Monon 50 Relocated to Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum

By Patrick Webb, Staff Writer

Monon 50 in operation at the Indiana Transportation Museum, 

and how she will appear when restored at the Hoosier Valley

Railroad Museum. Image ⓒ Don Nickel

-North Judson, Indiana. One of Indiana’s earliest diesel locomotives has found a new home. Monon 50, a privately owned diesel switcher, will undergo restoration at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, in North Judson, Indiana, according to the HVRM’s news release.

Monon 50 was built in 1942, according to the HVRM, as a member of the EMD SW1 class. Monon 50 has 600 horsepower, and was delivered new to the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway, known as the Monon. Monon 50 was the railroad’s first diesel engine. 

Monon 50 was bought by a private owner, and for decades resided at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, Indiana. In 2018, the ITM was evicted and given two weeks to move their collection out of Noblesville by July 12, 2018, according to The Indiana Lawyer. All equipment had to be shipped out by road, per the eviction. 

During relocation to Logansport, Indiana, Monon 50 was involved in an accident. Its cab was “decapitated,” according to the HVRM, by a low bridge. Once arriving in Logansport, No. 50 sat while the owner made plans for its future. 

“We kept this project quiet for a long time. The museum is very excited to bring the locomotive to North Judson to begin restoration,” said Robert Barcus, treasurer and board of director at the HVRM. Barcus has volunteered as the HVRM treasurer since 2008, and has “family members who have worked with various railroads over the years.” 

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1988, according to their website, and owns over 30 pieces of railroad equipment. Two of their diesel engines are currently operational, with another awaiting restoration. 

“Our president, Todd Flanigan, worked diligently over the last year with the owner of the locomotive to secure and move it to North Judson,” explained Barcus. “Our museum was the logical destination given its proximity to Logansport, where the locomotive was stored over the last couple of years.” 

“First and foremost, the DS-50 has a great story to tell. As a museum, it is our duty to educate the public about every piece of railroad history we have on the roster,” said Barcus.

Schlatter Brothers Transportation, based in Francesville, Indiana, relocated Monon 50 to North Judson, according to the HVRM. “They did a very safe and professional job,” Barcus said. 

Another piece of Monon equipment will be joining No. 50 at the HVRM. 

“Monon transfer caboose no. 81551 was safely transported to the museum in late March for its planned restoration,” according to the HVRM statement. “The steel caboose was built by the Monon in their Lafayette, Indiana, shops in 1956. The caboose later served the Louisville & Nashville.”

According to the HVRM Facebook page, 81551 is the only Monon transfer caboose to survive into preservation. 81551 arrived at the HVRM via truck, and was reunited with its wheels at the HVRM. 

Plans are already in place to restore Monon 50 back to operation. The HVRM news release stated that No. 50 will be repaired with a new cab currently in St. Louis. 

“The owner of the locomotive actually located the cab and the museum will be moving it to our shop in the next week or two,” Barcus explained. “There are some additional problems that need to be addressed with the locomotive and we're evaluating each component to determine the list of repairs that need to be made.”

“The tragic accident in December 2018 that ‘decapitated’ the locomotive at a bridge in Logansport only added to its history,” Barcus said. “We want people to look at this locomotive and realize that there's a good story to be told.”

While the Monon never operated in North Judson, Barcus said the HVRM is a good home for Monon 50. “It was a railroad with local significance. The Monon had two routes in Northwest Indiana: their mainline ran from Hammond south to Monon and onto Louisville, with branch lines from Monon to Indianapolis and Monon to Michigan City,” He said. “HVRM is dedicated to preserving the railroad history of northwest Indiana, so the Monon certainly qualifies.” 

“In addition, we plan on using the locomotive to pull some excursion trains on both our former Erie Lackawanna and Chesapeake & Ohio trackage. It will make a great addition to our operational fleet.”

The HVRM will fundraise to cover No. 50’s repairs in the new future, according to their news release. Anyone interested in helping with the restoration is encouraged by the HVRM to volunteer. 

Update

On April 22, 2021, Monon 50's new cab and additional replacement parts arrived at the HVRM, according to their Facebook page. The HRVM stated in a Facebook comment that "all controls and other components from the original cab will be kept as spares if not reused."