Ben Hur Route

Ben Hur Route
Overview
Other nameCrawfordsville–Indianapolis
LocaleIndiana
Termini
Service
SystemTerre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company
History
OpenedJuly 7, 1907 (1907-07-07)
ClosedOctober 31, 1930 (1930-10-31)
Technical
Line length45.1 mi (72.6 km)
CharacterInterurban
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route
Power House
Crawfordsville
Lebanon–Crawfordsville Line
 Vandalia RR
College Street
Ryan
Smith
Mt. Tabor
Hallams
Clements
Cox
Gregg
Linnsburg
Ackers
Bratton
Peterson
Buchanan
Vannice
Chambers
Booher
New Ross
CIRR
Johnson
Ross
Stripe
Lane
Green
Porter
Gardner
Hurt
Palmer
Jamestown
Cunninghams
John D's
Martin
Hendricks
Young
Clark
Staton
French
Grover
Lizton
Wheat
Raintown
Hale
Schultz
W. Pittsboro
Pittsboro
Booker
Holloway
Cornett
Carver
Brownsburg
Brownsburg Street
Tile Factory
Pratt
Turpin
Hunter
Brown
Clermont
Miller
Girls School
Pugh
Rancks
Carter
Odam
Speedway
Olenville
Tibbs Avenue
Danville Line
White River
Lafayette–Indianapolis Line
Indianapolis–Richmond Line,
Honey Bee Route, IPS, I&C
 Indianapolis
Martinsville Line
Terre Haute–Indianapolis Line

The Ben Hur Route was an interurban railway line which ran 45 miles (72 km) between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founders of the railway company named the line after the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,[1][2] whose author, Lew Wallace, resided in Crawfordsville.

Route

In Indianapolis, starting at the Traction Terminal, the line ran on city streets along Capitol and then Washington Street to cross the White River. It turned north from the Danville Line to run adjacent to the river until Michigan Street, where it ran west to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four) Peoria division. It left city tracks and briefly ran on Holmes and Walnut before starting to parallel the steam line to Crawfordsville.[3][4][5]

There were no curves on the private right of way sharper than 3 degrees and 30 minutes and the maximum grade was one percent.[6]

Unbuilt connection to Illinois

The Crawfordsville to Danville, Illinois gap was the only unfinished part of a fully electric St. Louis to Buffalo route. If built, it would have given both Indiana and Illinois lines access to heavy traffic which was then carried by the Big Four. Some attempts were made to fill the gap as late as 1912, though this connection would go unrealized.[7][8]

History

The originating Indianapolis, Crawford and Western Traction Company established service between Crawfordsville and Indianapolis on July 7, 1907.[9] In its early years, students from the then-new Purdue University electrical engineering program carried out tests on the railroad's equipment.[10][11]

Early plans to extend the line to Covington and Danville, Illinois would go unrealized.[12] The Indianapolis, Crawford and Western Traction Company declared bankruptcy in 1912 and was sold at foreclosure to the Indianapolis, Crawford and Danville Electric Railway Company, which later leased the line to the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company (THI&E) under a 999-year contract.[13]

The THI&E continued to operate the line, running the limited Ben Hur Special that made the full run between terminals in 1 hour 15 minutes.[14] Passenger operations to Crawfordsville ceased after October 31, 1930.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ "New "Ben Hur" Route". The Indianapolis Morning Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. November 17, 1906. p. 12. Retrieved August 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Hilton & Due 1960, p. 276.
  3. ^ Marion County, Indiana (Map). National Map Company. 1916. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  4. ^ Dreher, D. Frank (1915). Indianapolis Today (Map). Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  5. ^ "The Indianapolis, Crawfordsville & Western Traction System" (PDF). Street Railway Journal. Vol. XXXI, no. 31. May 23, 1908. p. 850. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  6. ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "The Recently Completed Railway of the Indianapolis, Crawfordsville & Western Traction Company". Vol. XIX, no. 21. The Wilson Company. Electric Railway Review. May 23, 1908. pp. 616–623. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  7. ^ 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. 264–266. Retrieved August 26, 2025 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Hilton & Due 1960, pp. 35, 41.
  9. ^ "Regular Service Begun". The Indianapolis News. No. Indianapolis, Indiana. July 8, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved August 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Interurban Car Tests". Purdue Exponent. January 15, 1908. pp. 2–3. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Interurban Car Tests by Purdue Students" (PDF). Street Railway Journal. Vol. XXXI, no. 5. McGraw Publishing Company. February 1, 1908. p. 181. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  12. ^ Schwantes 2023.
  13. ^ Helling 2011, p. 49.
  14. ^ CERA 1941k, p. 12.
  15. ^ Helling 2011, p. 52.
  16. ^ "Buses to Take Place of Interurban Cars". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. November 1, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved August 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

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