Remnants from The Purdue Railroad in West Lafayette, Indiana

The Purdue Railroad was a 1.25 mile spur that made its way through Purdue University campus with many curves. It made its way to a lab where research was done on locomotives and later it serviced a power plant. It split off the New York Central and Nickel Plate Railroad lines near the airport. It was abandoned in the 1950s. Below is a list of remnants that are still in place today.
0:47 -- Rails where the Purdue Railroad came off of the NYC/NKP
1:19 -- Rails and ties remain by a parking lot
4:28 -- Rails remain on a drive
4:48 -- Ties remain on private property
5:15 -- A tie remains by a parking lot
5:37 -- The American Railway Association Building
6:22 -- A monument of this railroad was created on campus

[@DavidLombardo]

This is awesome. I used to be a tour guide for the university when I was an undergrad there - I was familiar with this old railroad, but truth be told, I had no idea any of these remnants remained. Too cool, thank you.

[@gmftrainvideos]

Thank you so much! I love campus and the fact that a spur used to run through it. I was glad to find that remnants still remained from it.

[@MichaelSmith-ym2rz]

When I visited in 1990 an unlettered locomotive crane was stationed in front of the north power plant next to a small coal pile. Some of the rails were still imbedded in the campus lawn that led to the plant. I didn't take any pictures as it was nearly dusk. Bad Move !The connection to the Wade plant was removed but I believe that another locomotive crane was at the plant. In 2001 I discovered a navy blue G.E. 45 tonner side-rodder lettered Perdue University coupled to an identical unit painted red and bearing the Indiana University logo at Kokomo Grain.Somebody sprayed "you got bombed on the unit". Do you know if these were authentic ?

[@jg-7780]

Nice video, it's also worth noting that the mechanical engineering building has rail patterns embedded into the floor along the old right of way. No actual remnants, but a nice nod to the old line.

[@gmftrainvideos]

Hey thank you! I had no idea those rails were inside there or I might have tried to get photos of them. Thanks.

[@freebrickproductions]

Great video! Kinda funny how we both uploaded videos about abandoned lines on the same day.

[@gmftrainvideos]

Thank you that is funny. I'll have to check yours out.

[@Indiana2door]

I was a student at Purdue in the late 60's and I believe the north power plant was still in operation and therefore receiving coal on the railroad. The locomotive test plant was donated to Purdue by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900's. Will confirm year.

[@gmftrainvideos]

Thanks for the info. That would be a nice time to be a student there!

[@Indiana2door]

I did some thinking about the locomotive test plant. Pennsy had their new M-1 locomotive on the test plant in 1923 or early 1924. This may have been the last locomotive static tested. The test plant would have been dismantled and shipped to Purdue after that.

[@1962Anderson]

The locomotive test station was in a series of 1-story "annex" buildings behind the original "Build it one brick higher" Heavilon Hall. It was shut down early in WW-II, and the locomotive sold for scrap for the war effort. There was also a "Locomotive Museum" on campus, as well, near Northwestern Avenue, which held numerous early railroad artifacts collected by Professor Goss, the "father of engineering" at Purdue. It was closed at the outset of WW-II, and the old steam loco in the lab was cut up for scrap during WW-II.

[@emmajean2332]

Interesting facts. I wish more people liked history So facinating.

[@johnwrite8889]

at least they didn't tear down the buildings

[@gmftrainvideos]

Right that's a good thing!

[@aaronreichler2570]

Replaced by citybus