Martha Mihich

4/5/2011

Munster, IN

Abandoned and Flooded

These pictures depict what remains of the passenger Indianapolis to Chicago Monon Line in
Munster, IN(“Monon History). This line was discontinued officially in 1959 by CSX, because of a color-
shift in the line organization. One line was green, and the other was blue, and it was decided to be
inefficient to have more than one color on the line. After that, much of it was left to rot, and no
additional line was ever put into Munster, although there was sporadic use of the line until 1990
(“Munster). Two years ago, three days of rain caused the Little Calumet river to flood much of the
surrounding area, including parts of the remaining line. After this, the area was swarmed with machinery
meant to help raise the levies, and as a result some of the line was covered with mud. This did not
completely obscure the tracks; as seen in the fourth picture, the tracks left a lighter grey stain in the
mud than the other, already rotten wooden supports. The other side of the tracks has been converted
into a bike and dog path, slightly reminiscent of what Bloomington, IN did with their remains of the
Monon line, but Munster’s method required less work and is used much less. What follows is a
comparison of this inactive train line with an active line in Bloomington.

Before the abandonement of the line, the Munster Lumber company was placed right along the edge of
the track by Ridge Road (“Munster”). Now, this area is a small commercial district with a bike path
parallel to the remaining track. The lumber company was abandoned after a 1994 fire.

Munster, IN Bloomington, IN

The Footpaths
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Both of lines are in areas where pedestrians must cross regularly. Both tracks are elevated
above the normal walking path height, but they solve the problem of getting the pedestrians across
safely in different ways. The abandoned line has a walkway tunnel, which would have allowed people to
cross the tracks without having to wait for a train to pass. Currently, this tunnel seems to be a hangout
for the local youth, as evidenced by numerous pen scrawls on the wall, mainly of various initials in
hearts, or phone numbers. Above it is a rather hollowed-out area that is covered with trash. However, in
relation to the rest of the line, this portion is taken care of the most. In contrast, the working line
elevated the walkway with a series of wooden steps. Curiously, there is no warning system around the
walkway for in-coming trains. This area is almost devoid litter, even though many people walk over it
daily.

Munster, IN Bloomington, IN

Utilities
Both of the lines have utility buildings in close proximity. The abandoned line has a water
purification station, and the current line has the Indiana University power plant. The water station can
be easily missed, and chances are it was placed next to the line because of the proximity to the river and
a residential center, not because of the train. The power-plant similarly is placed in proximity to the
buildings it benefits, but the electric lines do in part follow the railroad.

Munster, IN Bloomington, IN

Line upkeep

The constant passage of the train in the Bloomington line keeps plant growth to a minimum,
while there is an active interest in keeping the wooden supports and iron beams in good working order.
Previous to the flood, there was a large overgrowth, in places resembling a forest. Building the levies
required most of this to be stripped away, but parts have started to come back. Much of the wooden
supports are no longer visible, and many simply aren’t there anymore. The iron rails have proven to be
more resilient, but are still rather rusted. The portion of the line that still had visible wooden supports
was over the river, mainly because of the lack of growth, and because previous to the flood it was used
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as a way for cyclists to cross the river. The flood weakened some of the supports, and this is no longer
safe to do.

Munster, IN Bloomington, IN

The Graffiti
Both of the lines feature graffiti, on the supports for the bride of the active train, and on the
supports and iron lines for the abandoned line. Both types are what is known as “tagging” with no real
complicated forms of the art. The abandoned line simply has layers of different graffiti, with older graffiti
still visible. From what was accessible on the active line, there seemed to be only one layer of graffiti is
visible, as though there simply had been no older layer or the older layer had been washed off. If the
second is true, than this represents the care the city is willing to put into the line. This area of the bridge
is not visibile from the street, yet the graffiti was still cleaned on a regular basis.

Munster, IN Bloomington, IN

Bridge Supports
The bridge supports represent how different functions and height work on the materials and
methods used to create the railway bridge. The abandoned line was never very high off from the river,
as no traffic was expected to go under it. Also, water would be able to corrode metal, so the solution
was short stone pylons. The bridge for the current line crosses over a street, meaning that it has to allow
for traffic to go through. This requires more strength, especially since the supports also have to be
further apart. Water wear is not much of a concern, so the solution was for iron supports in a diamond
pattern.
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Works Cited
"Monon History." Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society. Monon Railroad Historical-Technical
Society, Inc. Web. <http://www.monon.org/history.html>.

"Munster, Indiana." Bygone Places Of The Monon. Web.

<http://www.monon.monon.org/bygone/munster.html>