Eastern Railroad Discussion > NKP coal tower at Frankfort, IN still standing

As of June 9 of this year, this round coal tower still stands at Frankfort, IN. To a westerner, it is amazing that it is still proudly emblazoned with a classic "Nickel Plate Road" emblem for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, which disappeared into Norfolk & Western 45 years ago almost to the day on October 16, 1964. So this monument still stands, but in the last view, the shop complex is not so lucky and slowly succumbing to nature, despite lukewarm ideas to save it, but the turntable was moved to the Indiana Railroad Museum, being rescued just before it was cut up. Two questions - were these the main shops for NKP, and what year was this coal tower constructed? My thanks to TO'er GJP for waking up my interest in seeing this. Happy railfanning! --- --- - --- JLH

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The former shops, now just a blight upon the land...

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Still looks good & about the same as it was in May, 1997 when we stumbled across this unique yard on our way to the Midwest for a wonderful railfan trip. Thanks for sharing today!

I believe the roundhouse was donated to the city and will be restored.

John Troxler

This is one of those Built to Last Structures that will probably last longer than the GE locomotives pictured with it!!

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!



I've been waiting since June to see your pictures of this...very nice indeed...someone poke Gerry!

NKP main loco shops were in Conneaut, Ohio.

JLH, I see you stayed around till the last light of day to get sun on it. I remember discussing it with you in the basement of your home 4 or 5 years ago. Gerry

Yup, GJP, but we didn't just stay there waiting, we drove up there as fast as we could after shooting INRD at the semaphores in southern Indiana. Things looked hopeless as it clouded up and actually rained on us on the way up there. Just outside of Frankfort there was some light in the clouds, and by the time I wound through town and found the tall thing by the tracks, the sun had broken through, but I only had about 20 minutes total to work with until sunset. I was happy because since we didn't have to stay there, that saved us a whole half of the following day. We drove on after that and stayed in Battle Creek, MI. Anyway, thanks for the advice, I put it to good use! Non-railfan friends I have known since I was 10 on a farm we stayed at overnight outside of Clare, MI could not figure out why I went from Colorado to Michigan via Louisville, KY. Then other non-railfan friends whose house we stayed at for a week in Cadillac, MI couldn't figure out why, either, perhaps we seemed eccentric. Guess only railfans know... --- --- - --- JLH

How many trains a day does the line see?