NS Marion Branch, and a great place to study

Students at Goshen, IN College wait for a train to pass so they can get to class. The campus is bisected by the busy NS Marion Branch; I was there last week and took a few photos and gathered some information about how trains impact life at that school. It can be found on my blog at http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.com/

Looks like a great place to study!

John Longhurst, Winnipeg

My daughter attended Goshen her freshman year and lived in a dorm trackside. Her room was on the end next to the railroad. Very noisy when a train passed by.

At that time, they were considering erecting an overhead walkway but I've since read various postings about the proposed tunnel. I was always surprised that nothing had ever been done by the college to eliminate students and staff from having to cross tracks.

Is Marion on the same line as Muncie?

They seem to be close enough together to check out the new EMD-CAT plant. Progress Rail has an order from NS to build 4 more PR43C locos. 3 have been built so far. Look for the Cat logo on the battery box. Radiator section is flared like a SD45.

Not exactly, the Marion Branch runs between Goshen and Anderson, IN, but all the freight trains go around a wye at Alexandria, IN, onto a former NKP line for about 12 miles into Muncie. South of Alexandria, NS runs a local five days a week that goes to Indianapolis via CSX and interchanges cars at Hawthorne Yard.

Great plug for Goshen College. I graduated from there in 1981.

Trains were always just a part of life there. Students are constantly trying to beat them across the tracks at the pedestrian crossings there (not me, I always wanted to watch them). A good friend once tripped and fell doing this and barely rolled to the edge of the ballast in time to avoid being the first student hit. There have been at least two derailments on campus over the years. Penn Central derailed in the late sixties and dumped several hoppers of coal on the lawn. There was another one just a few years ago.

Some friends and I once carried a quadriplegic dorm floor mate, wheelchair and all, over the steps and platform of a caboose on a stopped north bound. This caboose was coupled right behind the locomotives instead of the end. The engine crew actually gave us the OK to cut across.

My own close call on campus came one night after dark. I was waiting for a very slow moving southbound to clear the pedestrian crossing. Most traffic moved about 30 mph or so but this one was crawling south at no more than 10, probably restricted speed. The train cleared and I started across the single track. Happening to glance north, I stared straight into the headlight of a second southbound train barely 50 yards behind the tail of the first one. You just don't expect another one *that* close. I quickly scuttled across and watched the second train follow the first down to CP Yost (1/2 mile south of campus) and stop there until the signal cleared. This was one experience that taught me to assume nothing around a railroad. I still wonder what on earth Conrail was up to that night.

The tunnel is coming ... major construction next week:

Goshen College figuring out how to handle public with RR underpass construction
http://etruth.com/article/20120626/NEWS01/706269952

GOSHEN — Independence Day is known for its fireworks displays, but this July 4 some people hope to see another interesting event in Goshen.

That’s the day a major part of the construction of the pedestrian underpass on the Goshen College campus will happen.

Starting late July 3, after the last train clears the tracks that cross the college, Norfolk Southern will have an-hour-and-a-half to lift the railroad tracks and haul them away, allowing for construction workers to dig and lower in precast structures to form the tunnel underpass, according to Glenn Gilbert, the college’s utilities manager and sustainability coordinator. Trains will not travel the track July 4, but, late in the day, Norfolk Southern will return and install the tracks in time for train traffic to return July 5.

. . .

Aguirre said that Thursday’s meeting will determine the public’s involvement with the July 4 project. They’ll figure out if and how facilities will be open then, what parking will be available and if the fence surrounding the current construction area will stay the same or be widened to provide a larger off-limits area, for example, Aguirre said.

There’s been discussion about setting up some bleachers for the day, but Aguirre said that, depending on where the fence surrounding the construction zone is, there may not be much people will be able to see anyway.

The college is also working out details for live camera footage of the construction of the tunnel.

Gilbert said the college doesn’t want to completely exclude people from the project, but, at the same time, “we don’t want to go out of our way to make it an event,” Gilbert said.

A webcast will be available at the following site:
http://www.goshen.edu/pr/underpass/

Trains will stop later today (Tuesday) and resume Thursday morning.