A simple question, or perhaps two…when did the Milwaukee Road shut down?
What was their status of the Chicago - Louisville route at that time? Were they running freights regularly up until the end on this segment?
No deep political discussions are intended here…just a couple of answers to fill in the blanks.
ed
I wouldn’t say the Milwaukee Road shut down, rather they were folded into the Soo Line at midnight, Dec 31, 1985.
Soo Line operated #204 / #201, a daily manifest between Milwaukee and Louisville. There was another manifest, #256 / #257, with ran as needed, (infrequently), between Bensenville and Louisville.
Most of the traffic was coal. #120, the XL, served the PSI generating station just north of Terre Haute.
#184 / #185 hauled NIPSCO coal from Jasonville, IN, to Bensenville.
#186 / #187 hauled coal to Bensenville for transfer to boats.
#188 / #189 hauled coal to Bensenville for the C&NW to deliver to WP&L.
Dale:
Thanks, as always. So, the line would have been under Milwaukee Road control in early 1980…correct?
ed
Yes.
The CMSP&P from Bensenville used to B&OCT to reach their own rails at Chicago Heights. The Chicago Heights to Fayette (Terre Haute) line was abandoned in 1979, and about half of it was sold to the KBSR. The Milwaukee then used IHB to Gibson, and Conrail (NYC) to Terre Haute (Preston) until 1989, when Soo switched over to CSX (C&EI) to reach Terre Haute.
The March 1980 shutdown covered branchlines rather than mainlines, as well as everything west of Miles City, MT. The Omaha mainline was also shutdown during 1980.
BTW, for anyone who enjoyed John Crosby’s website on the Coast Division, it is now here-