It went as they expected for fifty years. Who would build a factory where they have to pay for their own railway service? Or water & sewer? In the 1950s the State Highway Dept rerouted the principle road between Indianapolis and Chicago through the middle of this industrial district. That choked the area with retail business in-between the factories, and pushed most of the smaller ones out through higher property taxes and traffic issues. The four lane road the state built circa 1955 was inadequate in less than ten years. The manufacturing slowly over three decades relocated to other areas in the county. Theres only three or four large factories still in the original area, they are all still serviced by the remnant of the Belt Line railway that served the area for over a century.
The passenger trollys were shut down by 1940. The rural areas they terminated in at 1900 are now mostly 'inner city' locations.
The passenger trollys were shut down by 1940. The rural areas they terminated in at 1900 are now mostly 'inner city' locations.