The Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway was a railroad that once operated in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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. Its immediate predecessor, the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway, was formed on July 20, 1869, from the merger of the Indianapolis, Crawfordsville and Danville Railroad with the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad.Edson, 1999, p. 48. Both of these predecessor companies had been chartered in 1866, but construction of the railroads had not yet been completed at the time of the merger. After this combination, the railroad was completed and opened in July, 1869, connecting

Pekin, Illinois Pekin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is the largest city of Tazewell County and the second most populous municipality of the Peoria metropolitan area ...

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Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. In 1879, there was a foreclosure and reorganization of the company, after which it was known as the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway. In 1881, it merged with the Ohio, Indiana and Pacific Railway (OI&P), which operated on partially completed tracks between

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

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Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. The resulting company retained the Indiana, Bloomington and Western name. The OI&P rail line from Indianapolis east to Springfield (Ohio) was completed by the IB&W and opened in 1883. The financial difficulties of the company continued, however, and in 1887 there was another foreclosure and sale of the company's assets. This resulted in a reorganization, after which the company was known as the Ohio, Indiana and Western Railway. At least one locomotive was lettered for the OI&W, No.4, whose Builder’s Plate reads “Built at IB&W Shops,” although the locomotive has also been identified as an 8-Wheel American 4-4-0 1886 product of the Rhode Island Locomotive Works. Steam Town National Historic Site, Asset ID: 229b7dfa-a305-42d1-a655-31ab4c364061.The reorganization was unsuccessful, however, and another foreclosure ensued in 1889. After that reorganization, the line from Indianapolis westward was sold to the Peoria and Eastern Railway, while the newer track east of Indianapolis was purchased by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four).

Citations

References

* Edson, William D. ''Railroad Names: A Directory of Common Carrier Railroads Operating in the United States 1826-1997.'' 4th edition. Potomac, MD: William D. Edson, 1999. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Indiana Bloomington Western Railway Defunct Illinois railroads Defunct Indiana railroads Defunct Ohio railroads Predecessors of the New York Central Railroad Railway companies established in 1879 Railway companies disestablished in 1887 American companies established in 1879