Area Railroad History Timeline

Below is a timeline, probably composed in the late 1970s by Bob Rust, of railroad highlights of Culver and Hibbard.

1856: Nov. 12, Ft. Wayne-Chicago R.R. line (Pennsylvania) reached Plymouth.

1882: Nickel Plate (New York-Chicago) rail line completed. Stations planned at Hibbard, Rutland, Burr Oak completed 1884; 1st train, August 30, 1882.

1883: Vandalia rail line reaches Culver from Logansport, June 30. One passenger train daily. (later called the Chicago-Atlantic)

1883: Erie-Lackawanna rail line from East reache Rochester, later Leiters Ford, Delong, Monterey. Reached Chicago 1890.

1889: July 18, 12,000 visitors arrive at Culver to attend Culver Park Assembly aboard excursion trains, (990 passengers from Logansport; 644, South Bend; 573, Terra Haute; 370, Fort Wayne; 244, Kewanna; 650, Plymouth; 324 Erie-Lackawanna; 1024 New York Central, etc.) - L.E. & W. Railroad a dvertised special excursion from Argos to Indianapolis;fare $1.00.

1895: Nickel Plate Railroad considers building branch line, Burr Oak to Culver

1897: Nickel Plate operates eight passenger trains daily. In 1898 their trains featured Wagner Sleeping Cars and Diner.

1900: Weekend excursions brought 5 to 7 thousand visitors to lake duringS ummer-Fall.

1910: Train Timetable shows 6 trains daily, 4 on Sunday with stops at Arlington, Culver Station,CMA, and Hibbard. - January 27th, South Bend-Logansport Traction Line Co. plans for Interurban line through area. In preliminary plan, route to skirt east side of Lake. Promoters seek to establish amusement park, VanSchoiack Farm. Later plans indicate change of route with line to go down LakeShore Drive, and Main Street, Culver.

1918: November 17th,Nickel Plate passengertrain and freight train in head-on collision at Burr Oak. Rescue efforts hampered by 10-ft. snow drifts.

1920: Vandalia Depot destroyed by fire, January 12. Construction began on newstation in spring

1925: New Vandalia station opens (this is the building, owned by the Lions Club, still standing)

1942: In July Pennsylvania Railroad petitions to eliminate two local passenger trains

1947: November 27: Last Pennsylvania train through Culver (note: occasional“special” excursions to sporting events and the like both north and south of Culver were scheduled from time to time even after regular passenger service discontinues)

1949: July: C & O. discontinues passenger service through Kewanna

1951: Jan. 30,the Pennsy derails 14 cars at Culver near the State Road 17 crossing. The cars contained autos and auto parts coming from the Studebaker plant in South Bend. It took several days to clean up the wreck and rebuild the track

1958: March, a Pennsy train wrecks in Culver’s town park, dumping literally tons of coal into the park (eventoday, bits of the coal remain near the site)

1960s: Mid 1960's brought an end to the railroad service by the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Academy; the feasibility of trucking the much needed coal from southern Indiana for fuel was not economical.

1974: Conrail (Consolidated Rail Corporation) was incorporated in Pennsylvania on October 25, 1974, and operations began April 1, 1976

1975, Dec 17 : The Penn Central Transportation Company has announced plans to terminate rail service on a secondary railroad track between Culver and Logansport effective Feb. 27.

1976: On 29 Jul 1976 the 32 mile long track between Logansport and Culver was abandoned; the P Penn Central bankruptcy also brought the abandonedment of the 72 miles of the original l ine between Terre Haute and Frankfort (LC & SW) the track between Culver and South Bend had already been abandoned which was 29 miles.

Early 1980s: Vandalia tracks through/around Culver removed. The Culver Lions Club renovates the old train depot. 1990s: Vandalia rail line between the town park and Culver Academies’ warehouse is cleared and converted to a walking/biking trail.