Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern 58




Facts and Figures


Current Number58
Railway RepresentedTerre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern
BuilderLaconia Car Company
Built In1904
Builder's order id381
Currently in (State)Illinois
--(Locality)Union
Totally out of svc date1933
(Initial retirement date)1932
Car Typeinterurban
-subtypecombine
-designation
Statusstored inoperable
More infohttp://www.irm.org/player/thie58
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionwood
Roof typeRR
EndedSE
Length62'0"
Width8'8"
Height13'1"
Weight80000
#Seats56
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP300
Trucks[Peckham 36B]
BrakesAMM [(M15C)]
Compressor[WABCO D2EG]
Control[GE M (C6)]
Motors[GE 73C (4)]
Voltage (if not 600DC)
NotesBody only, on trucks

Car 58 in storage at IRM in 2017
Illinois Railway Museum
photo: https://www.irm.org/gallery/THIE58/aaf

Car 58 in storage at IRM in 2017
Illinois Railway Museum
photo: https://www.irm.org/gallery/THIE58/aae

Car History by Frank Hicks


Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern 58
This car is representative of the standard type of car used by many of the Ohio-Indiana interurban lines, particularly those of the Schoepf-MacGowan syndicate. Between 1900 and 1910 dozens of interurban lines ordered long, single-ended wooden combines of the same general design, but most of them were gone by the late 1920's when the interurbans were in decline. Car 58 was unusual because Laconia was mainly an eastern streetcar builder and constructed relatively few interurban cars. It also was unusual because it lasted to the end of its service life almost completely unmodified. Most of the old wood cars were retired when IR took over the surviving central Indiana interurban lines, and car 58 was no exception. In 1933 it was stripped of useable parts and the body was sold to an individual who moved it to the eastern shore of Lake Shafer in northwestern Indiana for use as a cottage. There it remained until 1996, when it and two other THI&E cars were acquired by IRM and moved to Union. Since that time it has been in storage awaiting restoration.


Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Indianapolis & Northwestern (Indiana, Indianapolis)581904 1907 NO NO
Terre Haute Indianapolis & Eastern (Indiana, Indianapolis)581907 1930 NO NO
Indiana Railroad (Indiana, Indianapolis)581930 1933 NO NO
Illinois Railway Museum (Illinois, Union)581996 present YES NO