Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad
The Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad (reporting mark CKIN) is a Class III short-line railroad operating 33 miles (53 km) of rail line in northwestern Indiana. From the town of La Crosse, lines run northwest to the Porter County town of Malden, southeast to the Starke County towns of English Lake and North Judson, and northeast through La Porte County past Thomaston and Hanna to Wellsboro. The railroad is owned by the Town of North Judson and operated under lease by the Indiana Boxcar Corporation.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | LaCrosse, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | CKIN |
| Locale | Indiana |
| Dates of operation | 2004– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Chesapeake and Indiana is mostly used for transporting grain from rural elevators to the mainline railroad systems. The railroad interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Thomaston and CSX at Wellsboro. The railroad moved only 700 cars on startup in 2004, having increased that to 3,000 cars by 2011, with growth expected in the coming years. When the railroad first started, the only connection with a Class I was in Wellsboro, IN with the CSX. The C&I and NS will soon build a connection in Thomaston to allow more cars per year and competitive shipping rates between the two Class I's.
Rail tours are also operated on the C&I line by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, starting in North Judson and running to English Lake.