successor Chessie System was reconfig- uring Queensgate Yard in Cincinnati. The former C&O’s steep approach via Cheviot Hill was to be abandoned and all traffic would be rerouted via the B&O to a connection at Cottage Grove. Much revenue for the Chessie System and later CSX, would be generated hauling contaminated soil from Fer- nald, where uranium was processed during the Cold War era. After the facil- ity closed, the Department of Energy was required to haul out massive quan- tities of contaminated soil by rail during remediation. As the clean- up wound down CSX looked to spin off this now marginal line. Enter the Indiana East- ern Railroad.
Indiana Eastern Operations The Indiana Eastern began opera-
tions in 2005 with a pair of Geeps, painted in an Illinois Terminal inspired scheme. Service is provided weekdays, and a crew reports for duty in the morning hours at the IERR office locat- ed in Cottage Grove, Ind. As with most
short lines, service is provided as need- ed, with crews working south one day to the chemical facilities located south of Cottage Grove at Fernald. However, the regular tonnage consists of coal trains delivered from the Indiana Rail- road, via the CSX connection at Cot- tage Grove for the Richmond Power & Light facility on the south side of Rich- mond, Ind. It soon became apparent the Geeps
were not up to the task of delivering the coal trains. Enter the Algers, Winslow & Western’s four SD-9s, originally built for the Central of Georgia; the six-axle units became available when the AW&W was acquired by NS in 2007. The 205 and 206 were placed into IERR service at Cottage Grove in full AW&W paint, while the 203 and 204 were placed in service at Respondek Rails’ Squaw Creek Southern operation in
RIGHT: The Indiana Eastern pulls north from the siding at Cottage Grove behind SD-9s Nos. 205 and 206. BELOW: IERR No. 206 leads loaded gondolas through the interchange at Cottage Grove.
30 AUGUST 2013 •
RAILFAN.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70