Greene County, Indiana

Greene County Indiana Viaduct History

Greene County Trestle, Richland Creek Viaduct, Tulip Trestle or Viaduct and Solsberry Viaduct and even as the Bloomfield Viaduct, Tulip Railroad Bridge. This Greene county historic landmark is refered to by all the names depending on who is talking about it. The Illinois Central Railroad crossing streaches from hill to hill across Richland Creek about six miles west of Solsberry. As the railroad engine would not perform on more than a three percent grade and eastern Greene county terrian was vast hills and hallows it was neccessary to construct a steel trestle across the Richland Creek bottom between Tulip and Solsberry.

It took great orginization to construct the trestle and the first needed item was money. It was first owned by the Indiana Southern Railroad, and Illinois Central Gulf, another railroad company is said to have secretly financed it.
Work on the bridge started on May 22, 1905 when a ground breaking ceremony was led by Joe Moss on the W.D. Ritter farm. A large crowd turned out and Joe Moss had the honor of dumping the first scraper of earth on the long-awaited railroad line.
By late October, a pile driver was at work, managed by the Illinois Central Railroad bridge crew; a stone crusher owned by L.D. Burcham was grinding limestone for the piers and abutments.

It was built in 1906 in just three months and is offically known as Bridge X75-6, at one point it is 157 feet high [one account says 180 feet high] and 2,295 feet long and some say 2,307 feet to be exact, which is one-half miles long. It is the third longest bridge of its type in the world. The total weight including the track is estimated at approximately 2,895 tons.

It was built by the Indianapolis Southern Railroad (later owned by the Illinois Central Railroad) in 1906 while the Indianapolis to Switz City line was being constructed at a cost of $1,000,000. The total cost of this project is said to have been about $246.504; and a bridge engineer from Chicago estimated that to construct it today would be around $10,000 per foot or over $20 million.

Of the railroad ownershipis found:

This book is the story of one of those spin-offs, the Indiana Rail Road, formerly the Indianapolis branch of the former Illinois Central. The line was the product of dubious nineteenth-century dreams. Portions of it were conceived in the short-lived narrow-gauge craze that swept the country in the 1880s. The final result was a route that wobbled from Effingham, Illinois, northeastward through Bloomington, Indiana, to Indianapolis. The wheezing little line was known for one of the engineering mini-marvels of the late nineteenth century—the bridge over Richland Creek near the settlement of Tulip, Indiana, famous locally as the Tulip Trestle. The line went bankrupt, and the Illinois Central acquired it in 1911 at foreclosure. The Indiana Rail Road Company America's New Regional Railroad By Christopher Rund (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006}

The steel workers were paid thirty cents an hour and the general labors were paid fifteen cents an hour and yet it is said that common laborers were paid only 12 cents an hour for ground duties. 50 teams were reportedly hired by Frank Hunt, who was a subcontrator and these teams were paid $3.50 per day and the drivers $1.50. At that time these wages were considered to be above-average wages for that time period. Because the need of both men and horses were in such demand for this mammoth project the supply of both became quite low.

Archibald Stuart Baldwin was in charge of the over all construction with several other companies doing other work. among them were: Collier Bridge Company who done the conrete work; It is said that the bridge was constructed by immigrant Italian laborers.

Several camps mainly tents and box cars were set up for the immigrant laborers. Some, who could afford it, would stay at someone's house nearby were set up to house the large influx of workers who came to the area to help with the project. Some of the families in the area offered lodging and livery accommodations to the overseers and the bridge owners during the construction period which providing an economic boost to the area.

Work was suspended at the work camps in early December which allowed the foreign laborers to return to Europe to spend the holidays with the families.

During the next few months, large quantities of materials for the viaduct began to be stacked up at rail yards near Bloomfield.
Work resumed in May and excavation was completed and the grade work between Tulip and the trestle site was underway. Rail line was also laid to gain access to the site in order to move the steel materials.

By mid-August 1906, rail cars were running work trains to the site. The contract for grading work from the White River to Tulip was completed.

The steel frame was made by the American Bridge Company and Strobel Steel Construction Company put the steel frame together. Steel erection work was done mostly by Italian immigrants and began in early September 1906.
During the construction of the viaduct it attracted sightseers and many would often have family picnic dinners while watching the viaduct be constructed.

An Italian worker Angelo Sachetti was killed during the project. He death occured after falling from atop hte viaduct. He is buried in the Solsberry Cemetery and his grave is marked by s dingle white-colored cross. The cross was made for his grave because he was catholic and always wore a white cross.

Many others were killed during the project and they laid buried beaneath the viaduct.

The trestle consists of 75-foot deckplate girder spans which total seventeen; alternating with are eighteen 40 - foot girder towers along with two 50 - foot spans on the west end; two 60 - foot and two 45 - foot spans and the east end. It is said that the approximate weight of the trestle track is 2,895 tons. The steel was produced in Chicago and shipped by flat car via the Monon Railroad and was assembled at the sight.

Viaduct Construction Crew, Circa 1905,

Crew Members were: Jesse Benjamin Martindale, Alfred R. Osborn and others.

The first train went across the bridge in Nov. 1906 on a run from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois.

Upon completion dedication day was set for Monday, December 17, 1906 and the The Bloomfield News reported that about 1,500 businessmen and school children gathered at the Bloomfield depot to greet the arrival of the first through train to use the newly-build trestle.

Soon after the trestle opened it was the scene of tragedy. The trestle passes over low swampy ground between two ridges and the area is often shrouded in dense fog. A train suffered a mechanical failure on the trestle which caused the train to come to a grinding halt. The engineer stepped out of the locomotive to go fix the problem, but there is no room on the bridge and the man stepped out of the train to his death. People to this day say when fog shrouds the bridge they see him.

In the beginning there were two passenger cars daily and one freight train daily, except Sundays. Fares were two dollars one way and three dollars and eighty cents round trip from Bloomfield to Indianapolis.

This postcard is from around 1912

It is a true viaduct in that it spans a valley in between two hills or natural formations. It is also the third largest bridge of its kind in the world is second largest in the United States. It is now owned by the Indiana Railroad Company. Below are several pictures that depict it during different times since it was constructed.

During the days of steam locomotives, large wooden barrels of water sat on platforms along the viaduct for use in case of fire. Of course, the water is no longer needed so the platforms are no longer there.

Two 45 foot sections were added to the bridge in 1916. Other than that, the bridge is as it was when it was originally constructed.

The mid and late sixties brought several attempts to make a recreational area in northeastern Greene county which would involve damming up the Richland creek to from a hugh lake that would result in covering the land which the trestle spanned. So strong was the objections from the citizens and the Illinois Centeral that it failed to come about.

On 29 Oct, 1988, a Saturday, the Hoosier Celebration Train crossed over the tressel. It Orginiated in Indianapolis dropping off 500 IU footballs fans at Bloomington. It picked up enough passengers to fill the vacant seats for the trip across Monroe county and into Greene County and through Greene County and over the tressel then turning around returning to Bloomington to pickup its orginial passengers and returning to Indianapolis.

The 1908 Engine 587 team engine, trailing behind it was snack and souvenir cars in addition to the pull the eight old-time stainless steel passenger cars carring 483 passengers into Greene County and over the tressel.

This was the first passenger service on this stretch of track since 1948. But there are approximately five other trains that cross the Viaduct at present each day.

It is now [1989] owned by the Indiana Railroad company [I.R.R.], trains now powered by diesel engines now carry frieght cars that are the total length of the trestle.

Its its centennial celebration was on Sunday, October 15, 2006. A 16-page viaduct centennial edition, which was organized by assignments editor Nick Schneider and published on Friday, October 13, 2006, by The Daily World. The highlight of the day was the Indiana Rail Road train with two locomotives pulling several coal cars which traveled across the viaduct.

Minor damage reported to Tulip Viaduct after fire
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
By Nick Schneider, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Minor damage was reported to the historic Tulip Viaduct when a fire late Tuesday afternoon damaged a half dozen wooden railroad ties about halfway across the trestle.

Indiana Rail Road Company spokesman John Cummings, who lives near Bloomfield, said the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Indianapolis-based company that owns the railroad line were the trestle is located.

He would not speculate on a source of the blaze.

The fire was reported to the Greene County Sheriff's Department about 5:35 p.m....

The location of the viaduct is: On the Illinois Central RR about 6 miles west of Solsberry in east-central Greene County Indiana. Latitude: N39 04.52 Longitude: W86 51.31. Driving directions are: Leave Bloomfield on State Road 157 north. Go 3.2 miles to County Road 325N and turn right for 1 mile. Drive through a railroad underpass and past the Tulip Church of God on the right. Continue on this road for another mile and bear right at the Beechwood Lake Baptist Youth Camp. There is another railroad overpass .6 mile farther. On the left within .5 mile is a white frame Wesleyan Church. One mile from the church turn right onto County Road 480E. It is .5 mile to the base of one of the towers of the viaduct.

and the route of travel from Bloomington, take State Road 45 south-west until you reach a fork in the road, keep going straight and to the right where the road turns into SR 54. Keep going until you reach CR 530 E (Greene County), turn right and follow the road. You will curve around a lot and go down a steep hill with a stop sign at the end. Turn left and drive about 200 feet, across a small bridge and turn right onto CR 230 N, which is a dirt road. Keep following this road until you reach the viaduct. You can't miss it. The map below shows the path you can take in green from SR 54 to the viaduct. All access to the trestle other than than the county road is on private property and you could be facing tresspassing charges.

and from Oolitic: Go North on SR 37, then SR 54/58 West through Avoca and Springville. Just west of Springville, take SR 54 to about 2-1/2 miles west of the small town of Ridgeport. Turn right (North) onto CR 530. Travel on CR 530 in a northwesterly direction for a little more than a mile until you cross a creek at the bottom of a steep hill. Immediately after crossing the creek, turn right onto CR 480. Travel along the creek approximately one mile to the viaduct.

and from Bloomfield: leave on St. R. 157 north. go 3.2 miles to County Rd. 325N and turn right for 1 miles. Drive throught a railroad underpass and past the Tulip Church of God on the right. Continue on this road ofr another mile and bear right at the Beechwood Lake Baptist Youth Camp. Ther is another railroad overpass six-tenths of a mile farther. On the ledt within five tenths of mile is a white fram Wesleyan Church turn right onto COunty ROad 480E. from there is is five -tenths of mile to the base of one of the towers of the viaduct.

Several trains travel the span each day, with most transporting coal to a power plant in Indianapolis.

Trespassing on the viaduct is illegal and also dangerous.

There are fanastic - shots of the Viaduct/trestle, trains on it - from RailPictures.net

Clark, Beth. "Viaduct and Its Messages Still Stands After 81 Years" Terre Haute Tribune
Osborn, Chaz. "1906 Viaduct Completion Put Bloomfield On The Map," The Evening World
Ramsey, Maxine. "Echoes," The Evening World August 30, 1978.
History of Greene County Indiana 1885-1989
The Viaduct aka The Tulip Trestle,” Kegan’s Kandy.Web Services, http://www.visitgreenein.com/attractions.php.
Long, Linda. Greene County Viaduct Centennial Program, http://www.lindaklong.com/viaduct.php.
Schneider, Nick. “Tulip Trestle Nearing 100th Anniversary,” Celebrating 100 Years of the Tulip Trestle, Centennial Edition, The Daily World, October 13, 2006., http://gcdailyworld.com/story/1257682.html
Linda Sharp’s new book entitled Greene County Viaduct: 1906-2006--Anniversary Stories about the People Who Made It What It Is
VIADUCT 2006 by Matthew Lopez Linton Stockton School Corporation, http://www.lssc.k12.in.us/highschool/landmarks/viaduct2006.php

Last updated 22.10.2009