Wabash Westbound 1951

[cjberndt]

Westbound #1004 and eight cars at Broadway in Ft. Wayne, March 7, 1951. Generous Electric is in the background. Wabash's water tank at Fairfield is near the end of the train. The photographer was on top of a railcar on the siding at right.

Craig

[Bob Durnell]

A few thoughts. 1) By looking now, it's hard to believe that the fill is four tracks wide at that location. 2) Any info on those two sidings to the right? Once again, by looking at current views, it doesn't look like an area that would have had sidings. 3) Those Wabash E units were AWESOME looking machines!

[cjberndt]

I always wonder how they packed everything into spaces that today seem much to small, like NKP's West Wayne yards, or Mina, Ohio (below).

Wabash's bridge over Broadway is about 55 ft. wide. A 1909 map shows 5 tracks going SW from the roundhouse, and a 1919 map shows 4 tracks crossing Broadway and 3 crossing Taylor.

Craig

[Wayne Gest]

I can't quite remember exactly what was what but I think on the right are the River tracks, there was the Old River and I think the crossover viewed divides it, from the crossover to the bridge over the St. Marys was the New River track. I recall that the track on the left was the Wall track on east of Fairfield Avenue but not recalling what it was west of there. It's possible I'm mistaken and the Wall track turned into the Old River track and then the New River track, all divided by crossovers off the main. If that's so, I don't recall the name of the track on the right. A track chart might help

I believe the tracks immediately to the right are the tracks into the Wabash freighthouse and in the distance, about the curve on the right, is the scale house and the Scale Track.

At Mina, it appears that the main ran south of the tracks for the coal docks. I walked all over that area a number of years ago and I, too, am surprised there was so much there. I also used to look at West Wayne and wonder how they got all of that into that area. Another is the old LE&W West Yard in Muncie, there was a lot there crammed into a small space.

[Steve Bryan]

Bob: I believe the two sidings o the right are coal company spurs. The Sandborn maps show two between Broadway and Taylor and the Rolf Coal spur was between Taylor and Fairfield, all on the south side of he Wabash running to the east.

[Bob Durnell]

That would make sense. I thought the coal spur started at Taylor Street, and didn't realize there was more than one.

[Wayne Gest]

The rotting remains of one of the coal spurs was still quite visible six years ago. Nearer to Broadway, IIRC.

[Steve Bryan]

If you go west on Taylor toward the Wabash overpass, look to the left (southwest) and the concrete end of one of the coal docks is still there. A few years ago, the name of that company was still visible. I'm not sure when it went out but I used coal in a stove back in the early 70s and it was gone by then.

[Bob Durnell]

Yes, if you look into the lot next to the Comcast building, you can see the "overhang area" for the coal dock, which I guess is where I got the idea that the siding more or less started at Taylor Street. I would love to see the Sandborns as well as any photos of that area if they exist.

[Hotbox]

Yes, if you look into the lot next to the Comcast building, you can see the "overhang area" for the coal dock, which I guess is where I got the idea that the siding more or less started at Taylor Street. I would love to see the Sandborns as well as any photos of that area if they exist.

Let's see how these work out, the first 3 depict the Wabash crossing over Broadway, Taylor, and the trestle behind Comcast, note it's relationship to the coal tower on the mainline

[Hotbox]

And the next 3 depict the Wabby crossing over Fairfield (Rolf coal), the area just east of Fairfield (Hoagland Ave), and the leads to the freighthouse proper (Harrison st shown on far right).

[Hotbox]

BTW, I'm getting "beat up" by that nifty Spamhaus "anti-communication" tool once again, despite having a completely new IP number.

This is the ONLY site on the entire internet where I encounter this problem, and it surely gets aggravating.

[Hotbox]

Here are 3 composite images that I stitched together, gives a more comprehensive view. Between the 3 of them they cover the Wabash from Harrison Street almost to the river. Images are a little rough in a couple areas where I had to force fit distorted images. Click on each image a second time to zoom up to a level where the text is readable

[rrnut282]

Interesting.

[Hotbox]

Comparing these 1919 maps to the 1902 edition, you can extract unanticipated, but useful information.

None of these line-side coal distributors shown in 1919 were even in existence in 1902. I never considered that the elevation project (1912) would have been a boon to the distribution of coal. But in retrospect makes perfect sense.

Similarly, prior to the elevation,....no viaducts at the street crossings (of course). But, what I found interesting was in this 1919 edition, the crossing at Thompson ave is listed as a wood trestle, not concrete like the viaducts at Fairfield, Taylor, and Broadway.. So, obviously the Thompson concrete viaduct was a stand alone project. I never realized that.

And, tying into another conversation we have had about the Wabash bridge over the St Mary's river, if you look at the western most extreme of these 1919 maps, (maps do not quite reach the river unfortunately), they show 3 lines.......which of course choke down to two just before the bridge, I recall this from walking the line in my youth. NIPSCO had a switch as well, right before the river, leading into their plant... a relic from the old coal gassification days.
But if you look at the old 1902 maps, only a single rail line is shown at the far west end of the maps.
Supporting our earlier discussion that prior to the elevation project, the bridge over the river was just a single track bridge, with a laid stone foundation that was forward thinking anticipating future expansion.