Local Legend: The search for the train

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Two deadly train crashes near the beginning of the last century have lead to rumors that the locomotives are still in the water and can be seen when the water is very low.

With this year’s low river, we set out to see if that’s the case.

When viewed from the air, it looks like there might be something in the river, but it’s hard to tell.

We took to the river with local river enthusiast Brendan Kearns.

Our search with Brendan focused on the location of the wreck of 1900.

Using powerful MRI magnets, we lowered them into the water.

“Oh, wow. I’m on something big time, there’s no way it’s a small piece of tin,” Kearns said.

While there was something there, it wasn’t coming up and there was no way to see it.

Enter Max Winchell, and the Department of Natural Resources Underwater Search Team.

They are using the same type of remote operated submarine that was used to find the Titanic and state of the art sonar.

The side scan sonar will go out 180 feet on each side of the boat, not just straight up and down like traditional sonar will, to the degree that it will pick up much more detail then the traditional sonar units,” Winchell said.

We went to work, this time searching the locations of both wrecks.

Based on our magnet hits, and high tech sonar, we’ve now determined that something is, indeed, in the water beneath the Big Four Bridge.

“Definitely something man-made there, and pretty big size too,” Winchell said.

Friday, we go for the final answer, as the DNR divers search the bottom of the Wabash, looking for the fabled locomotives.