I am grateful to the Pennsylvania Railroad employees who shared their time and experiences with me during the early 1950s and encouraged me to embark on a lifetime railroad career. At that time I lived in Columbus, Indiana, and “hung around” the station and train yards during my junior high and high school years. I remember helping my PRR friends decorate a Christmas tree each year that was displayed in the Columbus passenger station.

Prominent among my PRR friends at Columbus were block operators R. F. “Duckie” Chandler, Muriel Imel, Harold Taskey, John Morrison, and Ray Hendricks; ticket agent Ed Morrison; locomotive engineer Charlie Williamson; conductors Bob Imel and John Doup; freight agent H. Williams and his daughter; track supervisor’s clerk “Grif” Griffin; and Supervisors of Track Cliff Owen and Ken Smith. PRR friends at Southwestern Division headquarters in Indianapolis included Division Engineer J. S. Snyder and Superintendent of Motive Power H. H. Vaughn. Mr. Vaughn responded to my request in the summer of 1952 by arranging for the Madison Hill H10s locomotive to be displayed during Columbus’ annual Pioneer Days celebration that October. My PRR friends reported I “was on duty with this engine all day” while over 8,000 visitors entered the locomotive cab using wood stairs PRR employees built. Unfortunately, I have forgotten other names but not the faces of many helpful PRR employees.

In 1952 Miss Lola Whisman provided me with information and photographs for the story of the Blue River bridge wreck. Her father was accidentally killed while supervising the cleanup of the wreck.

Ms. Andrea Hughes, Curator of American Collections for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and her associate curators provided me with information on the Reuben Wells locomotive. It has been a featured attraction at the museum since 1968. Ms. Cathy Hale, Chief Executive Officer of Madison Railroad, provided me with historical materials and the current status of the Madison Railroad.

I used several new sources for this 50th anniversary updating of my 1954 history of the JM&I. Most valuable were Railroads of Indiana by Richard S. Simons and Francis H. Parker, and Elmer Sulzer’s Locomotives for the Madison Hill, which was published in Bulletin 123 of the Railway Locomotive and Historical Society. I found several instances where sources disagreed about dates and other facts and where some purported facts were wrong. I tried to avoid this hazard of historical writing, but for any errors in my writing, I take full responsibility.

My wife Mary copied the photographs in digital format, prepared the history for the Internet, and provided essential technical assistance, critical review, and continued encouragement. Without her this work could not have been completed.

Southwesterner (November 1952).