This picture gives you an idea of the scope of the incline. In the early days of the railroad, engines were not strong enough or heavy enough to adhere to the tracks. The only means of pulling the train up the incline was horse power. On March 6,...
The newly built "Reuben Wells" sits at the Jeffersonville yards where she was built for the J M & I Railroad under the supervision and to the specifications of Master Mechanic, Reuben Wells, for whom she was named. Her boiler was tilted forward to...
Local News depicting eastern Howard County in Indiana. Headlines: Additon to Elementary School Taking Shape; A Celebrity in Our Midst; Democrats Nominate Incumbents
Railroads; Railroad tracks; Public utility companies; Inclined railroads; IKE
In the early 1990s the Indiana-Kentucky Electrical Company (IKE) refurbished the tracks to enable it to haul heavy cargo down the hill to its plant on the Ohio River. This is a picture of a large transformer being taken down the incline. This was...
Railroads; Inclined railroads; Public utility companies; IKE
This picture shows a diesel descending the Madison Incline in 1992. This was when the IKE (Indiana-Kentucky Electric Company) plant on the river was using the line to transport heavy machinery.
Railroads; Railroad tracks; Inclined railroads; Railroad cuts; Railroad construction & maintenance; Madison
This is a view of the Madison Incline taken as workers removed rock to widen one of the cuts. Visible is a temorary narrow guage track used for transporting rock.
The Madison incline seemed to be a favored spot for hiking. Folks knew the train schedule and usually took advantage of periods when there would be no rail traffic. There was no scheduled run on Sunday, so perhaps this is a social event on a...
Inclined railroads; Railroad cuts; Public utility companies; IKE; Madison; Railroads
The incline is once again cleaned up and ready for business. This clean up was done to enable the Indiana-Kentucky Electric (IKE) plant to use the tracks for moving heavy equipment to its site on the river front.
Railroad locomotives; Floods; Inclined railroads; Railroads; Engines; Madison
This is a view of the incline looking north from the Main Street bridge taken during the 1937 flood. The train is stopped at the foot of the incline unable to proceed because of flood waters.
Reuben Wells, master mechanic, designed his namesake. It was built in the railroad shops at Jeffersonville, Indiana, under his supervision and placed in service in 1868. It was, at the time, the most powerful engine in the world. It was built to...
This is an early photograph of the incline. It was probably taken in the late 1800s. It gives an almost romantic view of the cut. There seems to be a stand of flowers in the lower right hand corner and the tracks seem to vanish into infinity.
Railroad cuts; Inclined railroads; Railroads; Madison
This view of the incline was taken in about 1900. Notice the young boy sitting on a log alongside the tracks. Perhaps he is waiting to see the train go by or just resting before going on his way.
Inclined railroads; Reservoirs; Hanging Rock Hill, Indiana; Madison; Railroads
Here is a view of the incline that includes the old Madison, Indiana reservoir at the lower part of the picture and Hanging Rock Hill (now State Road 7) in the upper right corner. Notice in the picture the hills have very few trees. They had been...
Railroad employees are posed with the "Reuben Wells." It was originally given the number 35, but was later changed to No. 365, and was specifically built for the JM and I Railroad for use on the incline at Madison, Indiana. It went into service...
