Train no. 405

NG503055

Train no. 405

Steam Passenger Train

At West Street, about one block beyond Kentucky Avenue, westbound trains leave the IU for NYC rails again. The point where this takes place is in the vicinity of the third car in the train pictured here. The car is an Illinois Central RPO, and the train is no. 405, shown leaving Indianapolis with ten cars headed by the 5271. (During its run through town, no. 405 has travelled over IU tracks for a distance of roughly twelve city blocks, from College Avenue to the location above.) West Street is also where Pennsylvania trains return to their own tracks, which in this scene are the two paralleling the NYC mains in the foreground. The eastbound-ascending grade which begins a quarter of a nile west at the White River and extends beyond the east end of the depot is quite apparent here, where it reaches its severest pitch. Steam-powered freight trains have a reputation for stalling on this stretch, in which there are two difficult places to negotiate - the puzzles at Kentucky Avenue and the diamonds at Jeff wye. The chances of this happening, together with the probability that is it does the west end of the depot will be tied up, have made the IV reluctant to give access to any but light-tonnage eastbound freights here during periods of passenger-train activity. -Diesels have of course minimized the threat of stalling, and consequently more drags have been allowed to use this route in recent years.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

Summer, 1954

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445

J-1c

#5271

Alco-Schen

Kentucky Ave., Indianapolis, IN

See NG503055a