Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Spring Fountain Park, as modern-day Winona Lake was known at the turn into the 20th century, was growing by leaps and bounds. Automobiles were not yet common, so most visitors came via the bustling rail system that stretched across the corn and bean fields of northern Indiana.
The crowds were huge. Some summers registered 250,000 visitors, and large events commonly drew 15,000-20,000 participants. By the summer of 1903, directors of the Winona Assembly and Summer School had completed a trolley line between Warsaw and the recently-renamed Winona Lake. Track ballasting material came from a gravel pit on the old Boss farm just east of Argonne Road. From this pit the Winona directors also sold gravel to the city of Warsaw for grading streets.
The 18 open cars ran hourly, sometimes carrying 15,000 passengers in one day for special events at Winona. In the first few months, around 200,000 passengers rode for 5 cents a ride.
Dr. Solomon Dickey, who had spearheaded the Spring Fountain Park purchase from the Beyer brothers in 1894, conceived the idea of building a north-south interurban line. He interested H. J. Heinz of Pittsburgh, J. M. Studebaker of South Bend, and other men of money in the project, and the result was the construction of the Goshen division of the Winona Interurban Railway Company.
Incorporated 1902
The Winona and Warsaw Railway Company was incorporated Oct. 30, 1902. The cars were operated at first by a small steam engine. Later, cars were driven by electricity until 1938, when they switched to diesel. According to one railroad historian, the total length of the railroad at its peak was 77 miles. It carried passengers until 1938, and then freight until 1952.
Work started on the route north from Warsaw in 1905, and in June 1906, cars began to run. Work began on the south line in May 1906. Much difficulty was met in grading the region around Mentone because of the sinking of the grade. The ground was so soft that oxen teams were used in places.
Interurbans were very common. Railway historian Richard M. Simpson III said, “In the Interurban age in Indiana, there were light rail, or electric traction, trains going almost every direction one could think of.”
A large powerhouse, costing $200,000, was constructed near a property occupied by Gatke Corporation. It supplied the power needed for the 77-mile system and also provided steam heat and electricity to all the public buildings at Winona and about 50 private homes in the town. Electricity as well as water was supplied by the railroad to the city of Warsaw.
By November 1907, the Winona Interurban operated with four cars, with an additional six on order. These cars were built for single-end operation with a width of 9 feet 4 inches, not much narrower than a standard Pullman car. They were geared for operation at 50 miles per hour, though they were run-tested at 75 miles per hour.
The Indianapolis Star of July 23, 1916, reported that John H. Holliday, founder of both the Indianapolis News and the Union Trust Company, had $50,000 personally invested in the traction company. “H. J. Heinz of Pittsburgh, the pickle king, has about $1,000,000 invested in the Winona Interurban. J.M. Studebaker of South Bend is another creditor, having over $100,000 invested,” the report said.
The Goshen portion was followed by the construction of the Peru division, connecting Warsaw and Peru, completing the link in February 1910.
Never on Sunday!
A recurring operational issue through the years was a basic disagreement over Sunday operation. Dickey and the Assembly board refused to run the trains on Sunday. Being promoted and owned by a religious association, this caused much agitation. Several times it was rumored that connecting electric and steam lines, realizing the profit to be obtained from the Sunday traffic that would be carried to and from such a popular resort, endeavored to force seven-day operation, and failing, sought to buy the line. But certain directors tabled all motions pertaining to Sunday operation whenever they were proposed.
After a bitter struggle the directors finally voted to appease the complainant by operating seven days a week. Accordingly, Sunday service was inaugurated March 9, 1909. Solomon Dickey resigned as director.
With the coming of the automobile, rail traffic decreased, and by 1915 the Assembly was in serious financial difficulty. In July 1916, the mortgage on the Goshen-Warsaw line was foreclosed and the road went into receivership. Theodore Frazer was vice president of the utility until 1932 when he was appointed receiver during the darkest days of the Depression.
Interurban systems throughout the country were failing, but a shift to freight handling in 1924 aided Winona considerably. When Goshen residents petitioned to have the tracks in their city removed, passenger service to the Winona railroad’s northernmost point ceased in 1934.
Now the only passenger service operated by the railroad was the three-mile run between Warsaw and Winona.
The last streetcar ran on July 4, 1938, and buses took over the passenger route after that. Under Theodore Frazer’s leadership the railroad was modernized, becoming a diesel-powered freight feeder line in 1938.
In January 1945, Frazer announced the sale of the bonds, stocks, and physical assets of the railroad to a syndicate from Chicago. Increasing operating costs after World War II, lessened demand for tank car shipping of oil, and smaller orders for coal shipments were factors in the company’s decision to cease operations. The train made its last run on May 31, 1952.
A large wreath was placed on the front of its giant engine and about 60 local dignitaries and Chamber of Commerce officials took the final 17-mile round trip to Leesburg. Tracks further north had already been dismantled or were in disrepair.
The train halted on Center Street in the block between Center and Indiana streets, with the engine headed west. Speeches were made by William Mollenhour of the Times-Union and WRSW staff, and others spoke as well.
William Darr, in a 1986 newspaper article on local railroads, noted that, “The Winona Railroad was close to, or in, bankruptcy or receivership during much of its history. It operated under four names: Winona and Warsaw Railway, 1902-1905; Winona Interurban Railway, 1905-1924; Winona Service Company, 1924-1926; and the Winona Railroad Company, 1926-1952.”
A portion of the abandoned Interurban tracks is on display at the Krebs Trailhead Park at the corner of McKinley and East Jefferson streets in east Warsaw. An explanatory plaque is on display on the utility building beside the tracks.
