Norfolk & Western J 4-8-4 No 611

[Notch 8]

Crossing the GR&I on Lake Erie & Western in Swinney Park Fort Wayne Indiana photo taken July 26 1987 by Skip Sassmannshausen

[Bob Durnell]

I feel stupid for not knowing this, but there was an interchange track at Park? Did PC/Conrail use this to access the FW&J before it was connected to the GR&I at Runnion?

[Hotbox]

there was an interchange track at Park?

I believe Craig and i have discussed this before here in this forum somewhere. He's got a record showing some obscure paper company owning a short section of track just north of Junction, and I believe it is this track right here that is that track.

I recall back in the 196Os seeing the circus train parked on the FW&J west of Wells street, and I suspect that this connection was how it got there.

[Notch 8]

So was this aka Muncie Crossing Jct. ? Did not look like the interchange track saw much activity..

[D.L.]

It was known as Junction, PRR tower was Junction Tower. A baggage car w/over a million in postage was once left there overnight. Oh boy, did the guards ever keep an eye on her!

[Wayne Gest]

So was this aka Muncie Crossing Jct. ? Did not look like the interchange track saw much activity..

I was thinking that Hugo was once known as Muncie Crossing or Muncie Junction or something similar.

[Hotbox]

here is an aerial showing cars standing on this interchange connection.

http://contentdm.acpl.lib.in.us/cdm/sin ... l6/id/7266

[cjberndt]

The GR&I/FW&J diamond that 611 is sitting on in the photo above was Muncie Crossing.

I don't remember a discussion about a paper company owning track north of Junction. At one time, GR&I owned the land north of Junction on which its track and the FW&J's track were located.

Craig

[D.L.]

I believe that was the L.E.&W. there, not the NYC. Thus-Muncie Crossing...thanks Craig for the info-always right on.

[Hotbox]

I don't remember a discussion about a paper company owning track north of Junction.

Craig

'

It was during one of our prior discussions about how far south FW&J/NYC ownership of the line went. You were checking your sources and mentioned that it seemed curious that some named entity was additionally shown to own fractional mileage just to the north side of Junction .

I speculated that it might have been this connector. ( "Paper company" is my term, because the entity named was not one of the major players I recognize)

Wish I could find the post, but my searches have turned up nothing.

[cjberndt]

Hotbox:

Understood as to the paper company.

I still don't know which line originally owned the track north of Junction (PRR). As I mentioned before, the real estate under FW&J was owned by GR&I.

When ICC did its valuation in about 1916, it showed the track north of Junction in the FW&J/NYC valuation section. However, ICC's inclusion of the track in the NYC/FW&J valuation section may not be a guarantee that FW&J owned the track. I found a valuation map for a line in southern Indiana where ICC included part of a line owned by one company in the valuation section of another company. Not sure if that was an error or intentional.

Victor knows the answer to the track-ownership issue and will presumably include it in the FW&J book.

Craig

[D.L.]

The old heads @the NKP said ownership of NYC ended @ Runyon. NYC had rights to Junction, as well as on the NKP to Union Belt to access the industries on the belt like IH. That was my understanding, but I could be wrong.

[Bob Durnell]

I found this photo of Park I took dated 12/96. I didn't realize until now how easy it was to reroute the GR&I onto the LE&W until now, because even if the interchange track wasn't still there (was it?) the grade was there. A little track work, and instant line relocation.