New Albany to Mitchell

[David Longest]

I was in New Albany today early enough to catch this interchange CSX at the old Pillsbury location, now Sazerac Co.  Is there any rail action on the Mitchell to New Albany section besides here?

[Mark Johnson]

I subscribe to the Orleans Progress-Examiner and I have seen nothing substantive about the railroad in quite some time. There has been a tiny amount of chatter about a rail-trail in the Orleans - Salem area, and somewhere or other (newspaper or rumor mill) I remember hearing that CSX would be pulling up the rails sometime in 2022. For whatever reason, they don't seem to be in any hurry.

The only 'action' seems to be the almost unbearable excitement of watching the rails rust, the weeds grow, and the ties rot. Very sad. I have lots of good memories of heavy freights rumbling through the area, although I haven't lived there since 1978.

Mark J
Columbia MO - but part owner of a farm near Leipsic, straddling the Monon

[David Longest]

I reported this spring that the siding in New Albany MP316, at Hoosier Panel (factory now a park) had been removed.  I also asked whether other communities toward Salem, Michell had seen sidings removed, but received no response there. I believe this switch at Sazerac Co. (was Pillsbury) is the only current action between NA and Mitchell, but not positive.

[Mark Johnson]

Sidings at Orleans, Fogg, and Smedley have been removed as far as I know. There aren't many others - Campbellsburg was relatively short (30 or so cars) and may have been gone before abandonment.

Mark J
Columbia MO

[David Longest]

Sounds like a lot is happening with the removal of trackage from New Albany to Bedford. In NA, tracks have been removed north of Mt. Tabor Road; have not checked on how far north.  Will try to get out towards St. Joseph area to check that.  Jim Craig mentioned that tracks have been removed in Bedford and I saw on Facebook work being done at Borden.  Have others seen this action and where?

Thanks, David

[David Longest]

Did get out today and much of Borden trackage removal has been begun.  New Albany tracks have been removed to 6 mile switch. 

[David Longest]

I did drive from New Albany to Pekin March 29, and The trackage in Pekin looks undisturbed   The photos attached are of Borden.
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[David Longest]

I would like an update on which communities on the Monon line from New Albany to Mitchell have seen the tracks and ties removed recently.  Photos would be helpful also.  Curious about Salem, Mitchell, Campbellsburg, Orleans, especially.  I was able to drive last week to Borden and saw those changes. 

[Mark Johnson]

Jim Craig sent me some photographs from Saltillo and Leipsic - rails have been ripped up in both places as of 3/25. At that time, the main through Orleans was still intact - the passing track, of course, was long gone.

Mark J

[George Lortz]

The removal of track and the abandonment of railroad right-of-ways is rampant in the US today.  It appears to be simply a way for the railroads to avoid tax payments.  It's my understanding that the property supposedly reverts back to the original citizens  (assuming they can be found) who owned the property before the Right of Eminent Domain legislation was enacted.

If so, what a short-sighted approach.  Those right-of-ways should be an invaluable asset to the federal, state or local governments involved and could be much more useful than simply being used as rails-to-trails.  How about owning the property and not taxing yourself?  Remember the high-speed commuter services that have been proposed frequently with little success?

At any rate, it seems that the Europeans got it right and we still haven't a got a clue.

Well, so much for that soap box discussion.

George L.

[David Longest]

It appears that the former track bed wil be ugly for some time. From where is the money coming to clean and dress the destroyed rail beds?

[Mark Johnson]

David Longest wrote:
>It appears that the former track bed will be ugly for some time. From where is the money coming to clean and dress the destroyed rail beds?

That is the $29 million question. I assume that it will be paid for out of the funding for the trail. At this point, nothing is happening yet, although there is some talk of upgrading the right of way from 'abandoned rail bed' to 'walking trail' in some of the towns along the way. In the meantime, I fully expect the rural parts of the line to end up as ballast gravel with really healthy weeds and trees growing up through it, before any significant trail construction gets done. [That said, there are some places around Leipsic where some very tasty asparagus grows wild on the roadbed, but they are on private property and I'm not telling...]

CSX is 'out of the picture' as far as that company is concerned; at least in Orange County they have filed quit-claim actions to abandon any interest in the right of way. I'm certain they will tell you they have no further responsibility for the line - but whether the courts will agree is another question. I am not a lawyer; I leave that to the professionals.

When I was in the Mitchell area last month, the rails and ties were gone, except in the road crossings - at least, that was true from Saltillo to Mitchell. Apparently there's no urgency (or maybe no funds) for InDOT to repave the road crossings - although I assume that within the towns it will be mostly local responsibility, perhaps with InDOT subsidy. As I am not an Indiana resident (landowner yes, legal resident no), I don't have ready access to those operations.

Mark J
Columbia MO.