The end: For the Cincy-St Louis east end?

A couple of websites are reporting that CSX will file to abandon the east end of the ex-B&O Indiana Division between Aurora and North Vernon by the end of June.

Line would remain in place from North Vernon to Seymour to allow the Madison RR to connect to the L&I at the latter point.

Not mentioned, but surely the Seymour-Mitchell section would have to be under the gun as well.

Sad to see this line go, but the line east of Mitchell has almost no local traffic outside west of Aurora except right at Seymour. CSX has been able to coast on ROW work for several years, but I have to wonder if major trackwork is due. In addition, there are several large bridges on this line that are probably due for attention.

I'm pretty familiar with the Mitchell to Washington, IN portion of this line. Track in this area was 50 MPH until a few years ago, now 40 MPH and slow orders in many places. CSX runs trains up from Louisville on the southern end of the former Monon.

I think there about 6 trains a day between Washington-Mitchell-Louisville(Monon), with only 1-2 that normally operate Cincy-St.Louis. CSX has deferred maintenance on this line and you can't help but wonder what this may tell about its future.

The former Monon track from Louisville to Mitchell is in poor shape, too. While it is definitely "cool" to still see semaphores and spring switches in use, it does not bode well for this connector line to the former B&O that CSX is spending no money other than what is absolutely necessary to maintain day to day operations. There are also virtually no online industries on the former Monon, either, meaning there would be little interest by a regional or shortline to buy either one.

I hope I am wrong, but right now the future doesn't appear bright for either of these lines.

There is a sizeable cement plant at Mitchell that ships by rail ( they're my client in non-rail-related field).

Does CP still operate south of Bedford into Louisville? If nothing else, I think the military would want to keep the line from Crane south to Louisville as an outlet to the east.

I'm pretty sure CP rail still operates south of Bedford. I saw several CP trains at various times on the former Monon near New Albany, IN. back in the winter.

Last year CP operated a special Kentucky Derby train over this route into Louisville. I'm not exactly sure where it originated but I believe maybe Minnesota, a pretty long haul for a derby special. There are several good photos of this train at www.railpictures.net .

It seems funny to me that CP still uses trackage rights from Soo,Milwaukee Road roughly three decades later on a line that seems quite unimportant to everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see 20 trains a day over the old Monon and B&O St. Louis-Cincy route.