Indiana Rail Road
Encyclopedia
The Indiana Rail Road is a United States
Class II railroad
, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad
trackage from Newton, Illinois
to Indianapolis, Indiana
, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indianapolis Subdivision comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois
; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway
retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road
line from Terre Haute, Indiana to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center
), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).
line from Terre Haute
to Bedford, Indiana
, the former Milwaukee Road/Soo Line Railroad
Latta Subdivision, now known as INRD's Chicago Subdivision, which crosses the Indianapolis Subdivision at grade at Linton, Indiana
. The former Latta Sub was isolated from the rest of the CPR, and was reached from Chicago
via trackage rights
over CSX Transportation
's former Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
line; further trackage rights over CSX's former Monon from Bedford to Louisville, Kentucky
(negotiated as part of the Monon's merger with CSX predecessor Louisville and Nashville Railroad
in 1971) allowed the CPR access into the Bluegrass State. These trackage rights were transferred to the Indiana Rail Road as part of the sale, bringing INRD's total route structure to approximately 500 miles. The company also operates the remnants of the Monon Railroad
in and around Bloomington, Indiana
, and has trackage rights over other lines in and around Indianapolis.
The INRD primarily hauls coal
from Indiana
mines to electric generating plants along the line. Appliances, grain, plastics, aggregates and food products are the other major freight hauled. Major customers include Indianapolis Power & Light
, Ameren
, Hoosier Energy, Duke Energy
, Lincoland AgriEnergy (ethanol
), Marathon Oil
, Hershey Foods, General Electric
, Mont Eagle Mills, PolyOne Corporation
, Bemis Plastics and others.
The company's executive and administrative offices are located in downtown Indianapolis, with a classification yard
, shops and main transloading
facility located on the city's near south side at the Senate Avenue Terminal (between I-70
and the Indianapolis Union Railway
's Belt Line). Long abandoned and now removed was a connection to Union Station, which once ran between Senate Avenue (originally known as Mississippi Street) and Missouri Street north from this terminal's location through the present-day site of Lucas Oil Stadium
. A remnant of this connection can still be noted today in the unusual height of I-70's overpass above West and Missouri streets, which when the freeway was built in the early 1970s had to also pass over this then still active rail line.
Additional INRD classification yards are located at Palestine, Illinois
and Jasonville, Indiana
. The latter facility, known as Hiawatha (in tribute to original owner Milwaukee Road's crack passenger trains) is also home to the main locomotive servicing facility. The company was formed in 1986 by entrepreneur Thomas Hoback, who remains president and chief executive officer. CSX Transportation
now owns a majority interest in the parent company. On March 18, 2009, the railroad announced that it would build a new 5.2 mile rail spur in Sullivan County, Indiana
for the new Bear Run coal mine. Bear Run is being developed by Peabody Coal
and is expected to produce more than 8 millions tons annually.
abandoned a section of the line between Bedford and Seymour
, Indiana as soon as they took over the Milwaukee Road in 1986. The Canadian Pacific Railway
operated on the Chicago-Bedford line from their acquisition of the Soo Line until 2006, when they spun it off to the Indiana Rail Road company. On December 18, 2009, it was decided to cut the southern part of that line even more, as they are abandoning between Bedford and Crane
, a total distance of 21.15 miles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Class II railroad
Class II railroad
A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad...
, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
trackage from Newton, Illinois
Newton, Illinois
Newton is the county seat of Jasper County, Illinois. The population was 3,069 at the 2000 Census and subsequently reported as 3,141 by a local newspaper in mid-2000. Newton is home to a large coal-fired power plant and Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area.-Geography:Newton is located at...
to Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indianapolis Subdivision comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
line from Terre Haute, Indiana to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division is the principal tenant command located at Naval Support Activity Crane. NSA Crane is a United States Navy installation located approximately southwest of Bloomington, Indiana and predominantly located in Martin County, but small parts also extend into...
), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).
Overview
In May 2006, INRD completed the purchase of the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
line from Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
to Bedford, Indiana
Bedford, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile...
, the former Milwaukee Road/Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
Latta Subdivision, now known as INRD's Chicago Subdivision, which crosses the Indianapolis Subdivision at grade at Linton, Indiana
Linton, Indiana
Linton is a city in Stockton Township, Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,774 at the 2000 census. A coal mining city, it is located southeast of Terre Haute. The current mayor is Patti Jones....
. The former Latta Sub was isolated from the rest of the CPR, and was reached from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
via trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
's former Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two World Wars before being purchased by the Missouri Pacific...
line; further trackage rights over CSX's former Monon from Bedford to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
(negotiated as part of the Monon's merger with CSX predecessor Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
in 1971) allowed the CPR access into the Bluegrass State. These trackage rights were transferred to the Indiana Rail Road as part of the sale, bringing INRD's total route structure to approximately 500 miles. The company also operates the remnants of the Monon Railroad
Monon Railroad
The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway from 1897–1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana...
in and around Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, and has trackage rights over other lines in and around Indianapolis.
The INRD primarily hauls coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
mines to electric generating plants along the line. Appliances, grain, plastics, aggregates and food products are the other major freight hauled. Major customers include Indianapolis Power & Light
Indianapolis Power & Light
Indianapolis Power & Light Company, also known as IPL or IPALCO, is a utility company providing electric service to the city of Indianapolis. It is a subsidiary and largest utility of AES Corporation, which acquired it in 2000....
, Ameren
Ameren
Ameren Corporation was created December 31, 1997 by the merger of Missouri's Union Electric Company and the neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company . It is now a holding company for several power companies and energy companies. The company is based in St...
, Hoosier Energy, Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, Lincoland AgriEnergy (ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
), Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Canada. Principal development activities are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway,...
, Hershey Foods, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Mont Eagle Mills, PolyOne Corporation
PolyOne Corporation
PolyOne Corporation is a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services, and solutions. PolyOne has operations in thermoplastic compounds, specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, thermoplastic resin distribution, and vinyl resins...
, Bemis Plastics and others.
The company's executive and administrative offices are located in downtown Indianapolis, with a classification yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
, shops and main transloading
Transloading
For the data downloading process, see sideload.Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another. It is most commonly employed when one mode cannot be used for the entire trip, as for instance when goods must be shipped internationally from one inland...
facility located on the city's near south side at the Senate Avenue Terminal (between I-70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
and the Indianapolis Union Railway
Indianapolis Union Railway
The Indianapolis Union Railway Company , is a terminal railroad operating in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was organized on May 31, 1850, as the Union Track Railway Company by the presidents of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company , the Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad Company , and the...
's Belt Line). Long abandoned and now removed was a connection to Union Station, which once ran between Senate Avenue (originally known as Mississippi Street) and Missouri Street north from this terminal's location through the present-day site of Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...
. A remnant of this connection can still be noted today in the unusual height of I-70's overpass above West and Missouri streets, which when the freeway was built in the early 1970s had to also pass over this then still active rail line.
Additional INRD classification yards are located at Palestine, Illinois
Palestine, Illinois
Palestine is a village in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Palestine is located at ....
and Jasonville, Indiana
Jasonville, Indiana
Jasonville is a city in Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,222 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. The latter facility, known as Hiawatha (in tribute to original owner Milwaukee Road's crack passenger trains) is also home to the main locomotive servicing facility. The company was formed in 1986 by entrepreneur Thomas Hoback, who remains president and chief executive officer. CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
now owns a majority interest in the parent company. On March 18, 2009, the railroad announced that it would build a new 5.2 mile rail spur in Sullivan County, Indiana
Sullivan County, Indiana
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1940. As of 2010, the population was 21,475. The county seat is Sullivan. Sullivan County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana,...
for the new Bear Run coal mine. Bear Run is being developed by Peabody Coal
Peabody Energy
Peabody Energy Corporation , previously Peabody Coal Company, is the largest private-sector coal company in the world. The company is headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri....
and is expected to produce more than 8 millions tons annually.
Routes
The Soo Line RailroadSoo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
abandoned a section of the line between Bedford and Seymour
Seymour, Indiana
Seymour was the site of the World's First Train Robbery, committed by the local Reno Gang, on October 6, 1866 just east of town. The gang was put into prison for the robbery, and later hanged at Hangman's Crossing outside of town....
, Indiana as soon as they took over the Milwaukee Road in 1986. The Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
operated on the Chicago-Bedford line from their acquisition of the Soo Line until 2006, when they spun it off to the Indiana Rail Road company. On December 18, 2009, it was decided to cut the southern part of that line even more, as they are abandoning between Bedford and Crane
Crane, Indiana
Crane is a town in Perry Township, Martin County, and Madison Township, Daviess County Indiana, United States. The population was 184 at the 2010 census. It was named for William M...
, a total distance of 21.15 miles.
Locomotive Roster
| Builder | Model | Built | Inventory | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
SD90/43MAC | 12/1999 | 14 | 9001-9013, 9025 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
SD40-2 | 1980 | 6 | 4001-4006 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
GP38-2 | Unknown | 8 | 3802-3808, 3811 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
GP38AC | 3/1971, 12/1971 | 3 | 3809-3810, 3812 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
GP38 | 9/1969 | 1 | 3801 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
GP11 GP11 The EMD GP11 is a four-axle diesel locomotive rebuilt by the Illinois Central Railroad’s Paducah shops. It is very similar in appearance to the GP8 and GP10.... |
Unknown | 1 | 1701 |
| EMD EMD - Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European... |
CF7 CF7 A CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for road switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in their Cleburne,... |
Unknown | 1 | 2543 |
External links
- Indiana Rail Road – Official Website
- Indiana Rail Road Railfan Page – Unofficial Informational Website