C&O of Indiana

Classic Trains General Discussion
1

I have some questions about C&O operations in Chicagoland that I hope someone (probably Paul) can clarify for me. I know that the C&O line from Cincinnati ended in Hammond, IN. and I assume they had a yard there where freight trains were broken down and assembled. In the 1950’s and early 50’s I commuted reguarly on the IC and would sometimes see a C&O Mikado at the IC’s passenger engine roundhouse around 24th St. where they were serviced and turned. I always enjoyed getting a passing glimpse of these “foreign” engines with their smokebox mounted air pumps.

How did these C&O engines get from Hammond to the IC tracks? Did they drop their train in Hammond and run light over the CSS&SB to the IC at 115th St. (Kensington) or did they possibly run over NYC’s Michigan Central line? These seem to me to be the most likely routes. Did they need a pilot engineer over whatever connecting line they ran?

To the best of my knowedge only two doodlebugs ran into Chicagoland at that time. One was the C&O’s that ran between Hammond and Cincinnati via Richmond and the other was the CGW’s that ran between Chicago and Iowa.

Mark

2

C&O of Indiana shared some NKP facilities in Chicago, which might have included NKP’s freight house. NKPs freight house was located on the IC near the present McCormick Place. The path in was joint C&O/EL to State Line Crossing, NKP northwest to Pullman Jct near Stony Island and 95th. C&O shared an NKP roundhouse near 95th, and probably Calumet Yard southeast of Pullman Jct. From there the NKP line continued NNW to meet the IC at around 83rd. After 1947 everything gradually shifted to using ex-PM facilities.

In the long past, C&O of Indiana’s passenger trains ran all the way to Central Station. NKP passenger trains left the IC at Grand Crossing (75th and South Chicago) to join the NYC line to LaSalle St.