Terre Haute–Indianapolis Line

Terre Haute–Indianapolis Line
Overview
Locale	Indiana
Termini	Indianapolis Traction Terminal Terminal Arcade
Service
System	Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company (c. 1908–1931) Indiana Railroad (1931–1940)
History
Opened	July 16, 1893
Completed	January 25, 1908
Closed	January 10, 1940
Technical
Character	Interurban
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route Legend Lafayette–Indianapolis Line Indianapolis–Richmond Line, Honey Bee Route, IPS, I&C Indianapolis Ben Hur Route Danville Line Martinsville Line White River Plainfield Cartersburg Clayton Amo Coatsville Fillmore Greencastle Harmony Brazil Seelyville To Italy Terre Haute Sullivan Line Paris–Terre Haute Line This diagram: view talk edit

The Terre Haute–Indianapolis Line was an interurban railway line in Indiana. Segments of the line dating back to 1893 were the earliest interurban railroads to operate in the state. At its full length, it connected two of the state's major hubs of interurban traffic: the Traction Terminal in Indianapolis and the Terminal Arcade in Terre Haute. Service was abandoned in 1940.

History

The region around Terre Haute enjoyed an unusual share of early promotions. Before the feasibility of extending electric lines over the rough country roads and fields had been demonstrated in Indiana, several street railways organized in Terre Haute and Brazil, Indiana, whose purpose was to build lines on city streets and on roads leading out of the city. The Brazil Rapid Transit Street Railway Company incorporated in 1892. The organizers declared their intention of building a line from Cottage Hill Cemetery in Brazil to Knightsville and Harmony along the National Road. The line began operations July 16, 1893, as the first interurban electric line in the state of Indiana. The company which actually built the Terre Haute connection was the Terre Haute Electrical Company, which completed construction of the line in September 1900. The Terre Haute Electrical Company was reorganized as the Terre Haute Electric Traction Company in 1903 with the purpose of building lines radiating from the city.^[1]

While the Terre Haute Electric was promoting its line to Brazil, an independent line was being promoted from Indianapolis to Plainfield. At the end of 1901, the Indianapolis and Plainfield Electric Railroad Company was organized to build it.^[1] A competing firm was in the process of building its own line along the route, but was preempted by the Indianapolis and Plainfield opening on September 16, 1902.^[2] The Indianapolis and Plainfield Electric Railroad merged with the Danville and Cartersburg Railroad Company in 1903 to form the Indianapolis Coal Traction Company. When the Indianapolis Coal line was built from Greencastle to Brazil in 1906–1907, the track of the Brazil Rapid Transit Street Railway was used for most of the distance between Harmony and Brazil.^[1]

In 1905, the Dolan-Morgan-McGowan syndicate purchased the Plainfield line and in September began unloading ties at Greencastle for a western extension of their Danville Line. The syndicate changed its plans the following summer due to threatened resistance by the Vandalia Railroad, which alleged that the traction company could not legally build from Plainfield because the terms of the Danville franchise required an extension from that place. As a result, the syndicate surveyed a route from Plainfield to Greencastle. In June 1906, contracts were let; and the next month the Greencastle–Harmony link was begun.^[1] Regular service was inaugurated between Plainfield and Greencastle on July 4, 1907; in the following January the Greencastle–Harmony section was completed and through cars began running between Terre Haute and Indianapolis.^[3] Through limited service was established the next July.^[1]

From the first the Brazil merchants complained about the rates to Indianapolis. In retaliation for alleged discrimination in the rates, city merchants filed a petition asking the court to enjoin the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company (who had assumed operation of the line) from operating interurban cars in Brazil, declaring that the company held franchise rights for operation of city cars only. The city officials also filed thirty suits against the company under a statute that limited the speed of electric cars inside the city limits to six miles per hour (9.7 km/h). Terre Haute also attempted to wring fare reductions from the company by filing an injunction suit in 1910 that alleged that the act of 1901 authorized the interurbans to carry freight only in the country. After a wearying and fruitless litigation lasting over two years the State Railroad Commission fixed an equitable tariff of rates.^[1]

The line was maintained by the Indiana Railroad after its absorption of the THI&E. Passenger service ended on January 10, 1940.^[4] Trucks had been put in service to replace freight service about a week earlier, and eight buses were put on an hourly schedule as replacement passenger accommodation.^[5]

References

1. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Blackburn, Glen A. (September 1924). "Interurban Railroads of Indiana". Indiana Magazine of History. Vol. XX, no. 3. pp. 255–258. Retrieved August 26, 2025 – via Google Books.
2. "Line to Plainfield". The Indianapolis Journal. Indianapolis, Indiana. September 16, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Through Service to Terre Haute is Begun". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. January 25, 1908. p. 3. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
4. CERA 1940i, p. 2.
5. "Traction Car Wheels Click Sad Tune on Indianapolis-Terre Haute Ending". Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indianapolis Star. January 11, 1940. p. 17. Retrieved August 27, 2025.

Bibliography

• "Indiana Railroad System" (PDF). CERA Bulletin. No. 17. Chicago, Illinois: Central Electric Railfan's Association. September 1940.