On June 1, 1960, a passenger train bound for St. Louis, Missouri and originating in New York City derailed in Irvington along the Pennsylvania Line. The sixteen-car train crossed Arlington Avenue and as it headed towards Audubon Road, it ran over a faulty rail at Good Avenue. The four rear railcars slipped off the tracks, but did not overturn. Twenty passengers were tossed about, but suffered no injuries. Sixteen-year-old Bill Ferling, an Irvington resident, learned of the crash, grabbed his camera, and raced to the scene. He took these four images of the derailment. In the top photo, you can see the Bruckman Coal building at 203 Good Avenue. The remaining three images show the accident scene. It took several hours to clean up. Passengers from the rear cars were moved to the front twelve cars and went on to St. Louis. The Pennsylvania Line is no longer in operation, but the city of Indianapolis has plans for a bike trail to replace it sometime in 2013 or 2014. The historic images are courtesy of Bill Ferling.
Source: "4 of 16 Pennsy Passenger Cars Leaves Tracks in City; None Hurt," Indianapolis Star, June 2, 1960, 4.
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