I always enjoyed when a Conrail freight was on it when I was commuting from Champaign to Bloomington. I have no idea what NS is going to do with the Mansfield to Bloomington segment. But I suspect they’ll abandon it.
I always enjoyed when a Conrail freight was on it when I was commuting from Champaign to Bloomington. I have no idea what NS is going to do with the Mansfield to Bloomington segment. But I suspect they’ll abandon it.
Those two operations (Effingham and Greenville) sounds like a great situation in which an investment in railroading pays off. It would be interesting for someone to write an article for Trains on those operations. (hint) Hopefully they will have the shortline issue again next year.
Effingham brings back lots of 1970’s memories (and photos) of days spent there during college break. Back then, for a young man in Southern Illinois, it was the place to go to watch mainline action.
ed
AH HAH! You all speak of railroad I am quite familiar with! I’m not on much anymore due to being busy with work and family, but I have answers to some subjects spoke of in Effingham and Danville. I used to be a conductor in Danville for CSX a few years back and now dispatch for the company out of Indy.
I occasionally dispatch the St. Louis line and traffic is starting to pick up mainly due to the Newton trains being diverted our way. We run unit coal drags from the UP at E. St. Louis and bring them to Terre Haute where we hand them off to the INRD at CP 68 just east of the Haley interlocking. The INRD/CSX built a connection at Belt Jct. that allows a train from the INRD to turn south onto Baker Siding and then on south to the INRD at Sullivan. The INRD then hands us back the empties a day or two later. And just today one of the empties was delivered to us via the CN/IC at Effingham. The INRD was unable to give us back the empty the usual route and ran the train west on their line form Newton to Effingham. There’s also export coal trains that run from the UP at E. St. Louis and run east via Avon all the way to Baltimore, OH. I chief quite a bit on the Indianapolis desk and we are getting quite busy that way. On a busy day we run quite a few trains over the St. Louis line. I will not give any train specifics such as symbols or running slots, but I will answer general questions. I have to go now, but will check back later with any questions you all have.
WILEY-DISATCHER,
You answered a couple for me that I had on the coal trains coming through here out back, as to where they were going. Their so long [close to 2 mile], they’ve had pushers, even on this almost flat land.
The reason they got the empties back in Effingham is, the INRD had a derailment in Sullivan County, east of Merriam. The tracks should be back open today some time.
I couple questions maybe you can answer on CSX/ INRD
1, Where is Belt junction and Baker siding in Terre Haute? Are they off the old Milwaukee south yard?
2, Is INRD keeping the UP power on or are they using their own from T.H. to Newton and back.
3, I live just north of the of the north-south passing tracks [CP96 to CP99][Cline Orchard crossing]. I’ve heard on the scanner this being called, AVON. Was wondering if this is it or else where?
inch
Inch 53,
Belt Jct is where the old Milwaukee (SOO) connected to the CSX north south line between Chicago and Evansville. There’s a diamond there as well as a connection (actually two now). The connections allow traffic from either direction to come to and from the INRD.
The INRD performed some upgrades in a few places to better accomodate the traffic and they keep the UP power.
As far as your home turf there. The main runs straight through the middle and we have the lap sidings. CP 99 is the west end where the south lap comes off the main. CP 98 is where the north lap comes off the main and the south lap comes back in, and CP 97 is where the north lap comes back into the main. The north lap can hold 6,000ft of train all by itself. The south lap can hold 6,600ft, and when they are both happed you have over 12,000ft of room to make a meet. We call this “The ADENS” not Avon.
Hope that helps.
If memory serves me rightly, that would be the C&EI tracks.
Thanks for the info on the tracks out sidings out back [Adens]. Where I live between 98 an 99, so I get to watch a lot of trains go through and the switching into Little John grain.
I was told a couple times, that this is the only place to pass mile or longer trains, was wondering if this was true. I know they pass some mighty longs ones here.
Also, during the Pennsy and CR days, this trackage was called the Vandalia line through here. Is it still referred to that way under CSX?
inch
Inch,
We don’t call that stretch the Vandalia line any more. The IB dispatcher runs the desk and it’s called the St. Louis Line Subdivision.
As far as passing sidings go there are several sidings that are larger. They are actually just old remnants of the once double main track. Just a little further West at Greenup between CP 114 and CP 117 there is nearly 3 miles of signaled siding track. I have made 4 train meets there in the past. Also Vandalia, Greenville, and Highland are all bigger than the Adens as well. However, with Marshall being only 6,000 ft we use the Adens often because of how nice the lapped sidings are.