Ben Hur Route

In Indianapolis, starting at the Traction Terminal, the line ran on city streets along Capitol and then Washington Street to cross the White River. It turned north from the Danville Line to run adjacent to the river until Michigan Street, where it ran west to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four) Peoria division. It left city tracks and briefly ran on Holmes and Walnut before starting to parallel the steam line to Crawfordsville.^[3][4][5]

There were no curves on the private right of way sharper than 3 degrees and 30 minutes and the maximum grade was one percent.^[6]

The originating Indianapolis, Crawford and Western Traction Company established service between Crawfordsville and Indianapolis on July 7, 1907.^[9] In its early years, students from the then-new Purdue University electrical engineering program carried out tests on the railroad's equipment.^[10][11]

Early plans to extend the line to Covington and Danville, Illinois would go unrealized.^[12] The Indianapolis, Crawford and Western Traction Company declared bankruptcy in 1912 and was sold at foreclosure to the Indianapolis, Crawford and Danville Electric Railway Company, which later leased the line to the Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company (THI&E) under a 999-year contract.^[13]

The THI&E continued to operate the line, running the limited Ben Hur Special that made the full run between terminals in 1 hour 15 minutes.^[14] Passenger operations to Crawfordsville ceased after October 31, 1930.^[15][16]