North Judson Completes Rail Line Sale

An Indiana city has completed the sale of a short line railroad to Midwest & Bluegrass Rail.

The short line hold company purchased the 33-mile line, which North Judson had owned for 17 years.

The town had purchased the former Chesapeake & Ohio line years earlier when CSX sought to abandon it.

The town council and redevelopment commission approved creation of a redevelopment commission fund to handle the money resulting from the sale.

M&B subsidiary Cheaspeake & Indiana was already the line’s freight operator. A tourist train operation also uses a portion of the line

The winning bid of $2.725 million was the highest of three submitted.

Indiana Town Selling Rail Line

An Indiana town will sell a rail line that it owns to Midwest & Bluegrass Rail.

M&B already provides freight service on the line through its subsidiary Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad, which it acquired in 2020.

The city of North Judson has owned the rail line for nearly 17 years. The sale is expected to close within 60 days.

M&B was the highest of three bidders for the line, offering $2.7 million.

News reports indicate that M&B has a working relationship with the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, which operates over a portion of the line.

The sale agreement granted the museum a 10-year extension of its current operating agreement, as well as the right of first refusal to purchase its portion of the route should M&B choose to sell.

3 Vye to Buy Indiana Short Line

Three companies are seeking to buy an Indiana short line railroad owned by the city of North Judson.

One of the bidders, Midwest & Bluegrass Rail, has offered $2,725,000 for the 33-mile rail line, which also is used by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

M&B already operates the line as part of its acquisition of the Chesapeake & Indiana, one of four short lines it acquired in 2020.

Other bidders are only interested in the portion of the line used for freight traffic.

They include $2.3 million from agricultural co-op Co-Alliance and $1.6 million from Columbia Rail, which operates three short lines and rail terminal services at two sites in Washington state.

The town’s redevelopment commission is expected to the bids at a closed-door meeting next week.

Indiana Town May Donate Rail Line to Museum

North Judson, Indiana, is considering donating part of a city-owned rail line to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

News reports indicate that the donation is part of an effort by the city sell the line that it has owned since 2004.

If the transaction occurs, it could allow the museum to expand its train rides from a 4.3-mile trip to English Lake to a 9-mile journey to La Crosse.

The museum is working on a plan for operating the additional trackage, which at one time was part of the Chesapeake & Ohio of Indiana.

Police ID 4 in Museum Vandalism Spree

Police in North Judson, Indiana, say four juveniles appear to be behind a two-day spate of vandalism that recently occurred at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

In a posting on Facebook, Town Marshall Kelly Fisher said the names of the juveniles and facts about the vandalism incidents have been referred to the Starke County Prosecutor’s office.

The vandalism began on July 31. More than 30 windows were broken in various buildings, locomotives and rolling stock.

The Facebook statement said police reviewed camera footage and within 24 hours were able to identify the four juveniles.

Police said that over two days the four juveniles engaged in a crime spree.

Lake State to Operate Indiana Short Line

Lake State Railway will operate a former Chesapeake & Ohio line in North Judson, Indiana, that is also used by a tourist train operation.

The city’s town council recently voted to lease the track to LSR and negotiations are being conducted to allow the Hoosier Valley Railroad to have access to the track.

Those negotiations are expected to be completed by the middle of August.

The line had previously been operated by the Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad.

Earlier this year, the Hoosier Valley had curtailed its operations due to what it described on its website as a legal dispute over control of the rail line.

The route is a portion of the former C&O of Indiana, which extended from Chicago to Cincinnati.

CSX abandoned most of the route and portions of it have been converted to a hiking and biking trail that is named after Amtrak’s Cardinal, which once traveled the route.

Indiana Tourist RR Can go to LaCrosse

An Indiana tourist railroad has been given approval to resume excursions to LaCrosse, Indiana, but must comply with several conditions to do so.

The museum will be allowed two runs to LaCrosse, but must give freight operator Chesapeake & Indiana 30 days notice of plans for the trips.

The trips must also be approved by the town of North Judson, which owns the 33-mile former Chesapeake & Ohio rail line.

Trains magazine reported that the C&I  apparently wants to use the tracks between English Lake and LaCrosse, which the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has used in the past for its excursions, to store out-of-service freight cars.

The museum will continue to operate excursions between North Judson and English Lake.
The C&I has said it will no longer be maintaining the track between English Lake and North Judson.

An attorney representing North Judson said the operating contract with the C&I was to expire last December, but it was extended to Aug. 15 to give city officials time to seek operating proposals from other parties.

Freight traffic on the line includes outbound grain shipments and inbound fertilizer.