Stop 10, Stop 11, Stop 12 Roads
Location: Southside
Stops on the old Indianapolis Interurban
In the early 1900’s, Indianapolis was home to an advanced and successful interurban train system, connecting various Indianapolis neighborhoods with each other and Indianapolis with other cities in Indiana and the Midwest. These lines were essentially commuter trains, and were not as comfortable as the regular passenger trains.
Stop 10 Road and Briarstone Drive
The tracks converged in a grand Traction Terminal Building downtown and once had 14 independent electric traction lines, 600 cars, carrying six million people annually. The first line was constructed in 1900 when two short lines were built between Indianapolis and Greenfield (16 miles) and Indianapolis and Greenwood (12 miles).
Stop 11 Road and Portage Avenue
Stop 11 was one of the major stops from a line that ran from downtown Indianapolis to Louisville, Kentucky. It was one of around 20 stops on the southward spoke. Using stop numbers was an easy way to count the stops out of downtown. “The Hoosier Flyer” was a popular train that used this line. Trains were hailed by waving and sometimes, lighting a small torch which often led to grass fires.
Stop 12 Road and Shelby Street
At Stop 21, the numbered stop system stopped and stops were named for the city the line went through.
Stop 10 Road
The interurbans died out in the 1940s as major roads and thoroughfares replace the old routes and cars became more abundant and affordable.
All photos courtesy of Sergio Bennett.
Thank you for finally explaining this! There’s also a Stop 13 Road, just south of the Greenwood Park Mall.
Actually it’s just north of the mall where Movies 8 is.
Back in the old days, Edgewood Avenue…. was called Stop 8.
It may not have been the official Street name, but everybody called it Stop 8.
I’m trying to find out exactly what Street in Trader’s Point or New Augusta was called Stop 6. Anybody have any idea?
VERY good and informative article!
Apparently light rail transit for Indianapolis was a century before its time!
Steve — as one who can remember the tracks in the old “bus station” which had been the interurban terminal in downtown Indy — on the north side of W. Market St., across from what was then Wm. H. Block Co., but as one too young to have ever ridden the interurban, even the bus system that came afterwards in the 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950s’s and in some cases up into the 1960’s, had advantages over what we have now — too few spokes — even with the new mass transit that is in the visualization and planning stages.
Some planner should look at the number of jobs that would be created by a thorough system like that which we had in the interurban days and decide how a return to such a widespread system could help lower the unemployment rate in Indiana.
I thought it was likely named after Interurban stops, but thank you for confirming. Our family home in Columbus, Indiana was right on top of an old interurban line. That line crossed the Flatrock River and then turned to the south into downtown Columbus.
There exists Stop 18 on the far southside of Greenwood, as well.
And there is a Stop 18 Road a little bit further in Greenwood. It is past Smith Valley Road. As far as I know, it is the last “Stop” named road.
Thanks. I grew up on Stop 8 Rd. and remember when it changed to Edgewood Ave. I always thought it had to do with buses.
So timely as we take up the discussion of public transportation in the Indiana General Assembly. I have worked in many cities that have public rail, and I much prefer to ride the rail than to drive in these cities. In Charlotte, there is a significant inner city construction boom going on, mostly at the rail stops. Miami is undergoing slower construction at rail stops, but the rail is now connected to all 3 major south Florida airports, and ridership is picking up among the young urban crowds.
When Indiana lost the inter-urban line, it lost a lot of its character and started decades of decline. Eventually the intra-city bus lines lost their main source of revenue when the package delivery companies came along, and now we are forced into our cars so that companies and unions can stay rich.
Bring back Indiana light rail, and I think you will see the communities in the mid-section of the city grow and thrive.
Agreed!
Neat read. I would tend to disagree about the need of light rail in Indianapolis. I find the desire of light rail to be a selfish and blind desire. You must consider who is going to fit the bill for this project. Indianapolis is facing a $55 million shortfall in budget this year and they already raised taxes to pay for public safety which that tax raise did not actually go towards. Greg Ballard incorrectly believes young people do not desire to drive. I don’t know who he has been talking with but I’ll never trade my car to use a crime ridden transport system, which is what all public transport turns into. I would never ride Chicago transport at night nor any other city. St. Louis is an example of a Indianapolis-like city with light rail and it’s a terrible burden on the people and it also promotes crime and the economic decline of areas in which rail stops occur. My next point stems from the fact that the people of Indianapolis and surrounding counties will have to pay for this, partly and I do not believe middle class earners and the poor have the ability to help find this Frankenstein. The light rail system is an example of poor welfare. People with jobs would be subsidizing riders and the , project itself as it operates. Very few rail systemsin America operate with actual profits. think about that 1.3 billion dollar obligation and add the millions for upkeep, payments to staff and the pension obligations for what most likely be a public union of transportation. It’s bad economics folks. If we do this light rail route are city will most likely go bankrupt in the future. There was a reason the interurban system went bunk. it was not successful or profitable.
Lastly I’m nit opposed to an expansion of bus service. That is the most fiscally responsible method for our city. This city is not built for light rail. I can’t even image the construction and further destruction of green spaces this would cause. Light rail is not a job creator, it is a debt creator. Just keep that : mind folks. Please mind and grammar and spelling errors. writing on a phone is not the best.
MARTA in Atlanta has promoted transit oriented development and it has promoted significant economic development at MARTA transit stops, which has promoted both new jobs and the tax base which has more than paid for itself. The new Atlanta Beltline will develop more in-city economic and housing development as well. “beltline.org” I think is their site.
Hah! Growing up right off Stop 11 Road I never really gave it any thought. Thanks for the information!
There is one thing that I might add to this. The “stops” didn’t start downtown. Stop 1 is actually Southern Avenue, because the interurbans technically did not run in the city. Southern Avenue was the southern edge of the city of Indianapolis. Then the stops were at every half section (half mile). Stop 2, Troy. Stop 3, Sumner. Stop 4, Hanna. Stop 5, Redfern/Lawrence. Stop 6, Thompson. Stop 7, Epler. Stop 8, Edgewood. Stop 9, Banta.
We just visited Greenwood and was curious about the road names of Stop 11, Stop 18 and etc. My husband suspected it might be railroad stops, so we were glad to hear that was true. Our daughter and son-in-law had no idea. I think when you grow up somewhere you just accept things, but it is people from outside the area that become curious about names. Here in NC many streets are named after people, so I keep wondering who these people are and what contribution they may have made to our area.