Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad
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| Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad | |
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| Reporting mark | CSS |
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| Locale | Chicago to South Bend, IN |
| Dates of operation | 1903–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Michigan City, IN |
The Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad (reporting mark CSS), known to many as the South Shore Line, is a Class III[1] freight railroad operating between Chicago, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana. The railroad serves as a link between Class I railroads and local industries in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
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[edit] History
The line was operated as the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS&SB) until it went bankrupt in 1989, when the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), formed in 1977 to help fund the line, took over the CSS&SB's passenger operations. The line's freight service was picked up in 1990 by the new Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad, owned by Anacostia and Pacific, which took over freight operations after acquiring the Kensington and Eastern Railroad (the piece of the railroad in Illinois) from the Illinois Central Railroad in 1996.
The CSS&SB operates diesel locomotives on the whole line. It also operates the former Indianapolis, La Porte and Michigan City Railroad and Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad, once part of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) system, from Michigan City southeast to Dillon (southeast of Stillwell), bought from Norfolk Southern in 2001. Via trackage rights it connects to many other railroads in the Chicago area, with connections to the Port of Chicago, Proviso Yard and Joliet.
The CSS&SB's primary businesses are coal and steel, the coal delivered to the Michigan City and Burns Harbor generating stations owned by Northern Indiana Public Service Company. The CSS&SB also serves many online customers along the line.
[edit] See also
- South Shore Line (NICTD) the commuter rail line running over much of the same trackage.
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (March 2008) |
- Matt Van Hattem, South Shore Line, Trains
- Railroad History Database
[edit] External links
- Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad Official Site
- 1973 Illinois Central Gulf Railroad track charts - Kensington and Eastern Railroad
- CSS&SB Pictures Includes freight and passenger pictures taken 2005
