Passenger Trains > Questions about the CSS&SB line

I am planning a trip to the Chicago area next month and plan to ride the former CSS&SB electrified line to South Bend.  In reviewing the current NICTD passenger schedule Michigan City does not appear. Do these trains stop near Michigan City, or has the CSS&SB line been rerouted around the city? I know the street running through Michigan City no longer exists.
Also, the schedule indicates a stop at Dune Park. Is this stop within walking distance of the Indiana Dunes National Park?
What is there to do near the South Bend station at the end of the line?  Are there places to eat within walking distance?  Is there a freight engine facility nearby?
Any suggestions about this trip would be greatly appreciated.  My last trip on this line was 30 years ago.
 
Thanks in advance.
 

Currently the South Shore is running between Chicago and Gary, and between Michigan City (Carroll Ave.) and South Bend with a "bus bridge" in between.

The South Shore is undergoing a major double tracking project between Gary and Michigan City that has been underway for over a year.

See:   https://www.doubletrack-nwi.com/construction/next-steps/may-2023-update   for the current status of the project (mostly details for the people along the line). The South Shore's website has additional information.

 

Google  CSS&SB.   Bus  bridge  for  now  east of  Michigan City. East  end  of  line  an  airport.   Dunes  within  walking  distance  if  you are  good  for  1.5  miles or  so.  In the  fall the  whole  thing  should  be  pieced  back  together!!

2839Canadian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am planning a trip to the Chicago area next
> month and plan to ride the former CSS&SB
> electrified line to South Bend.  In reviewing the
> current NICTD passenger schedule Michigan City
> does not appear. Do these trains stop near
> Michigan City, or has the CSS&SB line been
> rerouted around the city?

See member "wzd's" response above. For a Michigan City stop, look at the times for Carroll Ave., the only current Michigan City-area stop. The Carroll Ave. station and adjacent South Shore yards are on the eastern edge of Michigan City.

> I know the street
> running through Michigan City no longer exists.
> Also, the schedule indicates a stop at Dune Park.
> Is this stop within walking distance of the
> Indiana Dunes National Park?

The Dune Park station is directly adjacent to and borders a portion of Indiana Dunes National Park. But be aware that the park is quite large in area, and has a number of units, some disconnected from others. There are trails for hiking and walking, but most trailheads start at small vehicle parking area. As these can be some distance apart, the trailheads are best reached by car.

One trail, the Calumet Trail, which runs along the South Shore right-of-way in a flat, grassy area with bogs and swamps, runs right past the Dune Park station to hake east or west. However, with no trains running between Michigan City and Gary, only construction activity will be visible walking east or west from the Dune Park station. The trail is on the flat, and does not get into the taller dunes or near Lake Michigan at all.

Access to the tall dunes near the Lake Michigan shoreline is about a 1.7 mile walk from the Dune Park station down the Dunes - Kankakee Bike Trail along N. 25th St. into Indiana Dunes State Park (a fee area), which the National Park surrounds on three sides. The state park has some of the taller dunes in the area, a good beach on Lake Michigan, and various facilities.

Going south from the Dune Park station, there is a National Park Service Visitor Center for the national park adjacent to Indiana Hwy. 49, which begins at the junction with US 12 not far from the Dune Park station. There are some exhibits and videos, and park rangers can offer suggestions for activities. It's about a one mile walk from the Dune Park station south on the Dunes - Kankakee Bike Trail. The trail makes some road crossings at busy intersections and across entrance / exit ramps on interchanges along Hwy. 49, which can be quite busy.

National Park website link: https://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm
State Park website link: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/indiana-dunes-state-park/
Dunes - Kankakee Bike Trail website page link: https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/dunes-kankakee.htm
South Shore, Indiana visitors' bureau website link: https://www.southshorecva.com/
South Shore railroad website link: https://mysouthshoreline.com/

If you hike up into the barren sand dunes, remember that you are essentially hiking into a desert environment. Bring plenty of water, wear loose-fitting clothes with sun protection, etc. And that bare sand can get quite hot on a summer's day. The forested areas are beautiful (and most of the dunes actually are heavily forested, and not bare sand), but the environment is also a good one for insects and ticks. Be sure to use a good insect / tick protection spray if you hike into the woods, and carefully check for ticks after your hike.

All things considered, if a trip on the South Shore and seeing and photographing its trains at various locations is your focus, I'd suggest to wait on your visit until the construction project is completed and trains are fully operating over the route in its entirety. I think you will have a much more enjoyable visit. Even if you also want to get into the Indiana Dunes areas.

MC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/23 07:26 by ironmtn.

Wow, all of these replies are very helpful.  I will have to re-think our plans and develop  an alternate game plan.

Many thanks