I know that CR had shifted most of its traffic to the old NYC. Why didn't they just rip up the old PRR, or even shortline it? It seems strange that it would be sold to the top competitor. The NKP was roughly parallel anyway.
I wonder if part of Conrail keeping that line had to do more with the PAX operations than anything. If
I remember right, Amtrak still ran the "Broadway" via Ft. Wayne until around 1990 or so and also there
was a shuttle between Valparaiso, IN and Chicago back and forth at least on the weekdays. It seems after
the Broadway was re-routed that's when CR downgraded the line and deactivated the signals, etc.
So that makes me assume CR was getting dollars elsewhere (AMTK, et al) to keep this line intact as
long as they did.
Charlie