Napoleon, Defiance and Western: The Definitive Thread

[JoJames]

I am not through Liberty Center very often but living close. I would say no as there is and or was storage cars east of Napoleon.

[jimnorthwood]

I wonder if the diamond will be left in, or removed until the next time ND&W needs to make a run to LC. I think the cars are loaded with used firebrick from the steel mill in Delta.

[MSchwiebert]

I was through LC earlier today, and even though there haven't been any cars since at least before the last snow, the diamond is still in, based on the southbound approach signal on the DT&I side being active. Now that it's in again, I can't see it being worth the hassle of doing anything other than leaving it alone. It's certainly not going to get worn out from use on either the I&O or the ND&W....

[OSRR]

Would anyone happen to have a list of the industries that are served?

[MSchwiebert]

Regarding industries served, I'll give it a shot (I'll probably miss a few along the way that others will fill in)

From West to East

Woodburn Indiana - has a fertilizer plant (the elevator and the tire plant are on trackage retained by NS)

Antwerp OH - Grain Elevator

Cecil/Paulding OH (reached via a remnant of the Cincinnati Northern) - LaFarge (cement)/Systech (inbound product for fueling the kilns)

Defiance, - Johns Manville (one of two plants in town, not sure if the other gets cars or not)

Okalona - Grain Elevator

Napoleon - Oldcastle, ADS Tile, Interstate Cold Storage, Meadowbrook Meat.

Track is back in service all the way to LC now, but there are not currently any active customers on that segment.

[jimnorthwood]

That small bio-diesel place with the tanks that is adjacent to the yard in Defiance (I think it is bio-diesel?) started getting rail service a couple of years ago, I believe. I don't know whether they still do today or not.

Does the elevator in Jewell get service?

[JoJames]

Okalona would be the feed mill that gets the service. Grain elevator at Okalona and Jewell are both part of Jewell Grain. Not sure if they ship grain at Jewell anymore. Jewell grain is a third owner in the storage tanks of nitrogen located at Stanley Elevator that receives service from CSX and is trucked to Jewell. Not sure if any dry fertilizer is received at Jewell.

[OSRR]

Defiance, - Johns Manville (one of two plants in town, not sure if the other gets cars or not)

I take it this is the industry between 5th and 3rd street? Google maps doesn't list a name.

That small bio-diesel place with the tanks that is adjacent to the yard in Defiance (I think it is bio-diesel?) started getting rail service a couple of years ago, I believe. I don't know whether they still do today or not.

Does the elevator in Jewell get service?

The small row of fuel tanks beside the yard? Anyone know how often they receive cars?

Also, on google maps, there's cars at the elevator at Okolona.

[AARR]

I think a block of gondola's were spotted there recently and unloaded. Someone speculated it might be fire brick for a local steel company.

Track is back in service all the way to LC now, but there are not currently any active customers on that segment.

[MSchwiebert]

Yes, Manville is the plant between 5th and 3rd street in town. The other Manville plant is to the east (along the ND&W) a mile or two (east of Defiance College).

The line east of Napoleon is kind of an odd deal, it is back in service but as far as I can tell there has only been one set of gondolas spotted in LC since then. Triple Diamond plastics used to get covered hoppers back in the Indiana Hi-Rail days, but hasn't since.

[jimnorthwood]

There is also a siding that leads into a small scrapyard near Jewell, but I've never seen them service it. Not sure if MAW or IHRC used to do so. Per Pioneer's 2013 annual report the ND&W moved about 2,000 cars that year.

[AlcoGuy]

I worked this line for a time in the early 90s during my Hi-Rail days and recall a plant in Defiance named Shuler. Is this still in operation, or is that now Johns Manville?

[JoJames]

Schuller and Johns Manville would be the same. The plant on northeast side of defiance does not receive rail service at this time. Okalona Iron and Metal is located on the former Davis Farm Services facility that relieved inbound fertilizer at one time. Scrapyard has been approached by the railroad about being serviced and has not done so far at this time.

[OSRR]

Google maps seems to have updated the area.

Although I don't know the date of which the new images were taken, the quarry south of Cecil has what appears to be a string of 2 bay covered hoppers. Anyone know what they would've been doin down there?

[AARR]

Lafarge is/was loading cement. Perhaps those covered hoppers are for them.

Google maps seems to have updated the area.

Although I don't know the date of which the new images were taken, the quarry south of Cecil has what appears to be a string of 2 bay covered hoppers. Anyone know what they would've been doin down there?

[wildcatsa1fan]

Currently not loading any cement at the plant. When shipping season starts you should start to see the older gravity feed hoppers get some use. Although with the lafarge holcim merger there is talk of closing the terminal that we supply. The pressure diff cars will be leaving the area as we no longer produce oil well cement to ship. So rail for us maybe at a stand still in the coming year. We r all kinda holding breaths to see how merger shakes out

[OSRR]

Currently not loading any cement at the plant. When shipping season starts you should start to see the older gravity feed hoppers get some use. Although with the lafarge holcim merger there is talk of closing the terminal that we supply. The pressure diff cars will be leaving the area as we no longer produce oil well cement to ship. So rail for us maybe at a stand still in the coming year. We r all kinda holding breaths to see how merger shakes out

Thanks for the info.

[MSchwiebert]

There's another cut of gondolas in Liberty Center today. I was able to see that the cars are inbound loads of used refractory brick. There's a company in Delta Ohio (http://www.ghacorp.net/products.html) that recycles that product. Why they chose LC & the ND&W instead of say, NS in Delta proper I'm not sure.

[bluestreak81]

Someone please take a picture of the rail activity in Liberty Center of you could.

[jallenp7]

maybe Better Rates from CSX? also, they are not on a rail line, but appears Liberty Center is closer and may get better service from NDW.