These notes were based on the railroad information in Bridge Hunter and Historic Bridges, which was wrong. The
original post now has the correct information.
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| Photo courtesy of the Indiana State Department of Natural Resource, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology |
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| Photo courtesy of the Indiana State Department of Natural Resource, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology |
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Tyler Haack
posted four photos with the comment: "
Old swing bridge near Sohl Avenue in Hammond, Indiana, which was abandoned by Norfolk Southern in the 1980s. Pictures were taken in April of this year.[2018]"
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When I read in Tyler's comment that the bridge was abandoned by Norfolk Southern, I assumed it was some sort of industrial branch for either the 4th District of the Wabash or for the Nickle Plate. Both Bridge Hunter and Historic Bridges agree that the original owner was Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad. The CC&L was formed in 1904 by combining three railroads. It went bankrupt in 1908 and was bought by C&O in 1910 as their C&O of Indiana subsidiary. [
jjakucyk] So Historic Bridges ownership of CSX seems to be correct and Tyler and Bridge Hunter claiming it is owned by NS seems to be wrong.
C&O joined the Erie just before
Griffith Junction and shared its route and the
NKP bridge to get to the
C&WI at
State Line Junction. The Erie+C&WI route was for passenger trains. Reading the description below, maybe this bridge was used by a route for C&O's freight trains that went north
to access the B&OCT tracks that went to the
Rockwell Street Yard.
Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad chartered 11/1/1866 as
reorganization of Cincinnati, Peru and Chicago Railroad. Built from
Peru to La Porte, and the Indianapolis, La Porte and Michigan City
Railroad continued from La Porte to Michigan City. Plans were to use
the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway from La Porte to Chicago;
not clear if it did. If it used the Pere Marquette it would have
joined in Michigan City. Not sure where it would have joined the Monon
if it ever used that; maybe that was on the later alignment from Hammond.
Cincinnati and Indiana Western Railroad and Cincinnati, Richmond and
Muncie Railroad chartered in Ohio and Indiana to build the line
between Cincinnati and Griffith (the junction with the Erie
southeast of Hammond). Both consolidated with the CC&L 6/1/1903. Once
completed, terminated at Hammond (or Griffith?) for several years.
Hammond Belt Railway chartered 1906 in Illinois and opened 4/6/1907
(?), from the CC&I in Hammond (which crossed the Erie and everything
else at Griffith and ran parallel to the Erie to south of the
Michigan Central Railroad crossing) west and northwest to the Indiana
Harbor Belt Railroad at Louisville Junction. (The 1913 map does a
great job of showing the line; short parts of grading can be seen on
topo maps.) Ran over the IHB to Dolton, then over the CC&I's own track
from just wets of Dolton to the IC just south of Riverdale, then over
the IC to Central Station.
Reorganized 7/6/1910 as Chesapeake and Ohio Railway of Indiana.
12/1/1910 began using the Erie from Hammond to State Line and the C&WI
to Dearborn. 3/1/1925 began using the Nickel Plate from a connecting
track somewhere between the Michigan Central crossing and State Line
to the IC south of Grand Crossing (connecting track shown on
http://70.121.38.224/Chicago%20Division/jpegs/113.jpg ) and the IC to
Central Station.
By 1945, service was cut back to Hammond, with transfers advertised to
the Monon, Erie or South Shore. Later stopped running altogether.
[railroad, search for "/1866"]
