Waterloo, Indiana

Overview

Waterloo is located about 25 miles north of Fort Wayne in central De Kalb Co. along US Highway 6. The line running through here is the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line between Cleveland and Chicago. This route connects Chicago with major cities in the East Coast and competes with the nearby CSX line to the south. In the left photo we are looking west towards the signal bridge at CP 367, which is a double crossover point. The bridge in the background is Interstate 69. In the right photo the former New York Central depot sits on the north side of the tracks much lower than the rails.

Operations

There are 4 Amtrak trains per day through here (2 in the morning and 2 at night), all of which stop at the Waterloo platform. There used to be an Amtrak crew base here across from the platform but it was moved to Toledo in the Fall of 2000. Freight traffic through Waterloo is busy. NS routes the majority of their mail/intermodal trains this way, as well as many manifest freights. The best times seem to be in the morning.

Amtrak Trains At Waterloo, Indiana - schedules.

Historical Aspects

At one time the New York Central (Fort Wayne & Jackson Railroad) crossed just west of where the present Amtrak platform is. Nothing is left of it in Waterloo today except for a slight trace of the grade.

Taken in February 1956, this is looking north on the Fort Wayne & Jackson
Railroad at Waterloo, IN. The crossing diamonds and the tower are just beyond
the train. Special thanks to Eric Zerkle for supplying this photo!

The original New York Central station has been relocated a few hundred yards east of the Amtrak platform and is used by the town for various events.
The Amtrak platform and shelter were constructed in 1990 when the Capitol Limited was re-routed through here to try and continue train service with Fort Wayne. The same was done at Garrett, Indiana. Initially, Amtrak had bus service between here and Fort Wayne and the platform area was constructed basically for this purpose. The buses would arrive/depart in conjunction with the Amtrak trains. Today the buses are no more and Fort Wayne residents must drive themselves up here to board trains.

Frequencies

160.800 MHz - Norfolk Southern (Toledo-West dispatcher)

Note: The dispatcher antennas on this part of the line are directional so unless you are fairly close to the tracks, you will only hear the train transmissions.

Hotbox Detectors

NS 360.5, about 6 miles east. [MP3 format, 74K, 12 sec.]

Other

Even though there is a line painted on the platform it is best to stay completely off of the platform when any trains are approaching. It makes train crews very nervous if you stand on the platform!
Did you know that The Dream Academy, who are best known for the song Life In A Northern Town, wrote a song about trains called Waterloo? It was of course not written about Waterloo, Indiana (probably Belgium) but it is still somewhat befitting out here in rural Indiana.

Pictures/Audio

NS 3325, a lone SD40-2, demonstrates that it's not just the GE's that smoke as it struggles pulling a container train westbound past the Waterloo station on June 28, 2000. When I saw this train approaching several miles in the distance, it resembled a steam locomotive.

Amtrak 49 arrives at the Waterloo station in the strong morning sun of May 26, 1999. The power is a P42B #51 and an ex-Florida Fun Train F40PH, #358. In the first photo, it's easy to see the difference in the height of the P40 vs. the F40.

#51 has a couple of fouled horns on its whistle. [MP3 Format, 247K, 29 sec.]

An eastbound Norfolk Southern stack train speeds past the Waterloo Amtrak platform in the fading sunset on October 31, 1999.

A westbound double-stack races through Waterloo on track 1. The platform lights make for good nighttime videos.

On a very cold February 13, 1997 Amtrak #49 arrives in the morning at Waterloo led by F40PH #228. In a few short months most F40's would become secondary power for Amtrak.

A nice sounding Nathan P5 horn on #228 is sounded at the Wayne and Center St. crossings. [MP3, 457K, 55 sec.]

NS 1407 leads the local from Bryan (formerly called WDBR) west through Waterloo on December 9, 1999. The power is an ex-Conrail GP15-1 which was recently repainted in NS colors.

If nothing else, the S3L horn gives away that this was once a Conrail unit. [MP3 Format, 229K, 27 sec]

Long live the F40's!! On May 24, 2000 Amtrak 49 crosses Wayne St., arriving at the Waterloo station. In the lead is venerable F40PH #245. Amtrak has since retired most of its F40 fleet.

A nicely matched trio of former Conrail power pulls an eastbound Norfolk Southern manifest past the Waterloo station platform in early morning sunlight. May 24, 2000.

Passing beneath the CP 367 eastward signal bridge and easing up to the Waterloo platform on track 1 is Amtrak #44, the eastbound Pennsylvanian, which no longer operates through Waterloo. May 24, 2000.

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