NS’s New Castle District is part of NS’s Lake Division. It became part of NS’s major system per the N&W and Southern Railway (SR/SOU) merger in 1982. Part of the line from New Castle, IN to Ft. Wayne, IN was part of the Lake Erie & Western (LE&W), then Nickel Plate (NKP-NYCStL), and Norfolk & Western (N&W- 1964-1982). Another section of this line was originally the Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) Buckeye Division, known as the Richmond Branch. Per the PRR, New York Central (NYC), and New Haven Railroad (NYNH&H) 1968 Penn Central (PC) merger, the line became the PC’s Richmond Branch and Cincinnati Division (Cinci. to Logansport-Van, IN). By 1976, at the start of Conrail, N&W bought the line between Cinci., OH to New Castle, IN. NS-N&W through-freights on the line didn’t happen until after 1978. A lot of the line was rebuilt in the early ’80s.
NS upgraded the line, and is used for locals, and different types of freights. We have many examples of NS action on this line in our Keith’s Trains Series™ and 1-West Productions™ Featured Series™
In the late 1980s and through the 1990s, NS had various Steam Train Excursion Specials on the line (NS trains 061, 062, etc.), with steam power NKP 587 & 765, N&W J-611, and SOU 4501. We have footage of these trains running on the New Castle District during those eras.
Below is a list of mile markers and town along the way (from an early ’80s NS/N&W timetable), starting from Cinci. (Claire), OH, to Ft. Wayne, IN (Westward-or technically NW direction):
Mile Post: Station:
- 110.7 Clair (Crossing NS & Yard; from here to New Castle, IN was ex-PRR/PC orig.)
- 111.9 Red Bank
- 112.3 Valley
- 10.6 Oakley
- 16.4 Mill
- 17.1 Vaughan Yd.
- Crescentville 20.4 (Siding)
- Mosier 28.8
- Hamilton 30.7
- Old River Jct. (via trackage rights ex-B&O/now CSX) 31.5
- New River Jct. 33.1
- Seven Mile 37.2
- Camden 49.5 (Siding)
- Eaton 58.3
- Campbellstown 64.4 (Siding & Building)
- Glen 72.4
- Newman 74.9
- Greens Fork 83.6
- Hagerstown 90.3
- Millville 95.6 (Siding)
- Cast East End (New Castle) 101.9
- (from New Castle, IN to W. Wayne, IN was ex-LE&W/NKP/N&W section)
- Cast West End (New Castle) 104.2
- Mt. Summit 107.4
- Oakville 112.5
- Cowan 114.4
- Noell 116.0 (Siding)
- Muncie 120.3 (ex-CR/now CSX Indianapolis Line Crossing, & NS East Yd.;)
- Royerton 127.7
- Shideler 130.6
- Eaton 133.0
- Hartford City 140.6 (Siding)
- Montpelier 148.7
- Bluffton 162.6 (Crossing with NS)
- Kingsland 169.0 (Siding)
- Ossian 172.4
- Yoder 175.9
- Ferguson (Baer Field) 179.7 (Yard)
- Hugo 184.1 (Crossing with NS)
- 185 & 186 ex-CR Crossing each
- Runnion Ave. (West Wayne) 186.5
(More to be added later)
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