

I. Source: CERA Bulletin 62 – November 1945

A. Page 14, 1st paragraph:

Originally all Union Traction interurban cars were painted a dark green but a deep red

was chosen as the new color in 1921 and repainting began with 403 and 405 which

were promptly assigned, for a while, 403 to the Muncie Meteor and the 405 to the

Hoosierland.

B. Page 4, first column, first paragraph under: CITY STREET CAR LINES:

Union Traction operated local systems in Muncie, Anderson, Marion and Elwood. In 1921,

Birney type single truck safety cars replaced the old equipment in the three larger cities.

The Elwood system was abandoned in 1924.

C. Page 16, last paragraph, last three sentences:

With affairs in this state the property was sold to Midland United on July 2, 1930, and

became Indiana Railroad, to be beset with a whole new chain of circumstances leading

to gradual demise. So passed Union Traction into history. The super-interurban, as far

as Central Indiana was concerned, didn’t quite make the grade.

II. Source: CERA Bulletin 63 – December 1945; Roster of Cars

A. Page 5, Car Number 443 – Remarks: NAME “ELWOOD.” PURCH. 1927 FROM Gr. Rap.,

HOL & CHGO Ry. - $860, BECAME IR TOOL CAR.

B. Page 7, Car Number 1150 – Remarks: WRECK TRAILER -- ANDERSON

III. Source: CERA Bulletin 17 – INDIANA RAILROAD SYSTEM

A. Page 14, Roster of Equipment – (1) NUMBERS

1150 - Wreck Motor - Built 1934 – By Jewett – Was U-443 – Note PP, N *See B.

B. Page 15 (inside back cover):

1. Note N – Equipment thus marked with control at each end of car

2. Note PP – Altho not used in revenue service this car retains name “ELWOOD.”

See also Note H.

3. Note H – Cars 442, 445, also 443 (1150) and 444 (710) acquired from

Michigan R. R., Grand Rapids Holland & Chicago division, where they were

112, 115, 113, and 114, respectively.

*Note M – Car 710 built from salvage of car 444 UTCo. See note H.

IV. Source: The Indiana Railroad – by Herron Rail Services; The Singing Wire – Vol 2

V. Source: CERA Bulletin 91 – September 1950; Revised Third Printing, August 1975

INDIANA RAILROAD SYSTEM

A. Page 22 – NOTES TO INTERURBAN PASSENGER CARS: See note page 23 regarding

cars 442-445 . . .

Elwood had an interurban car named for the city. It was built by Jewett in 1913 for

the Grand Rapids Holland & Chicago Ry. as car 21. In 1916 it was leased to Michigan

Ry. and renumbered to car 113. When that company broke up in 1924, it reverted to

the GRH&C as 113. In 1927 it was sold to Union Traction and became car 443 and

given the name "ELWOOD." When taken into the Indiana RR in 1930, it retained its

name and number until 1934 when it was converted to Indiana Railroad's tool car

1150. One note indicates it retained the name "ELWOOD."

B. Page 23 – Note: 443 was converted 1934 to wreck motor #1150

C. Page 23A – NOTES TO FREIGHT AND WORK CARS: (See note page 23B) 1150 was

originally passenger car; see note to cars #442-445 for further data. Converted 1934

to wreck motor, retaining name ELWOOD.

Source: Electric Railroads of Indiana by Jerry Marlette, Second Edition 1980

Page 101 – Indiana Railroad System

A. July 2, 1930

D. August 1, 1930

E. Tipton – Alexandria, 20 miles

G. Abandonments: Alexandria-Tipton, Muncie, October 31, 1931 (Alexandria-Tipton

passenger service discontinued June 30, 1931);

H. At the peak of its short but active life, the Indiana Railroad System was the largest

interurban railroad system in the world.

Orange becomes standard paint scheme about 1936.

The Interurban Car Named “ELWOOD”

by Marvin Crim

History often becomes sparse and fragmented. It’s especially true regarding the interurban car

once named for Elwood, Indiana. Although the storyline is not total and complete, most of it can

be pieced back together.

The city of Elwood was served by six different electric transportation systems over the course of

the streetcar and interurban era. Those years ran from the street cars in 1893 until early in 1932

when all freight interurbans ceased operations along what had been an Alexandria to Tipton

route.

In 1927, the Union Traction of Indiana Company purchased four cars from the Grand Rapids,

Holland & Chicago Ry. for $860 each. The cars had been built in 1913 as cars #20-23. In 1916

they were leased to the Michigan Ry. where they became cars #112-115. When that company

broke up in 1924, the cars were returned to the GRH&C Ry retaining the new numbers. The cars

were later sold to the Union Traction Company of Indiana in 1927 where they took on the

numbers 442-445.

It would follow that the ELWOOD car would have been car 21, then car 113, UTC and IR car 443,

and later IR 1150. But published notes from 1940 differ from a revised third printing in 1975

regarding the numbering from the 112-115 series to the 442-445 series. The sequence in which

the cars were numbered from one series to the other is unclear without additional evidence.

These cars were added to the several already carrying names in addition to numbers until the

mid-1930’s. Car 443 was given the name “ELWOOD.” Car 442 was named EATON; car 445 was

named DALEVILLE; and car 444 was salvaged for some reason in 1932 with no record of a name

ever being assigned to it.

The original paint scheme for the Union Traction Company of Indiana featured a dark green body

and a red roof. Letters and numerals were gold-leaf. In 1921 the scheme was changed to deep

red bodies and green roofs. Since the ELWOOD car was not purchased by the UTC of I until 1927,

it likely carried only the deep red scheme. As a matter of fact, all photos of the ELWOOD car in

Indiana Railroad livery would indicate it may have retained the deep red UTC of I colors until it

was withdrawn from service in 1941.

*Photos exist showing ELWOOD still on the side of IR 1150.

And only as luck would have it, video of the ELWOOD car exists. See Herron Rail Services –

The Indiana Railroad – The Singing Wire – Vol 2

Marvin Crim

WLWHS 1957

VI_The_ELWOOD_Car.doc