NS Chicago flexibillity.

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LakeATCS
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 625
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:37 am

NS Chicago flexibillity.

Unread post by LakeATCS »

All this has been happening in various posts below. But it is clear to me that NS has a goal with all the recent Chicago changes.

Trains from the various Chicago endpoints are no longer "locked into a route"

What I mean by this is, let's take for example Landers.
Trains for that yard were traditionally were locked into using the ex NKP to Fort Wayne. But not now. They can access the IHB at Indy and go up the Kankakee line to get up to 502.

This goes the other way. Despite crossing the ex NKP the Kanakee line had poor to no access to the NKP line. Now with an upgrade at East Hobart. This is possible.

It's been small smart projects over the last few years. But you can systematically see what they are doing. NS has three lines in from the east. And they have been making sure they all can get to the IHB, BRC, CN (EJ&E), Kankakee Line, Landers, Burnham, and both intermodal ramps on the Chicago line.

This is why you have been seeing the changes at Van Loon, Osborn, Indy, Tolleston, East Hobart, Marion Branch, Oak, and even the recent IHB work at Gibson.

This does have a downside. As if they get a traffic downturn. It will literally let them run the entire Chicago terminal off the Chicago Line. Leaving the NKP for Locals only and the CF&E with no NS trains.

Remember that the NS doesn't have the luxury of a direct to the south Chicago access like CSX does (C&EI). So the the traffic to the southeast must run east to access the lines to the Southeast.

CR900945
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 11:33 pm

Re: NS Chicago flexibillity.

Unread post by CR900945 »

Years ago, they (predecessor N&W) tore out the Wabash south of Manhattan in favor of trackage rights over the IC. Maybe it made sense at the time?

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