Eastern Railroad Discussion > Santa rides a US Rail geep to Kokomo, IN

US Rail delivers Santa Claus to Kokomo, IN on 12/1/12.

Love the vintage NKP elevated shanty. In the day a NKP operator used this tower to turn the traffic lights to red when a train traversed the street running tracks in Kokomo, IN.

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How did the operator get up there?

A ladder.......cf7

I've got relation who live in Kokomo,
back in the 1990's, that tower came real close to getting demolished.
But it was saved & restored.
There was a tree that stood beside the tower thus blocking the ventage structure.
Thankfully someone found a chainsaw for it!
Those old traffic signals still stood back in 2001 but I do not know if they still do
as I have not been there since then.
SJS

Nice pictures. Looks like a good turn out.
John

DubyaM Wrote:
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> How did the operator get up there?

Rapunzel's hair

And quite likely to be the last-ever movement on this street-running segment. Constructed in 1851 and used only sporadically since 1995 or so. Last known revenue move was probably 2005.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/12 14:33 by atsf616.

That's a first for me..great photos..thanks for sharing

I remember back in the 1990's of Kokomo celebrating it's Centennial by offering steam powered
excursions from that street running to Logansport and back.
The engine was the 587 plus a few coaches from the ITM ( I think ) and a Monon F7A on the rear.
I rode that train and remember being on that street running trackage.
SJS

DubyaM Wrote:
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> How did the operator get up there?

A ladder attached to the structure is barely visible on the right side in the photo. I am really surprised the city of Kokomo has allowed the ladder to be there due to liabilty.

Let's hope not. US Rail or Kokomo Grain needs to stand up and tell the city NO to removing this trackage. If Noblesville can have tracks in the street, so can Kokomo.
atsf616 Wrote:
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> And quite likely to be the last-ever movement on
> this street-running segment. Constructed in 1851
> and used only sporadically since 1995 or so. Last
> known revenue move was probably 2005.

zzzzz Wrote:
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> Let's hope not. US Rail or Kokomo Grain needs to
> stand up and tell the city NO to removing this
> trackage. If Noblesville can have tracks in the
> street, so can Kokomo.

Not likely. IMC south of the street running is out of service and has been for a decade or so, but is slated to be restored to service to allow Kokomo Grain's unit trains to run south to Tipton to interchange with NS vs. current practice of east to Marion to interchange with NS. This appears to be a joint NS/Kokomo Grain idea and both are footing a portion of the bill to do so, as is the City of Kokomo. Part of what the city is footing is paying to acquire property and to construct a connection from the Kokomo Belt to the IMC south of downtown and the street running. Kokomo Grain is working WITH the city on this, not "standing up" against them. It's a mutually beneficial deal - Kokomo Grain gets new access to Tipton and Kokomo gets rid of the street tracakge.

Kokomo Grain is on the former PRR to Logansport. Their traffic currently moves southeast old PRR to old NKP Cloverleaf, then east on Cloverleaf to Marion. New routing will be to continue on the PRR to the belt, turn due south on the belt, which swings back west toward the IMC, where they'll hang a left of the IMC to Tipton IN. Not that big of a difference that just turning onto the IMC off the PRR and trundling down the street trackage.

The whole Kokomo thing is a soap opera. Kokomo Grain owns the former PRR, which they call Winimac Southern (WSRY), and has US Rail as the designated operator, Rail American owns the Cloverleaf and operates under the Central Railroad of Indianapolis name (CERA). And Norfolk Southern owns the out of service IMC south of downtown to Tipton. Rumors abound about US Rail future (or lack thereof) and what the GW purchase of RA means to everything.

Congrats on another IOTD, John. At this rate, it'll be a long time before you have to renew your subscription to TO! - Jerry