MP A 107.3 2nd Subdivision -
Left: Original bridge over the Wabash River at Pittsburg. The bridge soon became known as the Delphi Bridge. In 1897 W.H. McDoel replaced the bridge with steel truss spans because the bridge pictured was subject to frequent collapses. Right: Another view of the original Wabash River bridge.
Northbound passenger train at Pittsburg, date unknown. -Carroll County Historical Society Collection-
North end of the Wabash bridge at Pittsburg, circa 1885. Mount Pisgah in the background.
Railroad shed at Pittsburg. Unknown date, although looks to be circa 1910-1920. -Carroll County Historical Society Collection-
Left and Right: 1890 train wreck at the Wabash River bridge, Pittsburg.
Left and Right: Pictures of a wreck, described as north of Pittsburg. -Courtesy White County Historical Society-
Monon Railroad Bridge over the Wabash. The construction of this bridge limited the motive power that could be used.
Bridge at Delphi. Note new piers under construction. Soon these trusses would be replaced with a new bridge.
Left: Close up of piers and supports under the south end of the truss bridge over the Wabash River north of Delphi. Right: Another shot of the old through truss bridge before it was demolished and the new bridge completed, 1949
Look at the Wabash River bridge at Pittsburg. This is the bridge built in 1949 to replace the steel truss bridge. Unknown date.
Wreck train southbound crossing the Wabash River at Pittsburg, mid 1960's.
Left: Another shot of the 1949 replacement bridge. Right: Looking across the Wabash River Bridge, railroad south into North Delphi. Note quarry in distance. It is still in operation in 2007. -Photo is courtesy of the Carroll County Historical Museum-
Train 11 or 12 crossing the Wabash River near Delphi, 1949.
Left and Right: Looking north along the mainline at Pittsburg Siding, 1981
Left and Right: Looking south along the mainline at Pittsburg Siding, 1981
Block phone, Pittsburg siding, March 1981. Looking south along the mainline.
Looking south down County Line Road into Delphi and the bridge over the highway at Pittsburg. This photo is circa 1994.
Pittsburg Siding Today
Pittsburg Siding 2004. Left: Looking north at where the mainline and siding once ran. Right: Looking towards the south. The trailers are parked on the mainline and to the left of the trailers the siding once ran.
Pittsburg, Indiana. Circa 1909-10. Left: The residence of W.V.Vandervolgan. Right: Downtown Pittsburg, 1910.
Pittsburg 2004. There is little remaining. Left: Looking to the south towards the Wabash River. This vantage point is on the north side of the highway. From this point not much of the river can be seen. From highway 421, a small island can been seen in the Wabash River with and American Flag planted on it. That is where the center support for the bridge once stood. We are standing at the end of the right of way. Right: Looking north along the former mainline towards Pittsburg Siding.
Left: Downtown Pittsburg 2004. Pictured is a fountain, fed by underground springs. It has been running since the 1800's. No, we didn't sample it. Right: One of the oldest buildings in Pittsburg. Historical marker graces the property.
NEW 10-07-2004 One final look at downtown Pittsburg.
MP B 110.4 2nd Subdivision -
North Delphi, November 1979. Looking south along the mainline.
Left: Close up look look at the signals North Delphi, April 1981. Right: Looking north along the mainline, November 1979.
Left: December 1982, looking north towards Pearsons Farm Service. Right: April 1981, looking north along the spur leading to Pearsons.
Left: Delphi Quarry, October 2001. This gravel quarry, to the north of Delphi was once serviced by the Monon and part of the old Monon is still being utilized by the Norfork Southern. Note the string of hopper cars in the background. Right: Delphi cursher, located at the Delphi Quarry, date unknown.
Globe Valve Company, Delphi, Indiana. This industry received sand via the Monon for use in its manufacturing process..
North Delphi 2004 Pictures
Between North Delphi and Delphi. MP B110.5. Northbound local freight with BL2 #33 in the lead. -Courtesy Steve Dolzall-
M.P. B 111.0 - 2nd Subdivision - De
Delphi, Indiana. 1975 Aerial View.
Background information and many photos courtesy of Carroll County Historical Society . Please pay a visit to their website.
Delphi, in the beginning was known as Carrollton. In May of 1828 The Board of County Commissioners changed the name to Delphi. The name was suggested by General Milroy. The first post office was opened on April 3, 1828.
The Monon Railroad was built through Carroll County from 1879 to 1881 and the first train went over the High Bridge in January of 1881. The present route was not the original survey of the railroad. Several Delphi businessmen, Bernard F. Schermerhorn, Enoch Rinehart, Abner H. Bowen, Reed Case, Vine Holt, G.G. Moore, James P. Dugan, W.F. Lytle and Civil War Major General Robert Milroy had enough influence to get the route moved to go through the town. By 1869, these men had pledged $100,000.00 to the railroad project, which was no-where near the funds needed to build the portion within Carroll County. Eventually the funds were secured and the Airline was built. In the vicinity of Delphi were several bridges, crossing Wildcat Creek, Deer Creek, the Wabash and Erie Canal and the Wabash River. The High Bridge, over Deer Creek, is the second highest in the state at 63 feet and it is 853 feet long. The Owasco Bridge, over Wildcat Creek, is 1300 some feet long. This route went from Chicago to Indianapolis and was called the Airline route.
Left: Carroll County Court House, Delphi, Indiana. Date of picture unknown. Right: Main Street scene, circa 1909. Both pictures courtesy Indiana State Library.
Delphi Indiana Monon Railroad depot, date unknown.
This image, courtesy of Mahlon "Cookie" Eberhard is identified as taken on the Monon mainline, near the Wabash RR depot, which we presume to be the building in the background on the right side of the image. There is no date listed on the photo.
Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley Railway interurban at Delphi. The railroad right of way pictured in the background is that of the Monon. Photo is circa 1910 and is one of many great photos at the Carroll County Historical Museum's Web Site. What does the area look like today? Photos of the old viaduct are right here.
Photos above. Looking at the right of way near the team track loading platform.
Looking railroad north along the Wabash mainline, towards the tower and Monon depot in the distance. The Monon mainline is the track to the extreme left of the picture. Right: Looking railroad south from the crossing. The photographer is standing on the Wabash mainline and the tracks on the right side of the photo are those of the Monon.
Settlers Day celebration. Pictured are citizens, including Monon President Warren Brown (in foreground with cigarette), at the Monon depot celebrating the founding of Delphi. Note Monon BL2 to the right side of the picture.
Left: Another picture of the Delphi Indiana depot, circa 1960's. Right: Delphi right of way. Date unknown.
The last train through Delphi and Carroll County was in 1991. In February of 1993, the rails and ties were pulled up, leaving the roadbed and the problem of disposing of the property. The High Bridge, which is eligible for the National. Register of Historical Places, has much local lore and sentiment and there have been efforts to turn it into a tourist attraction. The railroad could not tear it down because of its status on the list of National. Register of Historical Places. The Owasco Bridge is also under consideration for historic status. The Owacso Bridge was the site of a UFO sighting in October of 1953. Three or four balls of light paced the Monon from Carroll County all the way into Indianapolis. It has commonly become known as the Monon UFO Incident. -Thanks to Charles Gerard, Carroll County Historical Society for the information. -
Dephi Tower, Monon and Wabash Railroad Crossing, date unknown.
Another view of the Delphi Tower, date unknown.
Left: Train wreck in Delphi. Looking at the area around the Delphi Tower. This wreck was actually on the Wabash Railroad. Right: Another view of the area, including several damaged railcars and signals.
Founded in 1835, Delphi, Indiana is the County Seat of Carroll County. In 1860 the town had a population of 1,395. During the Civil War, the population nearly doubled. With two paper mills, planing mill, two flour mills and a hotel, Delphi looked to prosper if they had a railroad to transport their products to markets like Chicago.
Elevator at Delphi. This elevator sat north of the Wabash tracks but was served by the Monon. There was once a track behind the Monon depot that served the elevator and also a beer warehouse in town.
Above and Below: Images from the Wabash and Erie Canal flood of 1913. Pictured is the washed out Monon tracks and right of way.
East of Delphi, along the Monon mainline were these sculptures, known as the Milroy Sculptures. They date back to the 1890's and legend has it that the passenger trains slowed down so that the passengers could view them. I have been told they still exist, but, to avoid vandalism, have been covered up.
Pictured is a Monon passenger train on the northside of Delphi, cira 1954.