the Erie and Standard Oil

Does anyone know anything about the history of a parcel, currently for sale, that was once known as Lomax Station on the old Erie line where it crossed the Kankakee River in Indiana? My research suggests that, somewhat contrary to the information provided by the owner, that the line came through in the early 1880's, and that there had not been a line there prior to that. I'm wondering whether anyone might confirm the timeline. Was the Erie built entirely new at that point, or were parts of it cobbled together from existing right of way (making it possible that the buildings there might go back to the 1850's, as he says)?

It looks to me like Lomax was a landowner who owned a bottling business in Chicago. Nothing that I've seen suggests Lomax had a bottling plant or any other commercial concern in Indiana. A quarter mile away was the Standard Oil pumping station for a lamp-oil pipeline. And in nostalgic blurring the Lomax Station name has now become attached to this area, not the old Lomax property where the "station" was located. How long was this pipeline (note that it was built primarily along the Erie line, so this is a relevant question, though it may not immediately seem like it)? And how many pumping stations were required. Did each pumping station have it's own rail station? And if so, why would the one here be located on Lomax's land, at some distance from the pumping facility itself?

Or, if anyone has any other interesting stories about the Erie line near the Kankakee River, I'd be interested to hear them.

I don't know, but Standad Oil had an oil pipeline along the east end of the Erie as well. I was always under the impression it ran from the oilfields of western PA to the NYC metro area. Perhaps there was anotehr pipeline out west, or perhaps the entire Erie was parelleled by pipelines, pumpin both east to NY and west to the midwest?? Interesting, this is the first I've heard of a pipeline west of PA.

Thanks for the response. I've found some interesting stuff about this portion of the line on the internet, though very little that directly relates to Lomax Station. There are aerial views from the time when the former pumping facility had become a church summer camp. Property tax maps from the 1890's and from the 1920's.

I'm headed there again on Sunday. I'm going to have a better look at the right of way this time, and see if anything turns up.