IORY - Delta, OH

[rail_watcher]

I was down in Delta over the weekend and finally made time to drive around and explore the IORY. I noticed that along the south side of the NS Chicago Line, from County Road 10, there appears to be new track being laid to the east, going towards the IORY yard. Are they extending their yard, or is something else going in there?

[redside20]

Yes what your seeing is the rebirth of the little yard that served as an exchange or swap yard all those years ago with the rebuilding of the yard. Most of stub tracks were so bad for those years the iory put them out of service and along with relaying track for the part that ns or gtw tore out in 1989-91 being put back in except for the lead that lead back out to the wabash because theres nothing their nowadays unfortunately as we know it. but at the least the yard gets a new lease on life as funds that were granted five years ago are just now recently been distributed.

[rail_watcher]

Yes what your seeing is the rebirth of the little yard that served as an exchange or swap yard all those years ago with the rebuilding of the yard. Most of stub tracks were so bad for those years the iory put them out of service and along with relaying track for the part that ns or gtw tore out in 1989-91 being put back in except for the lead that lead back out to the wabash because theres nothing their nowadays unfortunately as we know it. but at the least the yard gets a new lease on life as funds that were granted five years ago are just now recently been distributed.

Awesome! What businesses in Delta does IORY do switching for? I’m assuming NS so does some of them?

[AARR]

Check out the Wiki for the complete list: https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/Indiana_%26_Ohio

The Andersons Metamora Grain Elevator Covered Hoppers
Nova Steel Delta Structural Steel Tubing Steel Coil Cars/Gondolas
Fulton County Processing Delta Steel Processing Steel Coil Cars/Gondolas
BlueScope Recycling Delta Scrap Metal & Anthracite Dust Transload Gondolas/Covered Hoppers Formerly MetalX.
North Star BlueScope Steel Delta Steel Mill Steel Coil Cars/Gondolas Jointly served with NS. Inbound metal scrap and pig iron and outbound steel coils.
Pretium Leipsic Plastic Containers Covered Hoppers Formerly Patrick Products.
Silgan Plastics Ottawa Rigid Plastic Containers Covered Hoppers
Steel Technologies Ottawa Steel Processing Steel Coil Cars

They also switch the ADBF in Riga and CN in Flat Rock interchanges.

[chapmaja]

Are they going to be reinstalling access between the IORY yard and NS or just extending the stub tracks father west in the yard?

[MSchwiebert]

I've seen nothing to indicate that the NS/I&O connection is going back in. There's not really a need for it either.  

Are they going to be reinstalling access between the IORY yard and NS or just extending the stub tracks father west in the yard?

[rail_watcher]

Does anyone know their latest schedule for the Delta crews run up to Flat Rock and back? Also, a buddy of mine saw them using two of the new GE’s on that run recently.

[redside20]

Does anyone know their latest schedule for the Delta crews run up to Flat Rock and back? Also, a buddy of mine saw them using two of the new GE’s on that run recently.

Supposedly a new train symbol L231 but the operation remains the same. An every other day operation say, two to three days a week.

[rail_watcher]

I now live out of state, but come back to MI periodically to visit family. I just noticed that the SW side of the tracks have been clearcut of brush from the OH/MI state line up to at least County Line Hwy, in the Blissfield/Deerfield/Riga, MI area. Could be further in each direction, but that's all I've seen. I know there's a gas pipeline that parallels the tracks there, as well. Is G&W doing this clear cutting or is it being done by the pipeline company?

[chapmaja]

I can say for sure, but my guess is the gas pipeline company. We have an easement on our property that the pipeline company cleared out a few years ago. They completely cleared everything out when they did it, including trees that were partially overhanging the easement.

[rail_watcher]

I can say for sure, but my guess is the gas pipeline company. We have an easement on our property that the pipeline company cleared out a few years ago. They completely cleared everything out when they did it, including trees that were partially overhanging the easement.

I thought of that, too, but wasn’t sure. It’s weird because they cleared it from the tracks out towards the fields, but stopped within a couple feet of the pipeline signs. Seems weird to go so far on one side yet stop so close on the other.

[chapmaja]

so, looking at Google Maps, it appears that the Delta Yard expansion / rebuild by the IORY is now pretty much complete as of June 2024, so it is likely completed by now.

The rebuilt yard has the following rough layout.

From County Road 10 on the west end of the yard, the line roughly follows the ROW that used to be the connection to the Wabash line. This stops just east of the road. The single lead track is approximately 214 feet from the nearest switch to the end of the yard. The yard then spreads out to 3 tracks wide for approximately 1300 feet, before a 4th track, closest to the NS line comes off. It is 4 tracks wide for about 2500 feet, before they all come back together for the yard lead up the hill to the IORY Mainline.

My question is how will north bound operations from the yard work? With the crew move to the west end of the yard, back their train out of the yard up the hill onto the mainline, then head north? Or will they pull out of the yard onto the main, and do the roughly 2.5 mile runaround of their train? Or will the train simply be built up on the passing siding and avoid using the yard altogether?

[chapmaja]

I've seen nothing to indicate that the NS/I&O connection is going back in. There's not really a need for it either.  

Are they going to be reinstalling access between the IORY yard and NS or just extending the stub tracks father west in the yard?

From what I have read, there are some unit trains (grain) that do get interchanged between the IORY and NS at Delta. Those trains simply use the connection on the north side that runs to the Blue Scope Yard.