Conrail Routes?

Mike:

The Panhandle was an old PRR line that left Pittsburgh and headed west to Columbus, crossing through the panhandle of West Virginia, hence the name.  I recollect the substitute for this route was to send trains through Conway yard northwest of Pittsburgh then west into Ohio to a connection with the Big Four.

The Big Four was originally part of the New York Central System and had the official name of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis or CCC&StL.  Parts of this route are still used by both CSX and NS.  CSX uses the Big Four from the Cleveland area to a connection with their former B&O line in Ohio.  This forms their main east/west line from New York to Chicago.  CSX also uses some of the Big Four to access Indianapolis and from there southwest to St. Louis.  I believe NS is using just a bit of the Big Four to enter Cincinnati from the Columbus area.

There are details I'm missing here such as intermediate and junction points on both routes that a Forumite who lives up there may be able to provide.

Curt

I don't think I read it above but the Panhandle west of Columbus split. One leg went to Chicago, as mentioned above, while the other went through Indianapolis to St. Louis.

 

Conrail's St Louis Line was a combination of the NYC Big Four (Indianapolis-Terre Haute) and PRR Panhandle (Terre Haute-St. Louis)

 

This line was assigned to CSX in the Conrail breakup and is their St. Louis

Subdivision today.

 

Norfolk Southern gets to St. Louis via the former Wabash, the former Nickel Plate "Cloverleaf" (Toledo-East St. Louis) having been abandoned.

So some of the Panhandle is still a main line?  Did Conrail abandon the portion near Pittsburgh in the 80's or did that part go long before?

CSX from Terre Haute IN to St. Louis is the former Panhandle.  From Indy to Terre Haute is former Big Four. Also, I wouldn't call it a main line, but the Toledo, Peoria & Western between Logansport and Effner IN is former Panhandle. The Winnimac Southern short line betwwen Kokomo and Logansport IN is former Panhandle.  Norfolk Southern's New Castle District between Cincinatti and New Castle IN is former Panhandle. There is also some of the former Columbus-Chicago line still in place as dead end shortline operations in the Marion IN area.  The former Panhandle shop complex at Logansport is still there and used by a railcar repair outfit, including the turntable and transfer table. I can't help you much on Ohio or Illinois.

In Ohio, from Columbus east to the Ohio/Pennsylvania state line, the former Panhandle line is owned by the state of Ohio.  The State hired the Ohio Central to operate the line in the early 90s and they still operate it today (Gennesse and Wyoming bought the Ohio Central six or seven years ago).  Not much of the Panhandle is left in Columbus where I live. The PRR was the dominant railroad in Columbus but now almost everything is gone.  Even Buckeye Yard which consolidated a lot of PRR operations in Columbus was shuttered by Norfolk Southern during the Great Recession.  For more info on the Panhandle, check out http://www.columbusrailroads.c...ennsylvania_Railroad

Indianapolis-Terre Haute-St. Louis through Effingham (IL) was PRR.  Indy-Terre Haute-St. Louis via Charleston and Mattoon (IL) was definitely Big Four then New York Central then Penn Central then Conrail.  After the Staggers Act of 1980, Conrail made plans to pare down.  Two lines from Terre Haute to St. Louis weren't necessary so the northern one (Big Four) was abandoned and ripped up in 1982.  A sad time for me since it went through my hometown.