What are the best places(accessiable,police leave you alone)to railfan NS' ex-Conrail Chicago Line in Indiana?
thanks,
Doug
Railfanning NS ex-Conrail Chicago Line
Elkhart Depot seems to be good.
SouthBend Arnold Street take a friend. NS and CN action as both line run parellel here double the fun.
Butler Indiana 2 NS line cross here.
Ogdan Dunes closer to Chicago. South Shore station. get South Shore commuters electrified and Freight, NS action with CSX trackage rights and CP trackage rights trains plus Michigan AMTKs and several of the eastcoast AMTKs,
I am currently working on a trip report from Ogdan Dunes to SouthBend
http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2293.
Also check out the trip report section as there are plent of pics there of this area.
Hope this helps if you have a specific area ask sombody should chime inwith info.
SouthBend Arnold Street take a friend. NS and CN action as both line run parellel here double the fun.
Butler Indiana 2 NS line cross here.
Ogdan Dunes closer to Chicago. South Shore station. get South Shore commuters electrified and Freight, NS action with CSX trackage rights and CP trackage rights trains plus Michigan AMTKs and several of the eastcoast AMTKs,
I am currently working on a trip report from Ogdan Dunes to SouthBend
http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2293.
Also check out the trip report section as there are plent of pics there of this area.
Hope this helps if you have a specific area ask sombody should chime inwith info.
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GreatLakesRailfan
- Railroadfan...fan
- Posts: 4828
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:28 am
- Location: Marysville, Michigan
Just saw this thread. There is at least one more place I can think of, downtown Chesterton (IN) has a parking lot that backs right up to the line. Spent probably 6 hours or more there last summer without being hassled once. Only problem is, when they have a festival or something (they had one two weeks ago), those parking spots "disappear".
Also, you might be able to find a park in New Carlisle (west of South Bend). I personally haven't bothered myself to get off of US20 through town, so I don't know for sure if there are any decent spots to watch there or not.
Additionally, it looks like there is a park in Laporte that backs up to the line as well. However, that comes from a Google map, not personal knowledge as I have no idea if it's publicly accessible or not.
As for the west end of Elkhart, there are a couple of accessible places. Personally, I've not been bothered yet, but there's no guarantee that no one will be bothered if they 'fan there. First, I'd kind of reccommend if you're in the mood for it, to drive alongside the Elkhart yard. Not so much for the great scenery- it's hard to see over the ROW next to the road- but for the fact that it's easier to describe were to stop at. Just west of the yard is a bridge. One of the other posters here has a spot somewhere near that bridge, but I personally haven't ventured back in there, so I can't vouch for it. However, there is a gazebo just a couple blocks west of there, right on the tracks, looks like a little park or something. Again, I've never bothered to stop there, so I don't know if you would be bothered there. A few blocks beyond that is a truck parking lot, corner of Beech and Lincolnway. There seem to be a couple parking lots that back up to the line through that area too. A few miles farther west is an Applebees that backs right up to the line. At least their parking lot does. Probably about another mile or so east, there is a private road that runs right along the ROW. Not much traffic on it, I've been able to pull over to get shots of trains here. About a mile and a half or more beyond the Applebees is a string of restaurants on the south side of the road- McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, etc. that serve two purposes. Great places to eat (fast food anyway), but more importantly, a landmark. Take the side street next to Taco Bell (I think). It goes to a dirt road (again, I think- it's been a couple days since I've been down there). Take the dirt road to the east, about one block. There should be a large, usually empty parking lot. The building the parking lot is attached to is a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting place. I've never had a problem parking here, but usually I know there is a train in the area. Once or twice, I've been waiting for a westbound and had an eastbound pass by as well. Beyond this point, your next best bet is in downtown Mishawaka. There is a hobby shop a block west of Main Street (which is a block west of the 'express' route through town, Church, I think). You could park in their parking lot, for a few minutes anyway, and when the action dies off, check out the selection (I wasn't impressed the one time I was in there- it was mainly HO and I model in N). Be forewarned though that the same building that houses the hobby shop also houses the St. Joe Valley RR club (or something like that, it's a HO scale club I think). From what I've heard, they welcome visitors, but I've never had a chance to visit them.
For what it's worth, in South Bend, on the east end of the joint line, there is a park that backs up to the line, just after CN runs into the line. There is street parking on the south side of the line (can't remember street names here, it's behind Ivy Tech though) and the park runs north to the embankment the line sits on. Lots of action here, and a couple benches that look like they'd be good to sit on. Also, as bad as I've heard the area used to be, it really appears to have been cleaned up and rebuilt in the recent past.
Hope this helps somewhat, even though the question was asked a while back.
Also, you might be able to find a park in New Carlisle (west of South Bend). I personally haven't bothered myself to get off of US20 through town, so I don't know for sure if there are any decent spots to watch there or not.
Additionally, it looks like there is a park in Laporte that backs up to the line as well. However, that comes from a Google map, not personal knowledge as I have no idea if it's publicly accessible or not.
As for the west end of Elkhart, there are a couple of accessible places. Personally, I've not been bothered yet, but there's no guarantee that no one will be bothered if they 'fan there. First, I'd kind of reccommend if you're in the mood for it, to drive alongside the Elkhart yard. Not so much for the great scenery- it's hard to see over the ROW next to the road- but for the fact that it's easier to describe were to stop at. Just west of the yard is a bridge. One of the other posters here has a spot somewhere near that bridge, but I personally haven't ventured back in there, so I can't vouch for it. However, there is a gazebo just a couple blocks west of there, right on the tracks, looks like a little park or something. Again, I've never bothered to stop there, so I don't know if you would be bothered there. A few blocks beyond that is a truck parking lot, corner of Beech and Lincolnway. There seem to be a couple parking lots that back up to the line through that area too. A few miles farther west is an Applebees that backs right up to the line. At least their parking lot does. Probably about another mile or so east, there is a private road that runs right along the ROW. Not much traffic on it, I've been able to pull over to get shots of trains here. About a mile and a half or more beyond the Applebees is a string of restaurants on the south side of the road- McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, etc. that serve two purposes. Great places to eat (fast food anyway), but more importantly, a landmark. Take the side street next to Taco Bell (I think). It goes to a dirt road (again, I think- it's been a couple days since I've been down there). Take the dirt road to the east, about one block. There should be a large, usually empty parking lot. The building the parking lot is attached to is a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting place. I've never had a problem parking here, but usually I know there is a train in the area. Once or twice, I've been waiting for a westbound and had an eastbound pass by as well. Beyond this point, your next best bet is in downtown Mishawaka. There is a hobby shop a block west of Main Street (which is a block west of the 'express' route through town, Church, I think). You could park in their parking lot, for a few minutes anyway, and when the action dies off, check out the selection (I wasn't impressed the one time I was in there- it was mainly HO and I model in N). Be forewarned though that the same building that houses the hobby shop also houses the St. Joe Valley RR club (or something like that, it's a HO scale club I think). From what I've heard, they welcome visitors, but I've never had a chance to visit them.
For what it's worth, in South Bend, on the east end of the joint line, there is a park that backs up to the line, just after CN runs into the line. There is street parking on the south side of the line (can't remember street names here, it's behind Ivy Tech though) and the park runs north to the embankment the line sits on. Lots of action here, and a couple benches that look like they'd be good to sit on. Also, as bad as I've heard the area used to be, it really appears to have been cleaned up and rebuilt in the recent past.
Hope this helps somewhat, even though the question was asked a while back.