Eastern Railroad Discussion > Changes at Gary (Tolleston) Indiana?

That last time I heard (reportedly) a connection was being built at Fifth Avenue, Tolleston between the old Wabash and the Pennsy's Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago. NS services a sugar distribution facility at Gary and was running a train from the former NKP Calumet Yard to State Line, from State Line to Clarke Junction and thence down the old Wabash Fourth District (N&W Gary District) to the sugar plant.

One report has it that the connection will reroute the sugar train partly on the former Pennsy with former Wabash track removed. But I had seen news reports a few years ago that that section of former Pennsy was to be removed for expansion of the Gary Airport. And I wonder if indeed what little CSX traffic left on the former Pennsy is to go instead on the former Wabash with the PRR there removed and not the Wabash.

Anyone have the real story?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/12 11:29 by wabash2800.

I have seen graded roadbed where the former EJ&E will be moved, toward the west end of the airport. As far as I know, the airport won't be expanded northward, so it would not be the primary reason for loss of ne track or the other. However, the new EJ&E right-of-way in the vicinity of Clarke Junction and Pine Junction might cause some shifts or lifting of trackage. If it does, I suspect that the old PRR would be the one to go, as the new CN line will parallel the old B&O on the west end, anyway. What happens east of the airport between the old WAB and the old PRR shouldn't be affected. It would not be easy to go back there and check.

Carl Shaver
Lombard, IL

Thanks Carl. Perhaps someone out there knows more.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> That last time I heard (reportedly) a connection
> was being built at Fifth Avenue, Tolleston
> between the old Wabash and the Pennsy's
> Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago. NS services a
> sugar distribution facility at Gary and was
> running a train from the former NKP Calumet Yard
> to State Line, from State Line to Clarke Junction
> and thence down the old Wabash Fourth District
> (N&W Gary District) to the sugar plant.
>
> One report has it that the connection will reroute
> the sugar train partly on the former Pennsy with
> former Wabash track removed. But I had seen news
> reports a few years ago that that section of
> former Pennsy was to be removed for expansion of
> the Gary Airport. And I wonder if indeed what
> little CSX traffic left on the former Pennsy is to
> go instead on the former Wabash with the PRR there
> removed and not the Wabash.

NS wants easier access to CN/EJE's Kirk Yard, now that it is CN's major classification facility in the area. So the ex-PRR will be restored from Tolleston NW to the EJE City Track which feeds into the J main at Pine (NS can access the ex-PRR from the ex-NKP at Spriggsboro). To reach the City Track it would have to cross the ex-Wab. So I'm guessing that rather than build a diamond, NS would remove most of the ex-Wab (except perhaps the connection at Clarke) and reroute the sugar train to ex-PRR and then build a short connection at Tolleston.

This will replace the awkward connection at Pine Yard off the NS ex-NYC.

Interesting. Too bad we can't verify it with source info and maps.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> Interesting. Too bad we can't verify it with
> source info and maps.


Go here for some more info, including how to find it on CN's status reports to the STB.

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/eje/message/49674



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/12 09:47 by calumet.

Under old U.S. 12 (the road north of the airport), the Wabash line is intact and the old PRR gone. That's as of today.

Carl Shaver
Lombard, IL