Historic Photos of New Albany, Indiana

The Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company ran a 5 1/2 mi. elevated rail line from Louisville to New Albany. A small traction line extended it to Silver Hills. In Louisville the elevated segment was 15 blocks long with three elevated stations, stretching primarily along the riverfront wharf area. The trains were three cars or longer, not trolleys. It was originally steam powered and known as the Daisy Line. The passenger cars were painted yellow with brown trimming, resembling a black-eyed Susan, hence the name Daisy Line. In 1893 this passenger line was electrified, one of the first in the United States. About 1908 the Louisville Railway obtained the passenger service and incorporated it into their streetcar system.

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Pennsylvania RR also operated commuter rail for many years, serving a loop from New Albany to Jeffersonville to Louisville over the 14th street bridge, It ran from about 1870 to 1921 and remained steam only, never modernized to electric. Those trains ran from early morning to late evening, continuously, making the entire loop about every 25 minutes. K&I's bridge trains, aka "Daisy" lines were in head on competition for ridership, with the Pennsy "Dinky" commuter trains.

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Another commuter line was the 16 car B&O Commuter trains serving the Indiana Army Ordinance plant in Charlestown. The WWII train served three different shifts, as the plant operated around-the-clock.

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New Albany/Jeffersonville transit history

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1888 - Ohio Falls Street Railway Co. introduces streetcar service in Jeffersonville.

1889 - Ohio Falls Street Railway Co. sold to Jefferson City Railway Co.

1891 - New Albany Street Railway Co. introduces streetcar service in New Albany.

1893 - Kentucky & Indiana Bridge & Railroad Co., jointly owned by three steam railroads from Indiana, electrifies trackage across Ohio River and introduces multiple unit electric train service between Louisville and New Albany, Indiana. Service is known as the "Daisy Line". And was standard gauge, unlike the Louisville streetcars, which were broad gauge.

1894 - New Albany Street Railway Co. sold to New Albany Railway Co.

1902 - New Albany Railway Co. sold to New Albany Street Railroad Co.

1903 - Southern Indiana Interurban Railway introduces service between Jeffersonville and New Albany. Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Co. formed, and acquires Jefferson City Railway Co., New Albany Street Railroad Co., and Southern Indiana Interurban Railway. Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Co. arranges with Big Four steam railroad to operate service across Ohio River bridge into downtown Louisville, and lays its own standard gauge track within Louisville.

1905 - Daisy Line service assumed by Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Co. Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Co. lays additional rails on Ohio River bridge, enabling broad gauge streetcars to operate between Indiana side of bridge and downtown Louisville, sharing bridge with standard gauge steam railroads.

1912 - Louisville & Southern Indiana Traction Co. reorganized as Interstate Public Service Co.

1925 - Interstate Public Service Co. becomes subsidiary of Midland Utilities Co.

1929 - First highway bridge across Ohio River to Jeffersonville completed. Bridge Transit Co. formed to operate bus service across bridge. Interstate Public Service Co. soon after discontinues local streetcar service across Big Four bridge.

1932 - Local streetcar service in Jeffersonville and New Albany replaced with buses.

1934 - Daisy Line sold to New Albany & Louisville Electric Railway, and bus service in New Albany sold to Home Transit, Inc. New Albany & Louisville Electric Railway and Home Transit are both under same ownership. Bus service in Jeffersonville would eventually be operated by Jeffersonville Bus Lines, which in the early 1950's would be acquired by Bridge Transit Co.

1946 - Home Transit replaces Daisy Line streetcars with buses, due to of conversion of connecting Louisville Railway Co. streetcar line to buses.

1954 - New Albany & Louisville Electric Railway officially renamed The Daisy Line, Inc.

1973 - Bridge Transit Co. ceases operations. The Daisy Line assumes operation of the bridge route, thus operating bus routes over both Ohio River bridges. And Home Transit assumes local bus service in Jeffersonville.

1976 - The Daisy Line ceases operation, replaced by Free Enterprise System.

1983 - Transit Authority of River City acquires routes operated by Free Enterprise System.