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  • New Connector in Butler

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Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.

Moderator: railohio

 #20881  by railohio
 
I've heard rumblings from an NS employee that a new connector is to be built in Butler in the southwest quadrant to facilitate the movement of coal trains from Chicago to Steel Dynamics south of town. Supposedly NS owns all the land from behind the buildings on Rt. 1 all the way back to the diamond so there is plenty of room for construction. Has anybody else heard of this or is this just the latest 'office' gossip?

 #20914  by matt
 
Just please don't build that connection in the northwest quad. We want these trains in Toledo.

I believe participant Eric once said it was neighborhood opposition that kept NS from installing a connector here. Is this still the case?
 #21040  by cjberndt
 
Why would coal trains go to SDI?

 #21060  by Hoosierailnut
 
Eric here.
Yeah back in 1999 after the Conrail breakup NS wanted to put in a connector but negborhood opposition has made that desicion null and void.. For now..
If they did put it in the bowling alley and several houses would stand in the way..
The way i see it it wouldnt be a big deal to put it in since the angle that the old Wabash and the WLR cross is a sight angle so the only building in the way that ive seen would be the bowling alley. But i guess the people that live in that area dont want to sell out...

 #21062  by Hoosierailnut
 
oops i guess i should have read the post better!!!! LOL
The news on the connector in the SW quadrant is all news to me.. But the plans for a NW connector are dead i believe.. too many people dont want it!
Why would SDI want coal? They power their furnaces with electric power thus the huge power lines that go in a SW direction towards Allen county and a substation along I 69..

 #21092  by railohio
 
SDI is reportedly building their own power plant to serve their current facility as well as to the taconite processing plant they plan on building.

 #21120  by MR77100
 
When was the SE connector put it?
 #21353  by cjberndt
 
As of May 24, 2004, SDI is not aware of plans to build a coal-fired electric generator, nor of plans for an additional transfer track at Butler.

Yes, NS owns some 40-60 acres of land in the southwest quadrant of the diamond at Butler. The Wabash acquired it in 1901 to facilitate the construction of the mainline from Butler to New Haven, and for depot purposes.

The southwest quadrant at Butler is a pretty severe acute angle. It will be interesting to see how they construct a transfer track.

The transfer track in the southeast quadrant in Butler was built after the Conrail sale. In the STB filing the plan was for a transfer track in the northwest quadrant, but that was changed.

Craig Berndt

 #21766  by railohio
 
Must just be office gossip, then. You know how the railroad types are.

NS must be preparing to replace the diamonds in Butler in the not too distance, future. There is a selection of parts back by the diamond and yesterday when I was in town there was a swarm of NS trucks back there. Looked more like managers than actual workers, though.

 #22570  by Throttle_JCKY
 
I would have sworn the connection track was built before the Conrail split, didn't Conrail have rights to SDI? I thought the connection was upgraded then, to allow CR to get to SDI.
Correct me if I am wrong.

 #22670  by railohio
 
That's correct. SDI wanted access to all three railroads and locating the facility on NS with connectors at St. Joe and Butler made this possible.

 #22724  by Throttle_JCKY
 
That was what I thought. Both Conrail and CSX were given "running rights" to SDI, via the NS. Does CSX still use the rights to reach SDI, or have they given it up?
 #22834  by cjberndt
 
The transfer track in the southeast quadrant at Butler was constructed well before the Conrail breakup, in early 1995. I was in error in my earlier post and you have my apologies for it.

SDI still has two rail providers: NS and CSX. There are no rumors of either giving up.

Craig Berndt

 #22901  by railohio
 
Throttle_JCKY wrote:That was what I thought. Both Conrail and CSX were given "running rights" to SDI, via the NS. Does CSX still use the rights to reach SDI, or have they given it up?
CSX still runs their local, J917, out of Garrett every day to serve SDI.

 #31566  by railohio
 
Well, my buddy seemed to have the right information, just the wrong details. Rumblings now are that NS wants to build the connector in the northwest quadrant, behind the old bowling alley. This would facilitate Detroit to Elkhart movments which would be necessary for the pending trackage rights agreement with Canadian Pacific.