Old newsreel I found…
I have a video that shows how the Monon converted the old hospital cars into a first class streamliner. It is sad to watch a train die…I just recently went out to see Ringling Bros pass through NJ for the last time. As I watched it I had happy memories of my childhood.
The “Thoroughbred” had been hanging on based on its mail contract for several years. I can remember seeing the southbound run in the mid-1960’s with a C420, five or six mail-express cars and one 1/2 to 2/3 full coach.
the guy narrating the film sounds like Professor Frink from “The Simpsons.”
The last Monon train to Indianapolis was in 1959.
Or Bill “Frinkie” Frink of the old Eyewitness News team in the 70s, originators of “Happy Talk News.” 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1QS9uMI_Cw
Microsoft Train Simulator MONON:
Part of the Al Primo (from Philly) revolution. When it was good it produced things like this
To get to the true I’mwitless News a few years later, I think you have to blame the ineffable Roone Arledge (Silverman’s counterpart, in a sense) who wrecked much of sports coverage and then leveraged his formula into News-As-Entertainment … remember Rose Ann Roseannadanna and Ernie Whiteteeth Anastos as ‘anchors’? At least that’s how I remember it from ‘the time’.
Not to say you can’t do ‘happy-talk news’ effectively (when I was a news director we didn’t cover fires, rapes, murders and such) - but when it gets to Ted Turner’s patootie on-air with the ‘Good News’ that was so beautifully skewered on SNL, you start to wonder where the manipulation stops.
The “Thoroughbred” to Louisville lasted until late 1967.
What parts of the Monon are still in use?
Amtraks’ Cardinal (Hoosier) run over former Monon tracks between Crawfordsville IN and just North of Dyer IN where it connects to the Canadian National (former Grand Trunk) and there are a few other freight only pieces in southern Indiana. I think there is a short stretch North from the KT&I bridge and I think the Indiana Southern operates a piece around Seymour IN
Monon never went near Seymour - only the B&O (former O&M) and the PRR. PRR Operator staffed JO Tower which controlled the interlocking that controlled the crossing of the two carriers at grade.
I think I should have said Mitchell.
I think I should have said Mitchell.
Mitchell it is - worked there for a week or so, Gus Grissom’s (Astronaut) father was the signal maintainer.
Back in 67, after learning that it was going to end passenger service, I took my son (6) on the Monon from Chicago to Louisville since I had always wanted to ride it. They had reduced the service to one set of equipment leaving Chicago at 5 pm and getting into Louisville about 12:30 and lv Louisville about 6 am to get to Chicago at 1:30 pm. I had decided to take Monon back to Mitchell, thence B&O to St Louis, PRR to Effingham, & IC to Chicago. Slept on the train (after getting permission) in the Louisville sta. Car cleaners came on woke us up (they were surprised), then turned the lights back out. B&O #1 pulled into a siding (I think it was at Flora) for its meet with #2, and then backed out. I believe this was all hand throw switches. PRR was supposed to lv St L at 6:00 pm but left about 30-35 min late. Connection at Effingham was supposed to be 30 min and I was sweating it but somehow we got the green for the diamonds and as we cleared and stopped, the City of NO hit the diamonds. Very glad they shared the station. I was very glad to get home but got a lot of miles in two days. When were you working that area of the B&O?
St. Louis Div - June-Dec. 1965; Feb 1966 - June 1967. Most all train order operators jobs between Storrs Jct. (Cincinnati) and HN Cabin (E. St.Louis) including WS Tower at Watson, IN on the branch from North Vernon to Louisville.
In 1965, when On Time, the normal meeting spot for #1 & #2 was Loogootee.
How common was it to meet and then back out of a siding? This was the only time I had this happen. Every other time I was on a train that took a siding, it continued to the other end and regained the main after the meet.
Whaat may be rarer: meet an eastbound that uses the pass track and, after it is gone, back to where you can use the pass track–and go past another eastbound that is on the main. I saw this three years at Alpine, Texas–and again, that fall, on the line to Prince Rupert, B.C.
In that meet at Alpine, our conductor had to keep telling our engineer that we needed to move farther until we had cleared the fouling point. Apparently the engineer of the freight that was on the main had to back to give us enough room.
How fast did the Monon Streamliners go?