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LOGANSPORT RAILROAD HISTORY TIMELINE 1855 – The first engine was shipped by way of the Wabash & Erie Canal and was unloaded at Broadway and the old Canal, now Fifth Street. It was dragged on hewn logs by three yoke of oxen, driven by Sam Berryman, down Broadway to Third Street, south on Third Street across the Wabash River and placed on the track. 1855 – The Newcastle & Richmond RR, later renamed the “Richmond & Logansport”, came to Logansport. The first depot in Cass County was located across the Wabash River near the Michigan Road in Taberville, which is now Burlington Avenue, and was the location of a railroad turntable. It was later known as the Panhandle RR and was extended to Cincinnati. It later became the Pennsylvania system and was definitely on its historic way. 1856 – The Lake Erie, Wabash and St. Louis RR extended from Toledo to St. Louis – it has several more names and eventually was known as the “The Wabash Lines”, then as the Norfolk & Western. 1860 – The State Line Division of the Panhandle extended from Logansport to Peoria, Illinois and was later part of Pennsylvania RR. 1861 – The Logansport & Chicago RR opened, later known as the Chicago Division of the Panhandle, and ran from Chicago to Logansport, then extended on to Bradford, Ohio. This, too, became part of the Pennsylvania line. 1863 – The Panhandle Shops – later the Pennsylvania RR, came to Logansport, were quite extensive, and built a number of engines. 1870 – The Repair shops were transferred to Peru, Indiana. 1879 – The Logansport, Crawfordsville RR ran from Terre Haute to South Bend, later part of Vandalia. The Vandalia Shops were built in Logansport around 1875 and located on Water Street.
The old Vandalia yard office was originally built on Water Street about 125 years ago. It has housed not only the yardmaster with his clerks and communications workers but the crew dispatcher and car shop offices as well. After the P.R.R. moved it to its new home in Yard A of the south yards, the building continued to serve as a yard office until the offices were moved away from Logansport. 1890 – The Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis RR organized and passed through Logansport. This was later known as the Vandalia (1916) and in 1921 the Pennsylvania RR took that over. 1901 – Two hundred-sixteen trains were registered coming in and out of Logansport daily. We were, indeed, a hub.
The Panhandle passenger station aka the Pennsylvania Depot was built at 4th Street and Melbourne Avenue. The red brick building was purchased by the city of Logansport and razed in 1962. Today, the Iron Horse Museum occupies the ground where the Pennsylvania Station sat. The museum is housed in a circa 1875 small building that was once the Vandalia yard office.
Interior Pennsylvania Depot Office circa 1910.
1917 – The Railroad played a big part during WWI, moving troops and war supplies. 1921 – A strike took place as the workers wanted to form a union. An official of the Railroad was quoted as saying “I will see the grass grow on Broadway before I give in.” Some men went home. Some never returned to the job. Some stayed and were housed and fed on the company property, around which a wooden fence was built. The word “scab” came into use. This episode caused bitter feelings to remain for many years. 1942 – WWII brought with it the building of a new car shop in Logansport, which is in use today. Earl Harrison built the car shop and increased the employees from 40 to 150. During the war years railroading was a full time, 24 hour, 7 days a week job with very little time to stop and repair engines and cars. Minor repairs were made, just enough o keep things running. Business declined after the war. Equipment was worn out, tracks needed repair and there was no money. 1957 – Only seven passenger trains came in and out of Logansport in the day and only four or five at night. The various Railroads merged and merged again until the Pennsylvania became the Penn Central, and was taken over by Amtrak and Conrail. 1970 – April 1, the last passenger train ran from Logansport to Kokomo. The building of all the railroads contributed to much of the development of both city and county. At one time Logansport was the second city in Indiana in transportation importance. This was due, not only to the railroads, but also to the network of electric lines centering here. These inter-urban lines came into general use about the middle 1890’s and did a tremendous business until about 1915. The old inter-urban depot was first located in a Broadway storeroom and was later moved to Third Street, between E. Market and the Wabash River. Located at the B & O RR Museum in Baltimore, this 4-6-0 ten-wheeler locomotive built in 1882 by the Columbus, Chicago and Indianapolis Central Railroads at its Logansport shops, was originally numbered 483. It was later owned by the Ohio Railroad and the Charleston, the Black Mountain Ry, and finally the Clinchfield, on which it pulled railfan excursions until June 1979.
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