To me, Eugene Wolfe was the Hoosier Line

This article first appeared in The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat, February 9, 1989
under the heading -- "The Dripping Faucet" -- By Cecil J., Smith

He is now living in retirement at the town of Ellettsville in Monroe County, just a short distance from the tracks of the railroad that he served for years. To Salem residents traveling along South Main Street, at one time be was a familiar figure — standing in the middle of the street to stop traffic as trains crossed, or working around the outside of the station.
Eugene Wolfe was agent at the Monon Depot in Salem for many years, and was the last person to serve in that capacity before the station closed in 1973.

For years be held the distinction of being one of the senior employees of the old Monon Railroad — The Hoosier Line -- making It possible for him to pick his new job when the Salem station closed. He chose to go to Bloomington where he served as base agent for the railroad’s new mobile agency program.

My interest in trains brought me in contact with Eugene about 1970 and to this day 1 can still hear him bellow: “Well, what do you want?” when I’d walked through the front door of the old depot.

Actually, he knew what I wanted; I wanted to talk about the railroad; I wanted to know when the next train would be through; I wanted to know when the local freight would be switching in town; I wanted to know what the special train the previous night was all about; I wanted to know why the semaphore signals east of town were down when no train was scheduled; I wanted to know everything I could learn from an individual who spent his life working for the railroad. To me, Eugene Wolfe was the Hoosier Line.

And Eugene always had the answers; sometimes they didn’t come forth without a lot of grumbling, but then Eugene enjoyed grumbling at someone who was always underfoot asking “silly questions.”

I delighted in hearing Eugene take train orders over the railroad’s special telephone. In the style of railroaders, every number was recited, then spelled: “Train 72, s-e-v-e-n-t-y-t-w-o.”

Eugene had been doing that for years. Try it. You’ll find it’s not easy, especially when you’re dealing with many numbers. But he could rattle them off like a machine gun. I could never understand him, he did it so fast, but I put him on tape once, then slowed the tape down, and sure enough, he was saying it the way it was supposed to be said.

I shouldn’t have doubted him.

It was fun to watch Eugene filing various papers that the railroad required filed. He had several copies of everything that ever passed over his desk, and these he would file in several different places. It never seemed to me that he filed papers in the same places.

But as long as be could find them, I suppose that is what counted.

Eugene had a lengthy career with the railroad, signing on with the Monon In September 1946 as agent at Campbellsburg. The following year be joined the staff at Salem as third trick operator, working at nights at the depot. In addition to Eugene, others who worked at Salem included the regular agent, the second shift operator, and an express agent. There also was a local freight delivery man, a crossing watchman for South Main Street, and a couple of section gangs to work on the tracks.

He then was transferred to Pekin as agent, serving there for about 2O years. He transferred back to Salem when longtime agent Kenneth Johnson became ill in late 1966. Eugene remained there until the doors closed in 1973, then transferred to Bloomington where he worked as base agent until retiring August 17, 1983.

He has fond memories of his years of working for the railroad in Washington County, recalling when the first diesel locomotives were shown oft at each town by the railroad in 1947, and the first of the new passenger trains the following year.

He remembers that at least ten regular trains passed through the county each day: Three regular freights each way, a local freight each way, and a passenger train each way.

And he remembers when as many as 20 cars a day were switched by the “local” for various industries-around town, including B.F.Goodrich, Ferraloy, Link Handle, Smith Cabinet, Salem Cheese, and Farm Bureau.

When be joined the railroad, the name Wolfe was already on the rolls. His father, Fred Wolfe, worked on a section gang at Campbellsburg, and later served as crossing watchman on the South Main Street crossing in Salem.

Since retiring, Eugene is a volunteer driver for the Red Cross a couple of days a week, works in his church, and is a volunteer with Gideon International, placing Bibles in hotels, motels, schools, doctors’ offices and other locations.

“Tell’em I’m Just as cranky as ever,” be said with a laugh during a recent interview. Those of us who know him wouldn’t want him any other way.

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