Paris–Terre Haute Line

Paris–Terre Haute Line
Legend
Paris High Street Paris City Limits Sugar Creek Stepps Stop 181⁄2 Stop 18 Kentuck Vermilion McFarlands Thompsons Illinois Indiana Sandford Mars Stop 11 Mickleberrys St. Mary's-of-the-Woods Daisey Farm Deep Vein Mine Whitcombs Smith's Grove Fergusons Vigo Clay Seventh Street (WTH) Stop 1 (WTH) Wabash River To Sullivan Terre Haute to Italy Terre Haute–Indianapolis Line
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The Paris–Terre Haute Line was an interurban railway line in Indiana and Illinois. Parts of the service began in 1902 and the final connection of its two terminal cities of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Paris, Illinois, was completed in 1907. It operated until 1932.

History

The Stone-Webster syndicate of Boston, which owned the Terre Haute Electric Traction company, laid a track from Terre Haute to West Terre Haute (Macksville) during the night of December 1, 1902, immediately after the city council had granted a franchise to the company. The cause of the hasty action was a desire to forestall a rival group from the use of the streets for a different Terre Haute to Paris, Illinois, line. ^[1] The line was extended to St. Mary's by 1905. ^[2] On January 7, 1907, the Terre Haute & Western Railway company was incorporated in Illinois to build from Sandford, Indiana, to Paris, Illinois, a distance of 10.5 miles (16.9 km). The Terre Haute to Sanford section was built by the Terre Haute Traction & Light Company in the same year and began service in October. ^[3] By the terms of a 999-year lease dated November 15, 1907, the Terre Haute Traction & Light Company agreed to operate the entire line from Terre Haute to Paris, pay all taxes, bond interest, preferred and common dividends, maintain property, and pay $500 annually for organization expenses. The line was actually operated by the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company, which leased the Terre Haute Traction & Light Company. ^[1]

Concepts for a new line connecting Paris to the Illinois Traction System at Ridge Farm in 1928 would prove infeasible. ^[4] The line was operated by the Indiana Railroad for a time after consolidation in 1931, but service was discontinued in January 1932. ^{[5] [6]}

Infrastructure

The line's electrical substation was located at Vermilion, Illinois. The nominal grade on the route was 1⁄2% except for a short segment at 2.5%. At fills, the track center line was offset by two feet (0.61 m) to make space for easy maintenance of pole foundations. ^[2] The line was fully grade-separated from steam railroads, crossing under the Vandalia Railroad and elevated over the Big Four tracks. ^[7]

Significant freight interchange on the line was stymied by the city of Terre Haute, which did not allow freight traffic on its streets. ^[8]

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. p. 269. Retrieved August 26, 2025– via Google Books.
2. "Paris Extension of Terre Haute Lines". Electric Railway Review. Vol. XVIII, no. 24. December 14, 1907. pp. 924–926. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
3. "Works Company". The Brazil Times. Brazil, Indiana. October 25, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved September 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. Hilton & Due 1960, pp. 130–131.
5. CERA 1940i, p. 2.
6. Hilton & Due 1960, p. 283.
7. "Extensions and Improvements of the Terre Haute Traction & Light Company" (PDF). Vol. XXVII, no. 17. McGraw Publishing Company. Street Railway Journal. April 28, 1906. pp. 662–667. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
8. Hilton & Due 1960, p. 130.

Bibliography

• "Indiana Railroad System" (PDF). CERA Bulletin. No. 17. Chicago, Illinois: Central Electric Railfan's Association. September 1940.
• Hilton, George W. & Due, John Fitzgerald (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. OCLC   237973.