NS Line at North Shore Drive and St. Joseph River July 19 2003 #19
Rescans of earlier, lower resolution images.
I took this series of photos on a hot July day when there was an effort to reopen this former NYC line as a shortline called the South Bend Railway to resume coal deliveries by rail to the University of Notre Dame from a connection on South Bend's southwest side to the NS mainline. This line at one time was a beltline that NYC, and later, PC and Conrail, used to access industries all the way up to Niles, MI, as well as delivering coal to Notre Dame and St. Mary's College.
It is hard to pin down when the last train used these tracks but immediately after NS took over Conrail it stopped service on this line and forced ND to instead truck coal from a new transload location on the south side of South Bend to campus.
Within just a few years of neglect and lack of use the ROW already took on a jungle like appearance with brush taking over, especially invasive Japanese knotweed on the western end of this sequence. These tracks have since been removed. West of the bridge over the St. Joseph River this line is now the Coal Line Trail.
NS Line at North Shore Drive and St. Joseph River July 19 2003 #19
Rescans of earlier, lower resolution images.
I took this series of photos on a hot July day when there was an effort to reopen this former NYC line as a shortline called the South Bend Railway to resume coal deliveries by rail to the University of Notre Dame from a connection on South Bend's southwest side to the NS mainline. This line at one time was a beltline that NYC, and later, PC and Conrail, used to access industries all the way up to Niles, MI, as well as delivering coal to Notre Dame and St. Mary's College.
It is hard to pin down when the last train used these tracks but immediately after NS took over Conrail it stopped service on this line and forced ND to instead truck coal from a new transload location on the south side of South Bend to campus.
Within just a few years of neglect and lack of use the ROW already took on a jungle like appearance with brush taking over, especially invasive Japanese knotweed on the western end of this sequence. These tracks have since been removed. West of the bridge over the St. Joseph River this line is now the Coal Line Trail.