The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-12-07
Aided by Combined Wander
bilt Interests Would Con
troll Passenger Traffic.
The |. C. OF CALUMET REGION
Already Big Strides Have Been Made
in This Direction, Hammond
Loop First Step.
Especial to Lake County Times

Especial to Lake County Times.l
| Gary. Ind Dec 6-It is d fact net
| generally appreciated by the people OF
the Calumet region that the Vanderbilt
interests, especially as represented by
the Lake Shore railroad. has for
months been carrying into execution
a plan to get such a hold on the sub
urban passenger traffic of this locality
that this road Will be as firmly in
trenched here as the Illinois Central
is in Chicago and Will have as much OF
a monopoly of the business.
The plans are being carried out so
| quietly and the news Of these actIvi~
ties have come TO the public in such
small fragments that IT Is only by
viewing the project as a whole that
the disinterested person Is able to
grasp the fact that the general
scheme IS so gigantic.
The most recent development, and
one the Importance Of whioh is now
beginning to be appreciated is Tie
building OF the Gary and Western.
This road Is being elevated throughout
the city limits OF Gary and will ex-
tend from Gibson to Gary.
Suburban trains are to be run over
this line from Chicago through Ham
mond over the Nickel Plate railroad,
over the Gary and Western to Gary
and back to Chicago over the main
line OF the Lake Shore railroad.
This Will place all Of tho cities on
the Nickel Plate road between Chi
cage and Gibson in direct communiea-
tion with the new Industrial develop-
ment in and around Gary and viii be
of inestimable Importance to Ham
mond.
Don't Covet Suburban Service.
At present the Michigan Central and
the Wabash railroads are the only
lines that afford direct communication
, between Gary and Hammond. The
The objection to these. however. fl tire
fact that the Michigan Central road Is
not disposed to install q suburban SER
vice and the Wabash depot IN Hmm
mond is too far from the business CEN
ter.
The advantage then Of having
suburban service directly from the
heart Of Hammond to the new steel
city Will be apparent. It viii place
Hammond In the path Of what is des-
tined to be the great stream of trelile
! between Chicago and Gary.
Already the strides that the Lake
: Shore railroad has made In securing
the bulk Of the suburban traffic are ap-
2 parent. At Gary the suburban trains
now carry an average of 1900 people
2 every day to and from the various
cities OF the region. It is a well
e known fact that the Lake Shore loop
: trains through Hammond, Gibson.
Standard and Indiana Harbor are car
) rying the bulk of the suburban traffic
2 between these points and Chicago. a
4 conservative estimate OF tho number
2 Of passengers carried on these trains
: daily is 1000.
a When the fact that the region is
: only in the early stages or its develop
> ment Is noted and these trains are al
: ready carrying in the neighborhood Of
I 1000 passengers daily, the business
that will be done IN the future il In
estimable.
$ Hammond Lap First step.
y The fret step was taken when the
Hammond loop was put in and it be-
came possible 10 run trains both
ways around the loop from Hammond
to Chicago via the Nickel Plate IN
It diana Harbcr and Lake Shore railroads
}. all Of which are owned BY the Wander
g bilts.
r The next step was the double track
d ing OF the Nickel Plate road between
/ Grand Crossing and Osborn. Then the
]. project to build the outer loop to Gary
]. was evolved and the Gary and West
i ern was projected.
r AS incidents to this development
! miles Of side track have been laid, de-
= pots at Hammond and Gibson were
j planned and others are to be built al
I Gary and other points along the line.
: 1t IS safe to say that the Wander
! bilts have spent more money for i'm
provements and extensions IN the Calu-
= met region than all or the other roads
in the region put together
- review OF the activities or The
Vanderbilt lines in this region makes
it apparent that the great goal TO
- wards which they are striving is ~
81 securing Of the bulk Of the suburban
81 traffic Of the region. The benefits de-
81 rived will not only be in the form d
81 the fares that are paid by the sub
81 urban passengers but the suburban
4 lines will act as feeders for the trunl
= lines that run into LaSa1le street sta
81 ton in Chicago and Of course that +
2 matter Of greatest Importance.
G The interurban lines such as tn
d Chicago. Lake Shore and South Bend
= and the Hammond Whiting and Eas
81 Chicago street railway viii absorl
s. a part Of this great traffic. il Is true
= but the long suburban hauls VIII b.
- made by the steam roads and whei
n the service becomes more efficient ant
= the throngs to be carried increase. tn.
far sighted railroad men see ia Ia
Lake shore suburban lines. : veritabl
= gold mine.