Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | LaCrosse, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | CKIN |
| Locale | Indiana |
| Dates of operation | August 2004–present |
The Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad (reporting mark CKIN) is a Class III short-line railroad operating 33 miles (53 km) of rail line in northwestern Indiana. From the town of La Crosse, lines run northwest to the Porter County town of Malden, southeast to the Starke County towns of English Lake and North Judson, and northeast through La Porte County past Thomaston and Hanna to Wellsboro. The railroad is owned by the Town of North Judson and operated under lease by the Indiana Boxcar Corporation.
The Chesapeake and Indiana is mostly used for transporting grain from rural elevators to the mainline railroad systems. The railroad interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Thomaston and CSX at Wellsboro. The railroad moved only 700 cars on startup in 2004, and with hard work and good customer service, they have increased that to 3,000 cars in 2011, and that number is expected to grow in the coming years. When the railroad first started, the only connection with a class one was in Wellsboro, IN with the CSX. The C&I and NS soon build a connection in Thomaston to allow more cars per year and competitive shipping rates between the 2 class one's.
Rail tours are also operated on the C&I line by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, starting in North Judson and continuing to either English Lake or La Crosse. Visit the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum's website for more information about these excursions.