The Indianapolis & Bellefontaine as completed in 1852
The Indianapolis and Bellefontaine Railroad (I&B) was an American railroad founded in 1848. It changed its name to the Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Cleveland Railroad (IP&C) in 1854. Its counterpart in Ohio was named the Bellefontaine and Indiana Railroad (B&I). The B&I ceased to exist as an independent company when it merged into the Bellefontaine Railway in September 1864. The Bellefontaine Railway merged with the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Railroad to form the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway in December 1864.
I&B history
The I&B was incorporated in the U.S. state of Indiana on February 17, 1848.[1] Though the I&B once used the 4-foot-10-inch (1.47 m) Ohio gauge, it was quickly converted to standard gauge (4 feet 8.5 inches (1.435 m)).[2] Its counterpart, the B&I was chartered on February 25, 1848, in the U.S. state of Ohio.[3] A construction firm owned by Amasa Stone, Frederick Harbach, and Stillman Witt contracted to build the Ohio line. Construction began in 1849 in Indiana, and the portion of the line from Indianapolis to the Indiana-Ohio border (the I&B) was largely complete by 1851. Construction from the border east to Cleveland (the B&I) began in 1852,[4][5][6] and the line was complete in July 1853.[7]
The Indianapolis & Bellefontaine changed its name to the Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Cleveland Railroad on December 19, 1854.[8] On March 14, 1856, the B&I entered into a joint operating agreement with the IP&C.[1]
John Brough, a newspaper publisher and president of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, was elected the B&I's president in 1862.[9] Stillman Witt, one of the directors of the B&I, urged Brough to run for Governor of Ohio in 1864. Knowing that Brough could not afford the large reduction in pay, Witt agreed to become president of the B&I and forward his salary to Brough. Brough agreed, and Brough continued to receive the income from Witt until Brough's death on August 29, 1865.[10]
On May 16, 1868, the Bellefontaine Railway was merged with the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Railroad to form the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway.[1][8]
The Union Track changed its name to the Indianapolis Union Railway (IUR) in 1853.[12] The IUR opened the world's first union station in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 20, 1853.[13][14] The three parent companies formally entered into a controlling agreement for the IU on November 19, 1872. The company was incorporated on March 25, 1885.[12]
Hover, John C. (1919). "The Story of Logan County". In Hover, John C Hover; Barnes, Joseph D.; Jones, Walter D.; Conover, Charlotte Reeve; Wright, Willard J.; Leiter, Clayton A.; Bradford, John Ewing; Culkins, W.C. (eds.). Memoirs of the Miami Valley. Volume 1. Chicago: Robert O. Law Co. Bellefontaine and Indiana construction 1849.
Interstate Commerce Commission (1933). Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports, Volume 46 (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Low, James W. (1862). Low's Railway Directory for 1862. New York: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck and Thomas, Printers. hdl:2027/nnc1.cu56626053.
Moody's Investors Service (1931). Moody's Steam Railroads. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
Ohio Commissioner of Railroads and Telegraphs (1868). Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads and Telegraphs of the State of Ohio, With Tabulations and Deductions From Reports of the Railroad Corporations of the State, for the Year Ending June 30, 1868. Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Printing Company, State Printers. hdl:2027/uc1.b2896930.
