Cardinal discussion

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jphjaxfl said:
The Penn Central's James Whitcomb Riley prior to Amtrak was well patronized between Indianapolis and Chicago's Central Station via the former New York Central/Illinois Central route through Kankakee. Once the train reached the IC mainline at Kankakee, it would fly up the welded rail line and even if it was a little late arriving at Kankakee, it would on time at Central Station. It left Indianspolis mid morning and arrived in Chicago around 1PM. The return train left Central Station around 3:50PM and got into Indianapolis 8:30-9PM. It, of course, ran to and from Cincinnati. That continue at the beginning of Amtrak, but the Penn Central tracks deteriorated so the time keeping was horrible. For a while the train used the former C&O route which bipassed Indianapolis. The full former New York Central from Kankakee to Cincinnati doesn't exist. The State of Indiana should have bought this line for future high speed service. Unfortunately Indianapolis Union Station is a dinosaur left over from a bi gone era.
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Parts of the old NYC line do exist. Cincinnati to Indianapolis would need a lot of upgrading, but it is there. See link, https://www.gwrr.com/cind/. The problem is between Lebanon, Indiana and Lafayette as the only rail line that exists is the old PRR through Frankfort and is now CSK and NS. Indiana Railroad Map link. https://www.in.gov/indot/files/RailSystemMap_Med_StWide_11x17_RH_Final.pdf. From Lafayette to Kankakee, the line is in place. https://www.kbsrailroad.com/
 
Tiny in the scope of things, but the Cardinal even takes the worse route from Charlottesville to Orange in Virginia, compared to all other Amtrak trains. It's verrrry slowww on the first stretch, and ends up about 20 minutes slower over 44 miles. (The junction at CVS is 3/4 a diamond, so it's the only route to take for the Cardinal. The state now owns the tracks and will fix them up some day.)

For railfans, on the other hand, the old Crozet Tunnel between Staunton and Charlottesville is now a trail. It saw trains from 1858 to 1944. Locals used to sneak up there before the official trail opened, and brave a small opening in a wall built in an scuppered plan to store fuel during the Second World War. Daylight is barely visible from the center of the tunnel, where the geology changes from hard rock to limestone, supported by brickwork.
 
jphjaxfl said:
The Penn Central's James Whitcomb Riley prior to Amtrak was well patronized between Indianapolis and Chicago's Central Station via the former New York Central/Illinois Central route through Kankakee. Once the train reached the IC mainline at Kankakee, it would fly up the welded rail line and even if it was a little late arriving at Kankakee, it would on time at Central Station. It left Indianspolis mid morning and arrived in Chicago around 1PM. The return train left Central Station around 3:50PM and got into Indianapolis 8:30-9PM. It, of course, ran to and from Cincinnati. That continue at the beginning of Amtrak, but the Penn Central tracks deteriorated so the time keeping was horrible. For a while the train used the former C&O route which bipassed Indianapolis. The full former New York Central from Kankakee to Cincinnati doesn't exist. The State of Indiana should have bought this line for future high speed service.
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You are absolutely correct. The FRA Midwest Regional Plan identified Chicago-Indianapolis as one of the most promising HSR corridors in the Midwest. The new Illinois HSR Commission is studying a true HSR route connecting Chicago-Champaign-Springfield-St. Louis (or, perhaps, E. St. Louis). This is the only potential Midwest HSR route that would be in a single (blue) state, making it the most likely to be implemented first. It would go through Kankakee where a route to Indy, roughly following the old NYC/Big 4 alignment, could branch off. The KBS could be integrated (serving grain elevators at night) and the section between Lafayette and Lebanon could on some combination of the abandoned RR or I-65 alignments.
 
chadamfleetrailfan said:
It was interesting to see a horizon car on the Cardinal pass by the Cincinnati cam this morning (7/24/24). I'm sure it was deadheading and not in revenue service, but still interesting to see on the Cardinal.

View attachment 37283

Possibly picked up at Beech Grove headed to NY?
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I find it so funny when theres Surfliner cars strolling through Indiana.
 

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