Elkhart and Western Railroad

The Elkhart & Western Railroad Co. (reporting mark EWR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, is a Class III short-line railroad operating three unconnected lines in northern Indiana. The first, the Elkhart Branch, is in and around the city of Elkhart in Elkhart County, the second, the Argos Branch, radiates from Argos in Marshall County, and the third, the Monon Branch, operating from Monon to Monticello in White County.

Pioneer Railcorp (reporting mark PREX) created the Elkhart & Western Railroad, on May 1, 2001, from a 10-mile (16 km) stretch of the Michigan Southern Railroad. The Elkhart Branch begins at its junction with the Norfolk Southern Railway near the center of Elkhart, then crosses the St. Joseph River which it follows westward, and finally ends on the northeast side of Mishawaka, in neighboring St. Joseph County.

Freight hauled on the E&W Elkhart line consists mainly of plastic flakes, lumber, paper and cement. Freight hauled on the E&W Argos lines consists of mainly scrap iron, paper, plastic pellets, and lime, with the addition of storage car holding.

In January 2018 CSX sold 9.58 miles of track running from Monon to Monticello to E&W. Operations began in August serving the only customer on the line, Monticello farm service.[1]