Ben Hur Route

Ben Hur Route
Overview
Other name	Crawfordsville–Indianapolis
Locale	Indiana
Termini	Indianapolis Traction Terminal Crawfordsville
Service
System	Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company
History
Opened	July 7, 1907 (1907-07-07)
Closed	October 31, 1930 (1930-10-31)
Technical
Line length	45.1 mi (72.6 km)
Character	Interurban
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route File:BSicon uKBSTa.svg Power House File:BSicon uYRD.svg File:BSicon uINT.svg Crawfordsville File:BSicon udCONTgq.svg File:BSicon uKRZ.svg File:BSicon udCONTfq.svg Lebanon–Crawfordsville Line File:BSicon uHST.svg Vandalia RR File:BSicon uHST.svg College Street File:BSicon uHST.svg Ryan File:BSicon uHST.svg Smith File:BSicon uHST.svg Mt. Tabor File:BSicon uHST.svg Hallams File:BSicon uHST.svg Clements File:BSicon uHST.svg Cox File:BSicon uHST.svg Gregg File:BSicon uHST.svg Linnsburg File:BSicon uHST.svg Ackers File:BSicon uHST.svg Bratton File:BSicon uHST.svg Peterson File:BSicon uHST.svg Buchanan File:BSicon uHST.svg Vannice File:BSicon uHST.svg Chambers File:BSicon uHST.svg Booher File:BSicon uHST.svg New Ross File:BSicon uHST.svg CIRR File:BSicon uHST.svg Johnson File:BSicon uHST.svg Ross File:BSicon uHST.svg Stripe File:BSicon uHST.svg Lane File:BSicon uHST.svg Green File:BSicon uHST.svg Porter File:BSicon uHST.svg Gardner File:BSicon uHST.svg Hurt File:BSicon uHST.svg Palmer File:BSicon uHST.svg Jamestown File:BSicon uHST.svg Cunninghams File:BSicon uHST.svg John D's File:BSicon uHST.svg Martin File:BSicon uHST.svg Hendricks File:BSicon uHST.svg Young File:BSicon uHST.svg Clark File:BSicon uHST.svg Staton File:BSicon uHST.svg French File:BSicon uHST.svg Grover File:BSicon uHST.svg Lizton File:BSicon uHST.svg Wheat File:BSicon uHST.svg Raintown File:BSicon uHST.svg Hale File:BSicon uHST.svg Schultz File:BSicon uHST.svg W. Pittsboro File:BSicon uHST.svg Pittsboro File:BSicon uHST.svg Booker File:BSicon uHST.svg Holloway File:BSicon uHST.svg Cornett File:BSicon uHST.svg Carver File:BSicon uHST.svg Brownsburg File:BSicon uHST.svg Brownsburg Street File:BSicon uHST.svg Tile Factory File:BSicon uHST.svg Pratt File:BSicon uHST.svg Turpin File:BSicon uHST.svg Hunter File:BSicon uHST.svg Brown File:BSicon uHST.svg Clermont File:BSicon uHST.svg Miller File:BSicon uHST.svg Girls School File:BSicon uHST.svg Pugh File:BSicon uHST.svg Rancks File:BSicon uHST.svg Carter File:BSicon uHST.svg Odam File:BSicon uHST.svg Speedway File:BSicon uHST.svg Olenville File:BSicon uSTRc2.svg File:BSicon uHST3.svg Tibbs Avenue File:BSicon udCONTgq.svg File:BSicon uSTR+1.svg File:BSicon uSTR+r.svg File:BSicon uSTRc4.svg Danville Line File:BSicon ubWBRÜCKE1.svg White River File:BSicon udSTR.svg File:BSicon uCONTg.svg Lafayette–Indianapolis Line File:BSicon udSTR.svg File:BSicon uSTRl.svg File:BSicon uABZq+lr.svg File:BSicon udCONTfq.svg Indianapolis–Richmond Line, Honey Bee Route, IPS, I&C File:BSicon uABZl+l.svg File:BSicon ucdSTRq.svg File:BSicon uINTr.svg Indianapolis Indianapolis and Cincinnati Traction Company Indiana Union Traction Company Interstate Public Service Streetcars in Indianapolis File:BSicon uCONTf.svg 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, 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.

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

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.

History

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

File:Electric railway review (1906) (14761275092).jpg

Electrical equipment used in the Crawfordsville power house, 1908

Early plans to extend the line to Covington and Danville, Illinois would go unrealized. 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.

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. Passenger operations to Crawfordsville ceased after October 31, 1930.