Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, Madison, Indiana inclined plane photographs
Collection — Folder: SP174
Identifier: SP174
Scope and Contents
This collection includes two black-and-white photographs from Heberhart and Son in Madison, Indiana in 1897, depicting an inclined plane for the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad near Madison. The accompanying typed, descriptive labels were created by W. G. Heberhart in Madison and taken from the label on the back of one of the photographs. The images and labels were originally displayed in a glass frame on a wall. They were removed from the frame in 2022 due to preservation and storage concerns.
Dates
- 1897, undated
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
The inclined plane, or funicular, for the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad near Madison, Indiana was 413 feet in elevation and 7,012 feet long. Work on it began in September 1836 and was completed in 1841, a result of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act, which passed in 1836. At the start, it was part of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, the state's first railway.
Inclined planes are vertical railroads used to transport people or cargo up and down a mountain. Cars on funiculars are pulled by cables along a railroad track, which were pulled by horses at Madison until November 1848, when an improved engine designed by Andrew Cathcart replaced literal horse power. It was constructed in M. W. Baldwin's shop in Indianapolis. The engine was used until July 1868 with the acquisition of an engine designed by Reuben Wells, master mechanic of the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. The second engine was utilized until December 1895, when it was supplanted by S. P. Bush and Edward Grofstrom's engine.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Cottman, George S. "State's First Railway." Indianapolis Journal, October 24, 1897. Accessed June 22, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"New Locomotive." Indiana State Sentinel, May 9, 1848. Accessed June 22, 2022. Newspapers.com.
Wikipedia. "Funicular." Wikipedia.org. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funicular.
Wiseman, Lisa. "Johnstown's Inclined Plane Is Steeped in History, Tragedy." Baltimore Sun, December 23, 2004. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-li.trips23dec23-story.html.
Inclined planes are vertical railroads used to transport people or cargo up and down a mountain. Cars on funiculars are pulled by cables along a railroad track, which were pulled by horses at Madison until November 1848, when an improved engine designed by Andrew Cathcart replaced literal horse power. It was constructed in M. W. Baldwin's shop in Indianapolis. The engine was used until July 1868 with the acquisition of an engine designed by Reuben Wells, master mechanic of the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. The second engine was utilized until December 1895, when it was supplanted by S. P. Bush and Edward Grofstrom's engine.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Cottman, George S. "State's First Railway." Indianapolis Journal, October 24, 1897. Accessed June 22, 2022. Newspapers.com.
"New Locomotive." Indiana State Sentinel, May 9, 1848. Accessed June 22, 2022. Newspapers.com.
Wikipedia. "Funicular." Wikipedia.org. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funicular.
Wiseman, Lisa. "Johnstown's Inclined Plane Is Steeped in History, Tragedy." Baltimore Sun, December 23, 2004. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-li.trips23dec23-story.html.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2022/06/22 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2022/06/22 by Brittany Kropf.
- Title
- Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, Madison, Indiana inclined plane photographs
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
