The Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway

Originally published 18 Aug 2014.

During World War I, all of the railroads in America were taken over by the United States federal government. The idea was that with the mass amount of traffic to support the war effort, government operation was going to be more efficient and functional (cough cough hack hack – sorry 🙂 ).

In 1918, all railroads In the U.S. were to file “valuation reports” with the Interstate Commerce Commission. These were to be an overview of the railroad as of December 31, 1917.

I decided to look up the Monon. At the time of the ICC Valuation Report, it was still the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company, created on 31 Mar, 1897.

In the Monon’s history to that point, there were 16 separate corporate entities that made up the 17th entity – the CIL Railway.

Here is a list of what became the Monon, according to that report. The first date is the founding of the company.

01/10/1896 Chicago & Indianapolis Terminal Company – was sold to the CIL on 04/01/1897.

06/16/1892 Lafayette and Monon Railway Company – was sold to the CIL on 03/31/1897.

07/13/1885 Orleans, Paoli and Jasper Railway – name changed on 03/09/1887 to Orleans, West Baden and French Lick Springs Railway.

03/09/1887 Orleans, West Baden and French Lick Springs Railway – was sold to the CIL on 03/31/1897.

11/09/1874 Bloomfield Rail Road Company – sold to the Bedford, Springville, Owensburg and Bloomfield Rail Road on 03/29/1884.

11/09/1874 Bedford, Springville, Owensburg and Bloomfield Rail Road – sold to the Bedford & Bloomfield Railroad on 03/12/1883

03/12/1883 Bedford & Bloomfield Railroad – Sold to the CIL on 03/31/1897.

09/11/1872 Indianapolis, Delphi and Chicago Rail Road – sold to the Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (2) on 03/03/1881.

01/28/1880 Chicago & Dyer Railroad – consolidated with the Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (1) to form Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (2).

01/27/1880 Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (1) – consolidated with the Chicago & Dyer Railroad to form Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (2).

01/29/1880 Chicago and Indianapolis Air Line Railway Company (2) – consolidated with the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (1) to form the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (2) on 08/10/1881.

01/19/1846 Crawfordsville & Wabash Railroad – sold to the New Albany and Salem Rail Road on 06/17/1852.

07/08/1847 New Albany and Salem Rail Road – name changed to Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Rail Road on 10/24/1859.

10/24/1859 Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Rail Road – acquired by the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (1) on 01/07/1873.

01/07/1873 Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (1) – consolidated with the Chicago and Indianapolis Railway Company to form Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (2) on 08/10/1881.

08/10/1881 Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway (2) – conveyed to the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company on 03/31/1897.

Thus ends the corporate genealogy of the Monon Railroad – up to 31 December 1917.