Indianapolis - Anderson, Indiana
A self-guiding Frograil railfan tour
Introduction
Formerly the Conrail Indianapolis Line, this line forms part of CSX’s route connecting St. Louis with Baltimore, Cleveland, Northern New Jersey, and Boston.
This tour is part of a larger tour effort to detail trackage from East St. Louis, Illinois, to Cleveland, Ohio. Today, this segment is all CSX, but is ex-Conrail, exx-Penn Central, exxx-New York Central, exxxx-Big Four (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway) historically. The tour between the west side of Indianapolis at Avon Yard, and the east side of Anderson at I-69, is approximately 56.1 miles long, including coverage of both Tracks 1&2 thru Anderson.
If you have never taken a Frograil tour before, you are strongly encouraged to visit the Frograil Tour Guide page, which is loaded with good info for you. Following the advice on that page will save you time, effort, and quite probably, some grief.
Contents And Navigation
Other Tours
For information concerning the other Frograil tours which have been put together, go to the Tour Guide.
Contributors To This Tour
Bruce Bridges. On-the-ground research and all text. This is his tour.
Dave Bridges. Bruce's Dad -- He helped with the on-the-ground research.
Train Gifs. All train gifs used within this tour are from the Ed Bindler's train gifs site, which is here.
Peter Furnee: CSX logo
Tony Hill: Frograil Webmaster -- the guy who makes it go. Unless otherwise specifically noted, any use of the first person pronoun refers to Tony Hill.
Help
If you'd like to contribute to this, or any other tour, please contact me here, and let me know what you'd like to do. We'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes.
Supplemental And Back-Up Data.
The Railroad: Geography. While most folks automatically think of Indiana as an agricultural, rural state, this tour is almost completely urban, as it heads east from the huge classification yard in the town of Avon, straight thru Indianapolis, and it's barely out of the 'burbs before it begins to enter the Anderson area. With a population of just under 60,000, Anderson is no small village. Also, the trackage in Anderson is covered twice, as Tracks 1&2 travel distinctly different routes thru town, before meeting up again on the east side of the city.
Keep in mind that at least part of this line traverses wide-open agricultural country. The track is mostly straight, and grades and curves are gentle. Generally, in rural areas most manifest freights run at 45 or 50 MPH, with intermodals and autorack trains allowed 60. Anderson has municipal speed limits of 30 MPH through town, and all of Marion County (Indianapolis area) is 40 MPH or less (and 15 MPH from CP IJ through downtown Indy to MP 282 at 10th Street).
The Railroad: Traffic Levels. Traffic averages approximately 12-15 trains per day, mostly manifest freights, with some intermodal traffic. The highlight is trains Q106 (eastbound)/Q107 (westbound), dedicated Schneider intermodal trains running between Kansas City and Schneider’s distribution terminal in Marion, OH, in partnership with Kansas City Southern. These trains occasionally feature KCS power on the head end. Union Pacific power is seen occasionally on run-throughs as well, thanks to the connection at St. Elmo/Altamont, IL. Before the CSX/NS takeover of Conrail in 1999, this line averaged more than 30 trains per day.
The Railroad:Operations. The line remains double track despite the precipitous drop in traffic, and is signaled for bi-directional operation (Rule 261 TCS signaling) on both tracks from Avon Yard, all the way through Indianapolis, to CP-245 on the east edge of Anderson. From CP-245 to CP-198 at Union City, it is operated under Rule 251 current-of-traffic ABS, with eastbounds on Track 1 (the south track), and westbounds on Track 2 (the north track). Trains running against the current of traffic must obtain a Form EC-1 from the dispatcher in Indianapolis, and receive Restricting signal indications through interlockings (CP-245, CP-230, and CP-229).
There are no powered crossovers between CP 245 and CP 198 at Union City, a distance of 47 miles! Bruce believes this may be one of the last double-track mainlines in the country still operated under Rule 251, as a matter of fact. East of Union City, Rule 261 operation resumes, with the portion east of CP-189 (east end of Ansonia Yard) having been installed shortly before the CSX takeover.
When Bruce did his research in the Fall of 2009, the signals between Muncie and Union City were in the process of being replaced with new CSX systemwide standard Safetran hooded vertical tri-lights, but it appears that the Rule 251 operation is being retained. Elsewhere, the signals are the original NYC/CR-style round tri-lights. Some of the new signals being installed are up to 1/2 mile from those they are replacing, with most of the new ones being conveniently located at road crossings. Also, several of the defect detectors have been replaced by new installations at nearby locations, and all have been re-programmed with CSX’s standard voice and messages (they are identified only by milepost, not by town name as in CR days).
The Railroad:Mile Points. The route is designated as the St Louis Line from its beginning in East St. Louis to IU Interlocking in downtown Indianapolis, and the Indianapolis Line east of IU. The mileposts on both segments decrease as we head east. Mileposts on the St. Louis Line are prefixed “QS”, while those on the Indianapolis Line are “QI”. The St Louis line ends, and the Indianapolis line begins, at approximately the west end of the Amtrak station's trainshed. You will not see these letters on the actual milepost markers, but you will see them on the milepost indicators on every grade crossing, and they will be referenced in all radio communications.
Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. Also, the Google aerials all thru this tour are superb, and are a major asset for anyone striking out to tour thru the Heartland.
Photographic considerations: I use a shorthand rating system for photo accessibility. Using a clockwise rotation from northeast up to northwest, each quadrant of a crossing is rated from 1 (best) to 4 (not accessible). Note that these refer to accessibility, not the photogenic aspects of the location. Therefore, the following crossing: NE4, SE1, SW1, NW2 would be interpreted as follows:There is no access from the northeast quad (fence, building, private, dangerous, etc.); the southeast quad gives you excellent photo access, at least in one direction and perhaps both; likewise for the southwest quad; viewing access in the northwest quad is good, but not excellent. In places where there is no crossing, per se, I use a simple N, E, S and/or W compass location: N1, S4 would be excellent from the north, but there is no access from the south. Note that in locations contributed by folks other than me, the photo rating numbers may not be present.
Two important points are worth mentioning concerning photography along this line:
The code lines (AKA telephone poles) are gradually being removed, but where they remain, they are primarily on the south side of the tracks. Unfortunately, if you are on IN-67/US-36 between McCordsville and Pendleton, they are between the road and the tracks (though they have been removed through Fortville).
In most cases, crossings which are in between towns are bordered by agricultural fields. The photo ratings for these will depend largely on what is growing in the field at the time of your visit, and the time of year. Soybeans and wheat generally won’t cause any visibility problems, but corn is a completely different story altogether. I have tried my best to adjust my photo ratings for the fact that the fields which contained corn at the times of my visits, which would have been only a 3 or 4 for me, but very well might be a solid 1 for you. And those that had wide-open panoramic vistas thanks to being planted in soybeans just might be totally taken out of play if you happen to visit when the corn is high.
Area Attractions
Indianapolis: In the downtown area of Indianapolis is a most interesting and different State Park -- White River State Park. The description of the park on it's Web site states:
"At White River State Park, you'll find trails, grassy areas and waterways just like you'd see at any other state park. However, that's where the similarities end. White River State Park has cultural, educational and recreational attractions to offer something interesting to each visitor. The Park is home to the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, Indiana State Museum, IMAX® Theater, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, NCAA Hall of Champions, Victory Field and the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial. After exploring the attractions on this site, we hope you will visit.- Be sure to stop by the Visitors Center to start your visit to White River State Park."
Anderson: Mounds State Park on the east side of Anderson, almost at the end of this segment, has camping with electrical hook-ups. It might be an excellent home base for this segment and the Anderson - Sidney segment.
Abbreviations. I try to limit the number of abbreviations to very common terms, such as CSX and NS. However, some terms get used repeatedly and are given here to help you understand them.
AG. "At-grade" -- It may or may not be a railfan location, but you can be assured that the tracks and street/road are on the same level.
CR."County Road". Any road that is not an interstate, US highway, or numbered Indiana state highway is a county road.
NAG. "Not at grade" -- Usually, a NAG crossing is a poor place to take pix, but not always. However, you should be warned if a crossing isn't at grade, and that's why I try to always clue you in.
NARL. "Not a railfan location" -- In my humble opinion, this location is not worth the visit; indeed, it is probably to be avoided. NARL's result from no photo access, dangerous conditions, or personal security considerations.
NFOG."Not found on the ground" -- A map may indicate a road, crossing, railroad line, etc., but it may have been removed long ago. In some cases, the map may be completely incorrect.
NO."Not observed". During the on-the-ground research for this tour, this location was not observed, so we are going by aerials only, which is risky. Take such observations with a grain of salt.
WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend or condone walking along the tracks, as this means trespassing and exposing yourself to danger. You will have to be creative, in some instances, to avoid trespassing while getting to the detailed locations included herein, but you will either have to be creative or not visit those sites. At no point in this tour guide, or any other tour which is part of Frograil, is it recommended that you trespass or expose yourself to danger. If you are a fool and have a leg cut off (or worse), don't come crying to me: You have been warned. Trains are big, powerful, and often surprisingly quiet. Don't end up being a statistic.
Avon Yard, Indianapolis - Anderson, Indiana -- Railfan Sites:
The Tour
We'll start west of the city of Indianapolis, in the suburb of Avon. From I-465 west of Indianapolis, take exit 15 and get on US-36/Rockville Road westbound. At Raceway Road, take a left and drive parallel to the large Meijer store and parking lot. Take the second right into the parking lot, and drive to the southeast corner of it and park. To the west, CSX's very large Avon Yard stretches for miles, but it is inaccessible to non-railroad employees. Avon Yard is sometimes referred to as the "Big Four Yard", as it historically was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St Louis Railway -- the Big Four. CCCStL was a subsidiary of the New York Central, and later was incorporated into the parent company. It became part of Penn Central, then Conrail, and in 1999, became part of CSX. It has been the major classification yard in the Indianapolis area for many years.
Avon -- Meijer. You are on the north side of the tracks, viewing from the southeast corner of the parking lot, away from the store building. There is a huge open grassy area west of Raceway Road on the south side, but it may be CSX property. If you see something interesting, stay right along the edge of Raceway long enough to take your photos and you should be fine, as this area is far enough away from active yard operations that you shouldn’t attract any unwelcome attention from security forces. Mile marker QS 9 is visible from the Meijer lot.
Raceway Road has a NAG/NARL underpass of the tracks.
Avon -- Bridgeport Road. This location is provided for background info only, as it is NARL. Head east on US-36/Rockville Road to a right on Bridgeport Road. This is at the east end of CP MY – the interlocking limits are nearly a mile long! Here, the connections to the former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Crawfordsville Branch (which goes overhead about 3/4 mile east of here) diverge to the north and south. The north connection is used by trains headed to Lafayette and Chicago (only one pair of manifest freights use this routing, along with a local that services the Steel Dynamics mini-mill at Pittsboro, IN), but the south leg is occasionally used as an alternative routing for eastbounds out of Indy as this line rejoins the St. Louis Line main at CP IJ just west of downtown Indy.
It’s a rather nasty, narrow, low NAG underpass that is treed in all the way around and basically worthless for photos.
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Indianapolis -- Girls School Road. Once again on US-36/Rockville Road, head east. You'll go under the Crawfordsville Branch, and get to a major intersection with Girls School Road. Take a right, and just before reaching the AG crossing, take a right into the Wayne Library and park.
Viewing is rather tight here, but stay along the road and you should be OK. Signals 6.1E/W (track 1) and 6.2E/W (track 2) are immediately west of the crossing. Shooting from the parking lot for the Library in the NW quadrant is passable, but some weed/shrub/small tree growth along the tracks may cause some problems. Bruce rates it a 3 just because of this fact. This road isn’t much of a fan location (it’s busy, with no shoulders or sidewalks, and steep drop-offs on both sides), and photo ratings are so-so; the southeast quad is best and Bruce calls it a 2. So if you need to take a grab shot here, try to be on the south side.
Indianapolis -- Washington Street. If you thought Girls School Road was a poor location, there are several worse ones ahead, all of which are NARL. These include, in west to east order, High School Road (NAG), Lynhurst Drive (AG), Rockville Avenue (NAG), Holt Road (NAG), and Washington Street (NAG). The area of the latter is approximately MP 3.
However, there is a sidewalk along Washington Street east of the underpass that offers a decent panoramic view of the tracks on an elevated fill. The only bad thing is, it’s on the north side of the tracks. A little farther east along the sidewalk you can get a glimpse of the Eagle Creek bridge through the trees. It's a two-span deck girder.[Webmaster's Note: This intersection of Rockville Road/US-36 and Washington Street/Old US-40 is very complicated and busy, and the railroad flies over the middle of it. If you're going to be walking around the area, forget the trains and just get to a place where you have a decent view and relative safety. Then you can get back to being a tourist.]
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Indianapolis -- Warman Avenue Area. Drive east on Washington Street/US-36/US-40, and take a right onto Harris Avenue. There are three at-grade crossings in rapid succession east of Eagle Creek, at Harris, Warman, and Holmes Avenues. One block west of Harris is Hancock Street, whose crossing has been eliminated. Warman is rather busy, but the others are relatively quiet, with good viewing. Indeed, this entire area is the best train viewing site on this tour so far.
The two eastern crossings are best, as an alley parallels the tracks on the south side. The sun will be your friend, but the local neighbors might not. This is a rough neighborhood and you should have at least one male friend with you. Some knowledge of Spanish may be helpful, as this is primarily a Hispanic/Latino neighborhood. And, as with any rough neighborhood, keep a close eye on your camera gear as there is potential for theft.
Indianapolis -- Belmont Avenue. Further east on Washington Street, take a right onto Belmont Avenue. The neighborhood near the crossing is mainly industrial, but you still want to be cautious. Both southern quadrants are relatively open, with SW being a little better than SE. Bruce calls it NE3, SE2, SW1, NW2.
Indianapolis -- Harding Street. Get back up to Washington Street and take a right to head east. At Harding Street, take a right to get down to the crossing. The southeast quadrant of this crossing is occupied by General Motors’ Indianapolis Metal Center. In Conrail days, this plant was a major customer; several eastbounds out of Indy consisted almost entirely of its products. Sadly, it is now slated to be closed under GM’s restructuring plan. Just west of here, the remains of the Indianapolis Union Railway belt line cross the main at grade; the interlocking is CP 1. The crossing is within the interlocking limits, actually. Just south of here, we see the Crawfordsville Branch coming back in to rejoin the main at CP IJ, just east of the stamping plant.
Photo ratings are quite poor; SE4, SW2, NW4, NE4.
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Indianapolis -- White River Bridge. Washington Street parallels the mainline along the north side. There are actually two double-track deck girder railroad bridges here; the one closest to Washington is the St. Louis Line main; the other was the former PRR St. Louis main (which is now the Crawfordsville Branch west of CP IJ; here it is used to store loaded coal hoppers for the Indianapolis Power & Light steam heating plant on the east side of the river. From the sidewalk on the south side of the street, you can get panoramic views of trains on the long bridge, with the downtown skyline in the background. The tracks are dead east-west here so lighting will be a problem, but it's a neat place to watch trains.
Indianapolis -- Union Station Parking Garage. Be careful about your street names here:Cross the river via Washington Street, and take a right onto South West Street. At West South Street, take a left.
The tracks are elevated through downtown Indianapolis, including the Union Station area. You can get somewhat good views from various points along South Street, including the front steps of the new Lucas Oil Stadium. However, the tracks through the Union Station area have been covered over by a rather hideous corrugated metal structure put in place in the late 1990s to stop water leakage into the building under the tracks following the demolition of the original trainshed structure in the 1980s.
The best viewing area in all of downtown is the Union Station parking garage. Just east of the long Amtrak station, take a left onto Meridian Street, and get into the right hand lane. Immediately north of the underpass under what was the boarding area for Union Station, take a right to enter the garage. There is a traffic light there. You will want to be on either of the top two levels (levels 7 or 8). The normal parking rate is $3.00, but it will be higher (as much as $10.00!) if an event is taking place downtown.
From your vantage point in the parking garage, you can look to the east and get a long sweeping view of westbounds coming into town toward you, and you can see much of the interlocking limits for CP IU. The original IU Tower structure still stands (CSX uses it for maintenance of way storage). There is a lot going on here, and you will need a few minutes to take it all in. First, the Louisville & Indiana line to Louisville takes off to the south on a wye. Farther east, there is a series of crossovers between the mainline tracks of what is now the Indianapolis Line. Still further east, the former B&O line to Cincinnati (now used by Amtrak trains 50 and 51, and CSX Q360/Q361) and the former NYC line to Cincinnati (now the Shelbyville Industrial Track) diverge to the east. The ex-NYC is also used by Amtrak to access the shops at Beech Grove. Finally, the ex-NYC Indianapolis Line main that we are following swings off to the north. All of the signals here are dwarfs, and will display yellow and red simultaneously (Slow Approach indication) if something is lined up.
All in all, this is an absolutely wonderful place to spend a summer evening!
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Indianapolis -- New York Street. Between the station parking garage and most of the rest of downtown, the elevated roadway offers little for railfans; therefore, we'll head a good ways northeast to the next location. Depart the garage and turn right. At Maryland Street take a right, and this one-way street will join Washington Street to become a two-way street. Before going under I-65/I-70, take a left onto College Avenue to go north. At New York Street, take a right, go under the interstates, cross Pine Street, and find a place to park. New York Street is one-way eastbound, and has sidewalks.
The SW quadrant is WIDE OPEN!!!! A rarity in a heavy urban setting such as what we are in now, and honestly our first on the tour so far. The tracks come out from under the wide I-65/I-70 overpass and swing around to due north-south. This is a noisy location because of the Interstates, so be alert.
Photo ratings: NE1 (if the business here is closed), SE3, SW1, NW4
Indianapolis -- Vermont Street. Go further east on New York Street, and at Dorman Street, take a left to go north one block to Vermont Street. Take a left and park near the crossing. This is only one block north of the previous location, but the tracks are dead north - south here, and give you a somewhat different look. Photo ratings: NE2 (vacant building/lot, but a little tight), SE4 (private property), SW2, NW3.
Indianapolis -- Michigan Street. This location is one block further north. One block east of the tracks via Vermont Street, take a left onto Dorman, go one block to Michigan, and turn left. There is good viewing from the northwest, but fairly poor from the south:NE3, SE4, SW4, NW1-2 (vacant lot, but a couple of poles). Note that signal 282.1 is here (westbound, track 2 only).
Indianapolis -- St. Clair Street. Backtrack to Dorman Street, take a left and go the equivalent of several blocks to the intersection with St Clair Street. Turn left and head to the crossing. Ratings here:NE1 (wide open grass lot, with a small driveway you can pull into, back away from the tracks with a wide photo field!), SE4, SW2 (open, but tight), NW4.
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Indianapolis -- 21st Street. Once more, head back to Dorman Street, take a left and go north all the way to 10th Street. There is a NAG/NARL railroad overpass here, but note that this is the point at which the north - south bias ends, and a long stretch southwest - northeast bias begins, which is definitely good for photos. Also, be aware that the mile point at which the tracks make their bend is MP 282.
At 10th and Dorman, take a right onto 10th, drive by the back of a very large factory, and turn left to go northeast on Brookside Avenue. When you finally get beyond the factory, this will make an S-curve and join Massachusetts Avenue, paralleling the tracks to the northeast all the way out of town. The street is practically right up against the tracks to the point that viewing is a little tight. In addition, most of the crossings have buildings tight up against the tracks on the north side, so viewing is generally heavily restricted on both the north and south. After almost two miles from the 10th Street overpass, the street will abruptly bend to the east and meet Dearborn Street.
Your best location for photos along here is a gravel pull-off at CP 280 (21st and Dearborn Streets), which (until recently) was the crossing of the north end of the Indianapolis Belt (the other end of which we crossed at CP 1 west of Harding Street earlier in the tour). There is no longer any crossing or switches here, but the absolute signals are still in place and active, at least for the time being.
Indianapolis -- Sherman Drive Area. At the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue (21st Street across the intersection) and Dearborn Streets, take a left onto the latter, and then an almost immediate right onto another section of Massachusetts Avenue that continues to follow the tracks to the northeast. Continue on until you reach Sherman Drive.
North of the Sherman Drive crossing, Roosevelt Avenue goes off to the west to parallel the tracks along the north side for a short distance. It’s a little close and tight, but the street is quiet enough that you should be able to stop here and take some pics without being hassled. There is also a nice open field in the SE quadrant of the intersection of Massachusetts and Sherman. Because the tracks are southwest - northeast oriented, and because Roosevelt Avenue and the SE quad is so open, you should be able to get decent pix most of the day, from at least one of the locations.
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Indianapolis -- Belt Junction. A little east of Sherman via Massachusetts Avenue, the eastern connection to what remains of the Indianapolis Belt comes in from the south. This is presently used by NS train B32 (known to CSX as Z329) to access Hawthorne Yard on the east side of Indianapolis; this train runs via trackage rights from Anderson. We'll give you more about this operation in the section on Anderson later in the tour. Just east of the Belt crossing is a gravel pull-off on the south side of Massachusetts Ave. which makes a fine place to stop for some photos.
You will occasionally hear references on the scanner to “Brightwood”; this is approximately MP 279. There was once a classification yard here before Avon was built in the 1950s; there is now a siding along the north side of the main, for a total of three tracks. Intermediate signals 279.0/279.1 are on a signal bridge, which might be an interesting photo prop.
Indianapolis -- Arlington Avenue. Keep plugging along to the northeast via Massachusetts Avenue.30th Street and Emerson Avenue are NAG/NARL. Some maps show a “crossing” at 32nd St. But this is NFOG; it is an underpass which still exists, but has been blocked off for several years. At 34th Street, all quadrants except the northeast are rated 4 due to heavy weed/tree growth; NE would be a 2 at the absolute best. Virtually NARL, so unless you're desperate to stop and take a quick shot, we don't recommend this location. Eventually, you'll arrive at a horrific 6-point intersection with Massachusetts, 34th Street and Arlington Avenue. Take a left to go north on Arlington.
This will get you to a decent crossing, at least from the north:NE2, SE4, SW4, NW1. This is a major thoroughfare, and is not recommended to extended fanning.
Indianapolis -- Shadeland Avenue. Go back to Massachusetts Avenue, turn left, and continue to the northeast. You can get to a crossing via 38th Street, but it's NAG/NARL. At the intersection with Shadeland Avenue, take a left and drive north to the tracks. This is another busy 4-lane NAG, but this new bridge has sidewalks on both sides. A few trees and pole lines, but all in all, viewing does not look to be too bad.
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Lawrence -- 46th Street/Franklin/Sarnia. Once back again on Massachusetts Avenue, turn left, and continue to the northeast. Note that somewhere in this area you leave Indianapolis and enter the suburb of Lawrence. When that happens the name of the road will change to Pendleton Pike and will be signed (at least east of I-465) as US-36. Continue northeast, go under I-465, and drive to a left onto Franklin Road. This will take you due north to a crossing. Just before the crossing is a left onto 46th Street. Within a very short distance, both 46th and Franklin cross the tracks at grade. Connecting them as the hypotenuse of a right angle triangle is Sarnia Street. You can walk around and figure out where you'd like to set up.
Lawrence -- 47th Street. OK, if you've just left the triangle described above, and your scanner goes nuts, go north on Franklin Road over the crossing, and take the first right onto 47th Street. This will take you to a fairly decent photo location:NE4, SE2, SW1, NW2, although Bruce mentions that it's "a little tight".
Lawrence -- Post Road. From the 47th Street crossing, go south on McCoy one block to a left onto 46th Street, which will take you back to Pendleton Pike/US-36. Take the left onto the latter and drive up to Post Road; take a left and drive to the crossing. Park on the right, before crossing the tracks. Here are the CP-273 crossovers. The SE quadrant is best, in front of the trailer park. NE2, SE1, SW4, NW4. The southeast quadrant is posted private property (by the trailer park, not by the railroad), but the sign is about 30 feet back off the road. Stay out near the road and you probably won’t be bothered.
Lawrence -- 56th Street Area. Continue north on Post Road to a right onto 56th Street, a major thoroughfare. Before you get to the NAG/NARL overpass, take a left onto Lee Road. There is a parking lot at a business just north of the overpass on Lee Road that gives a rather intriguing view of trains passing under the bridge, as the bridge crosses the tracks at a sharp angle.
Also, the aerials show a vestigial road that is quite close to the tracks on the north side. From the intersection of 56th Street and Lee Road, go north one block to a right onto Otis. This will T at Brooks Road. Take a right and walk or ride to the end of the road near the tracks. Note that this was NO, but is quite clear on the aerials. It may be posted, but if not, it's possibly a quiet place to watch the growlers.
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McCordsville -- CR-750N. From the 56th Street area in Lawrence, all the way to McCordsville, there is little opportunity for decent railfanning. We'll not detail the driving, but will mention the (very limited) photo ops; understand this is not railfan heaven. Even though we are finally beginning to leave the urban metropolis behind, Pendleton Pike/US-36/IN-67 is a multi-lane, very busy and built up highway.
The 59th Street crossing in Lawrence is NARL, due to heavy tree growth in all 4 quadrants. Sunnyside Road offers a decent location for a quick shot, at NE3, SE2, SW4, NW4, and features heavy weeds/trees/brush surrounding the crossing. Signals 271.4/271.5 are immediately west of this crossing.
When you get into Oaklandon, there are a couple of places to pull off along the north side of the tracks and take grab shots if something is imminent. The street is 63rd/Verdin Street. It's kind of a long ways off Pendleton Pike just for a grabbie. Further northeast, the Oaklandon Road crossing is NE3, SE2, SW4, NW4. The southeast quad is a city park, but you will need to work around a fence and trees. The crossing at Brandon Street is NARL, as there are houses on all four quads.
We are finally beginning to leave the urban congestion of Indianapolis behind. US-36/IN-67/Pendleton Pike parallels tracks closely from here east to Pendleton (MP 256), with brief separations at McCordsville, Fortville, and (to a much lesser extent) Ingalls. This road has undergone much development in recent years, and is too busy in most places (especially west of Ingalls) to be a railfan location (though you might be able to pull off the road briefly to take a grab shot or two), and traffic is too heavy (and traffic lights too frequent) to make chasing a train particularly enjoyable or safe. If you are desperate to get ahead of an eastbound for photos (such as a Q106 with KCS power!), your best bet is to get to I-69 to the north of the tour via IN-13 (Exit 14) north of Fortville, or you can access it directly just south of Anderson, at Exit 22, and follow this northbound to Exit 34 (IN-32) near Daleville.
When you get to McCordsville, there is a crossing at County Line Road/Carroll Road. Two names for the same road. Viewing from north only due to proximity of 4-lane US-36/IN-67 south of tracks. The track speed limit is uniformly 40 MPH west of here, but east of here it increases to 60 for intermodals and 50 for manifest freights. The crossing is NARL, but there is a sidewalk on the south side of Pendleton Pike. But there will be 4 lanes of traffic between you and the trains.
When you get to CR-750N, take the very sharp left turn and the crossing is right in front of you, and it's fairly decent, for a change: NE4, SE2, SW2, NW4.
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McCordsville -- Downtown. Continuing northeast on Pendleton Pike, when you get to the village of McCordsville, take a left on Depot Street, cross the tracks (pretty much NARL), and turn right onto North Railroad Street.MP 268 is here. The tracks continue their ~30º bias from the horizontal, so photos from the north are definitely a possibility. At CR-600W, you can take a right, cross the tracks, take another right, and follow them for a few blocks on South Railroad Street. Between the two parallel streets, you do have some opportunities.
The crossing at CR-600W is, by far, the best we've encountered for quite a while:NE3, SE1, SW1, NW3. There is a gas station and convenience center SE of the crossing for life support.
Fortville -- CR-1000N. We now begin another stretch of rather poor fanning territory, so I'll mention the crossings, but will not provide details. The CR-500W crossing in Woodbury is virtually NARL (your best bet is to pull off on the shoulder of IN-67/US-36), but there is a dragging equipment detector (MP 266?) just east of the crossing. As a general photography note, you might be able to get good panoramic shots across fields from the county roads a short distance to the south/east of the tracks off of US-36/IN-67, especially in winter or early spring, anywhere between McCordsville and Pendleton.
The crossing at CR-400W is another virtual NARL, but you might be able to get decent pics in the NW quadrant if there is no tall corn in the field. Further up, at the CR-300W road, the crossing has been closed and cut, and is NARL. Once in Fortville, take a hard left on CR-1000N, and park at the former gas station SW of the crossing along Pendleton Pike. Photo ratings are NE2, SE4, SW1, NW4.
Fortville -- Downtown. Cross the tracks to the west and take a sharp right onto Staad Street, which will follow the tracks for a short way, and then diverge somewhat. At Merrill Street, take a right, cross the tracks, and park in the municipal parking lot on the east side of the street. In the evenings and weekends, there is good viewing from the parking lot. The crossing at Merrill Street has sidewalks, but it's pretty tight. East of the parking lot is Main Street, which is broad, has sidewalks, and the crossing is a solid 1-2 all around, with the south quadrants having the best light for photos.
Fortville -- Noel Street. Leave the parking lot via Main Street, cross the tracks, and take a right onto Staad Street. At Noel Steet, take a hard right, and drive down to the crossing. This is the best spot for photos in Fortville. Great WB shot here with the old grain elevator in the background. NE4, SE4, SW1, NW2.
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Fortville -- Madison Street. Cross the tracks to the south, turn (hard) left onto Mill Street, and drive to Madison Street. Take Madison to just south of the tracks, and park in the large, open gravel lot on the east side of the street. This area is wide open for photos, but the other quads are 3-4's at best. The MP 263 marker is here.
Ingalls -- Alfonte Street Area. Depart the gravel lot by taking a left onto Madison Street to head south. This will shortly take you to Pendleton Pike/US-36/IN-67. Take a left to head northeast. The tracks will soon be hard on your left; pass up CR-750W, as it is NARL. As you enter the Ingalls area, the first crossing is Alfonte Street. The post office in the southwest quad offers good viewing, but is very close to tracks. Train watching is fine, but probably not photography at this spot. If you cross the tracks and turn right onto 2nd Avenue, photos are good on summer evenings. All through this area, there are a few businesses on the south side of Pendleton Pike that will get you into better light, but you will have highway traffic and those pesky code lines between you and the action.
Ingalls -- Meridian Street Area. Continue east on 2nd Avenue to the T at Meridian Street. Take a right and find a place to park. This is another good train watching area, but photos are constrained by the closeness of the tracks to Pendleton Pike (Broadway Street in Ingalls), the code line, and on the northeast by private property. Similar to the 2nd Avenue area, however, you can go north on Meridian, and then go right onto 3rd Avenue. This will end close to the tracks on the north side; again, a nice spot for summer evening photos.
The CP-260 high-speed crossovers are located east of Meridian. The diverging speed limit on the switches is 45 MPH; signals display Limited Clear (red over flashing green) for diverging movements.
Ingalls -- East Street. The parking lot for the Madison County Deaf Club southeast of the crossing offers great viewing and photos, but traffic on the highway (and code lines) may interfere.
Pendleton -- Old IN-9. As you enter the Pendleton area via Pendleton Pike/US-36/IN-67, there are a series of jails on either side of the road. It is probably wise to just keep moving thru this area. IN-9 will come in from the south, and join the main road to go northeast. A remnant of the old road, Old IN-9, crosses the highway and the tracks, and gives us a decent fan location. MP 257 is here, and there is a curve beginning, as the tracks gradually turn due north over the next mile and a half. “Pendleton” defect detector is just west of this crossing.
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Pendleton -- Broadway Street. This one was originally a question mark location, as we really weren't sure how to write it up. From Old IN-9, continue northeast on US-36/IN-9/IN-67 to a left onto Broadway Street. There is an AG crossing, but it's really not anything to write home about. We'll just settle on "It's a grab shot location."
Pendleton -- Madison Street. Continue northeast on the highway, and by the time you get to Madison Street (on the left -- Angle Street on the right), you and the tracks are quickly becoming virtually dead north - south. Viewing from the east from the high school lawn (during non-school hours only) or shopping center, or from the west along Water Tower Drive are so-so photo locations at best, because there are LOTS of power poles and other clutter in the area. You are at MP 256.
Pendleton -- Falls Park. Further north on what is now IN-9/IN-67, US-36 peels off to the right and heads towards Columbus, Ohio. The tracks are well to the west now, as it has taken the road more time to become due north - south that the railroad needed. Along the way north, pass up State Street/IN-38, as it's NAG/NARL. Do the same for Water Street, for the same reasons. At Huntsville Road, take a left, and the road will become Falls Park Drive. Take any entrance to the park and park.
The tracks are elevated here, but are easily accessible via public hiking trails on both sides, at both ends, with an infinite variety of angles possible. Photo rating E1/W1. This photo location is a no-brainer if you’re lucky enough to catch a train while you’re here. A star here is the concrete arch bridge over Falls Creek (built 1910) just north of this location, at MP 255.
Pendleton -- Old IN-9 Crossing (North). Leave the park and turn right to follow Falls Park Drive towards downtown Pendleton. It will make an odd S-type curve and you'll reach an intersection with Pendleton Avenue (Old IN-9). Turn right, cross Falls Creek, and you'll eventually come to an AG crossing. This is a rather irregular shape as the railroad is now bending to the north-northeast, and the road is going in the same direction, but is just not as northly. Photos are fair to poor once again due to heavy tree growth.MP 254 is here.
Pendleton -- CR-360W. A short distance past the crossing going northeast, take a left onto CR-360W. The crossing is fairly close to Old IN-9. We provide this location only for those who may need to get trackside in a hurry. You'll probably want to leave your camera in the car, as viewing is very restricted due to tree growth and homes nearby; your only real photo opportunities are in the NW quadrant, but it’s rather tight. Signals 253.3/253.4 are just south of the I-69 overpass.
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Anderson -- 73rd Street. Keep going northeast on Old IN-9, and it will lead to the major road we've followed for most of this tour, now labeled as IN-9/IN-67. Take a left to head towards Anderson. At this point, you will shortly pass under I-69 at exit 22, and you have some options:
1. Continue north on the road you're on to continue the railfan tour.
2. For plenty of life support, get on the Interstate and go north 4 miles to exit 26. There is plenty of life support here, including motels, restaurants, good shopping, and even a near-by hospital.
3. At this point, you may get on I-69 northbound and continue to Exit 34 (follow signs to IN-32, not IN-67) and resume the tour from there if you want to skip over the Anderson area. This will take you to Daleville.
When you get to 73rd Street, take a left and drive to the general area of the crossing. There is an active industrial spur just west of the crossing. Parking may be a problem because of private property concerns, so be wise. Bruce doesn't consider this a railfan location, but if you are careful and a little lucky, you should be alright. Use your judgement, and don't hang around or run around.
Anderson – 67th Street/CR-400S. Backtrack to IN-9/IN-67, turn left and at 67th Street, turn left to head to the tracks. The crossing is at the north edge of the very large Memorial Park Cemetery. Poor photos due to trees/brush; your only opportunities are in the NE/NW quadrants as long as the fields don’t have tall corn in them.
Anderson -- 53rd Street/CR-300S. Head back to IN-9/IN-67, and take a left to continue north. At 53rd Street, take a left and head to the crossing. This one isn't great, but it's sure better than most we've encountered lately. CP 250's crossovers are just north (east) of crossing. This one’s NE1, SE2, SW4, NW4.
Anderson -- 38th Street. Go back the short distance to IN-9/IN-67, turn left, and continue north. This is an important location, because the character of the tour will change from here thru most of Anderson. As far as photos, the best viewing is from the parking lot of MAGIC Glass in the northeast quad (if the business is closed, or if you have received permission to hang around).
About one football field or so east of the crossing, the two main line tracks split. Track 1 is the south/east track, and it will turn 90º to head west - east thru the area occupied by the Anderson yard, and then swing northeast to re-join the other thru track towards Muncie. Track 2, therefore, is the north/west track, and we will follow it after following Track 1. The majority of CSX traffic through Anderson appears to use Track 1. The main attractions for railfans on Track 2 are occasional local moves by Norfolk Southern and Central Indiana & Western (see notes on these farther down).
Track 1 thru Anderson
Anderson -- Martin Luther King, Jr Drive. Drive back towards IN-9/IN-67, but take a left onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard(MLK). MLK was formerly Pendleton Avenue. This street will bend to the northeast, and Track 1 will come in and head into the yard. There is a wide open view to the southwest, on the inside of a sweeping curve that takes the tracks from almost due south - north to due west - east through South Anderson Yard. CP 249 is east of the crossing and marks the west end of a controlled siding through the yard area. Now that the former Guide plants have been torn down, you can even get views of Track 2 action here with a long telephoto lens. The SW quadrant is best, as it is not fenced.[Webmaster's Note:The Guide plants were immense, and still show in the aerials.]
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Anderson -- Marine Drive. Continue north on MLK, and turn right onto 29th Street. Turn right onto Madison Avenue, go under the NAG/NARL overpass, and turn left onto Marine Avenue. At the point of this turn, there may or may not be a street sign, but the street is less than a block long and goes due east, and then goes northeast at an ~65º angle. The IOOF lodge is on the left, just before the underpass. Park behind the IOOF lodge southwest of the overpass, and you will have good photos of the mainline here, as long as stored cars are not in the way. But you will have to contend with trees/brush along the tracks.
To the east of this point on the (excellent) aerials, you can clearly see the foundation of the roundhouse and the turntable in front of it.
Anderson -- Andover Road. Go back south on Marine to a hard left onto 33rd Street. Take your first left onto Andover Road, and it will begin to bend 90º to the right/southeast. At about the middle of the curve, the CSX road to the yard goes off to the northwest. You can see the local power for Anderson parked next to the yard office. GP38-2s are the most common units used here, but occasionally you might see a GP15-1 or a GP40-2/road slug set. Stay out of railroad property.
Anderson -- Main Street. Continue southeast on Andover Road, and it will bend due south and T at a road that may be signed as Parkway Drive or South Drive. Take a left and drive to Main Street. Take another left and drive north, but do not go under the overpass. Park behind the McClure gas station southwest of the overpass, or in the parking lot of Lloyd’s Landing across the street. There are billboards on both sides of the overpass that you will have to work around when taking photos, and the SE quad is treed in. But the SW quad is wide open, with a panoramic view of the east end of South Anderson Yard.
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Anderson -- Fletcher Street. Continue north on Main Street, go under the overpass, and bear to the right onto Central Avenue. Take your first right onto an apparently un-named street, and drive one block to Fletcher Street. If the un-named street is blocked, continue north on Central for one block, take a right onto 31st Street, and then turn right onto Fletcher. Either way, Fletcher is a dead end street, and offers access from the north. The viewing is very tight and treed in, but you can see the CP 247 interlocking here. This is a busy place; in addition to the east end of the South Anderson controlled siding, the Dow Secondary splits off to the north, and the Emporia Industrial Track to the south. There was once a diamond here (the Dow Secondary and Emporia I. T. were once part of a New York Central line from Louisville, KY to Grand Rapids, MI).
Anderson -- Columbus Avenue. Head back up Fletcher Street to a right onto 31st Street. Cross the Dow Secondary tracks (NARL), and turn right at Columbus Avenue. There is good viewing from the grocery store parking lot in NW quadrant: NE3, SE4, SW1, NW1.
Anderson -- East Lynn Street. Keep going south on Columbus to a left onto 33rd Street. This will T after two blocks at East Lynn. Take a left and drive north towards the tracks. Despite its name, this street runs north-south. The crossing here has been cut, but you can get access from the south and a huge open paved lot in the SE quadrant offers great access, viewing, and photography.
Anderson -- 32nd Street. Retrace your drive all the way back up to the Columbus Avenue crossing. Go over it and take the first right onto 32nd Street, and head east. The track is curving as it crosses the road here, heading northeast toward Gridley. You can park on the north side in the lot for the former Spring Air mattress plant, but in Bruce's opinion the aforementioned East Lynn Street location is much better.
However, east of the crossing is an open grass triangular lot bordered by 32nd and Pitt Streets, and the tracks. You can get some creative shots of trains (especially eastbounds) rounding the curve here. The crossing at Pitt Street itself is all 4's except for the SW quad (part of the triangle.
Track 2 thru Anderson
Our tour along Track 2 will begin at the 38th Street crossing. Note well that the entire city of Anderson seems to be a bit rough, especially along Track 2 through the west side, and also east of downtown.
Anderson -- 25th Street. Via 38th Street, cross the tracks to the west, and immediately take a right onto Raible Avenue. At 25th Street, take a right and drive to the crossing. Photo ratings are:NE1, SE2, SW3, NW3.MP 249 is here, and note that Track 2 continues the mile markers between 38th Street and its joining with the Track 1 some 5 miles northeast of that crossing.
Anderson -- 22nd Street. At the 25th Street crossing, Arrow Avenue goes north from the northwest quad. Take it up to 22nd Street and turn right. The crossing is an X rather than a +, and that helps with lighting considerations. The southeast quad is wide open, except for some poles you'll have to work around. The other quads are 3's and 4's.
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Anderson -- Locust Street. Keep going east on 22nd Street until you get to Locust Street; turn left and head up to an interesting crossing:NE1, SE2 (weeds), SW4, NW3.
Anderson -- Cedar Street. From the Locust Street crossing, go south on Locust to a left onto 19th Street. Once at Cedar, take a left and drive up to the crossing. Photo ratings are NE1, SE1, SW1, NW1, and even though the two southern quads have you fighting poles, this is still the most open location we've seen for a while. This is a good place to catch the very occasional CEIW traffic; more on the CEIW is discussed in the Jackson Street description.
Anderson -- Madison Avenue. Drive further north on Locust and take a right onto 16th Avenue. Turn right onto Madison and drive to the crossing. The crossing is on a nice curve, with good pix in both directions: NE1, SE4, SW1, NW1.
Anderson -- Fairview Street. Continue south on Madison Avenue until 17th Street and turn left. At Fairview Street, take another left and drive north to the tracks. Photo ratings are NE1, SE3, SW2, NW3.MP 248 is here.
Anderson -- Lincoln Street. Drive one block north to 14th Street, take a right and drive one long block to Lincoln Street. Turn right and drive to the crossing area. The first set of tracks is the Dow Secondary line. Beyond this point north, the line is now owned by Norfolk Southern, and it leads towards Marion, Indiana. Photo ops:NE4, SE4, SW3, NW1.
Anderson -- Brown Street. We are now quite close to the downtown area, and will encounter a few one-way streets, so be alert. Go back north to 14th Street, turn right, and drive to Brown Street, and take another right. Brown is one-way southbound. The eastbound home signals for CP 246 are visible just east of this crossing. Here, the Dow Secondary switches in from the north and switches out a couple of blocks east and heads south for Track 1 and South Anderson Yard. NE4, SE4, SW3, NW1. This is an interesting place to watch trains, but obviously is not great for photos, as the tracks are east - west, and the sun will be in your face when you're in the northwest quad.
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Anderson -- Jackson Street. Drive south to 16th Street and take a left. At Jackson Street -- one-way northbound -- take another left and drive to the crossing. There is a MacDonalds on the northwest quad of the crossing. There is good viewing in the southeast quad, from a vacant warehouse parking lot. The other quads are 4's because of private property.
Here, you can see (in addition to CSX trains) occasional movements by Norfolk Southern and the local shortline Central Indiana & Western. The NS local runs between Goodman Yard in Marion, Indiana, and Hawthorne Yard in Indianapolis, and is symboled B32 on NS and Z329 on CSX. The CEIW currently uses an ex-C&NW Geep, No. 4295. An ex-Conrail EMD switcher (#88) is based in Lapel, 10 miles west of Anderson via IN-32, and is used to switch the line’s three local customers, two grain elevators and a glass factory. Both the 4295 and the 88 can be seen in Lapel (they are parked in the open, with no engine house) when not in use.
Anderson -- Meridian Street. Keep driving north on Jackson Street, take a right onto 14th Street, and take another right to go south on Medidian. The electronics shack for CP 246 is in the SW quadrant of this crossing. Good viewing from the south (parking lot for vacant warehouse); however, a guardrail on the south side of the tracks makes photography less than ideal. The parking lot was full of broken-up wooden pallets at the time of Bruce's visit; so don’t park there unless you want nails in your tires!
Anderson -- Main Street. Continue north on Meridian, and take a right onto 15th Street. After one block, take a left onto Main Street, which is one-way southbound. There is good viewing at the crossing in the southeast quad. There is no guardrail here!The east switch of CP 246 will be right in front of you. While the southeast quad is a 1, the others are tight.
On the north side of the tracks, immediately west of Main Street sits the former NYC/Big Four depot, which has been restored and now houses the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre.
Anderson -- Central Avenue. To get to our next location, you'll have to go south all the way to 19th Street, take a left and then another one onto Central Avenue. You'll then have to drive all the way up to the crossing. While you can probably walk from the Main Street crossing to Central Avenue's crossing faster than you can drive it, that's not an option -- sorry.
Once at Central, there is good viewing and photos from the southwest quadrant. The southeast is a self-storage facility with a fence right along the tracks, and both north quadrants are occupied by houses. The westbound signals for CP 246 are immediately west of this crossing.
Anderson -- Fletcher Street. North one block of the crossing, take a right onto 15th Street, and then another right onto Fletcher. This one’s very tight, but the SE quadrant is best if you have to pick one.
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Anderson -- Pearl Street. Drive back north on Fletcher to a right onto 15th, and after one block, take a right onto Pearl Street. The crossing is a lousy photo location, but is interesting here, because the Dow Secondary swings to the south toward Track 1.
Anderson -- Walnut Street. Backtrack to 15th Street take a right, drive two blocks, and then take another right onto Walnut Street. At the crossing, the tracks are heading east-southeast, and there is good viewing from the south side in Walnut Park in the SW quadrant. The Dow Secondary runs along the west side of the park. A signal on the Dow here displays red or yellow aspects, and Bruce believes it serves as an approach signal for CP 246. It does not have a number plate, so it may technically be part of the interlocking as well.
Anderson -- Columbus Avenue. From the Walnut Street crossing, drive south all the way to 19th Street and turn left to head east. Along the way on 19th, skip the Noble and Jefferson streets' crossings, as they are NARL. Take a left at Columbus Avenue and drive up to the crossing. Photo ratings are NE1, SE3, SW1, NW4. If you want to shoot from the southeast quad, get permission from the business located there. The site of the former Delco Tower is to the northwest, along Ohio Avenue.
Anderson -- Pitt Street. Cross the tracks to the north, and as you do so, bear to the right to enter Ohio Avenue/IN-32. Parallel the tracks to the southeast until you get to Pitt Street, and take a right. The crossing is general poor all around, except for the northwest quad which is wide open. It's also full of weeds in warm weather months. Hopefully, local fans will bring a weed whacker with them.
Anderson -- 22nd Street. Continue to the south across the tracks. You will turn left onto 22nd Street, which will get you to the next crossing. However, before you turn, keep you eyes open for remnants of the ex-Conrail (exx-Pennsylvania Railroad) line that paralleled Track 2 thru here, and then crossed it at Delco Tower near Columbus Avenue. Not only was there a main line, but between Delco Tower and 22nd Street, there was a yard named Gridley Yard. All that is long gone, but the name stuck, and Steam Powered Video's Great Lakes East railroad atlas shows the meeting point of tracks 1 & 2 to be "Gridley". Also, after you've made the turn, look to the southeast, and the remnants are quite obvious. Photo ratings at the Track 2 crossing are poor, with the exception of the business parking lot on the northwest quad.
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Anderson -- Scatterfield Road/IN-9. Cross the tracks to the east, and take a right onto Ohio Avenue (which becomes Mound Road somewhere along here)/IN-32. At the major intersection with Scatterfield Road/IN-9 take a right and drive south. Along the way, pass up the crossing of Track 2, as it is very busy, and NARL. Cross the ex-PRR tracks, and at 27th Street, take a right and park.
27th Street was once the main access road leading into the Delco plants, all of which have been leveled. It is now a wide open viewing area, primarily for movements on Track 1. You have a wide open panoramic view to the southeast, and you can get shots of trains coming right at you down the straightaway from the 32nd and Pitt location, then swinging east toward CP 245. The track is on a bit of a hill going out of town, and locomotives will be working a bit. Track 2 is a little too far away to be effectively viewed and photographed here, and your views will be hampered somewhat by trees. MP 246 is here.
CP 245 is well east of the crossing, and marks the beginning of Rule 251 operation to the east. All eastbounds on Track 2 will cross over to 1 here; they will normally receive a Medium Clear signal indication (red-green-red).
Anderson -- Ulm Road. Drive back up to Mounds Road and take a right. IN-32 goes north at the intersection of Ohio/Mounds and from here east, Mounds is designated as IN-232. You are now starting to get to the east edge of Anderson. At Ulm Road, take a right and drive to the crossing. NE3, SE1-2, SW4, NW3. The two tracks are back together and heading east: unfortunately, the code line is also back. This is OK for a quick shot, but the next location is much better.
Anderson -- Church Street. Drive back up to Mounds Road and take a right. The second right will be Church Street; take it and drive to the tracks. Photo access is rated at 1's all around, but don’t get too close to anyone’s house. Nice curve to the east; this would be a good place to catch a westbound.
Anderson -- Rangeline Road/CR-200E. Backtrack up Church to Mounds Road and take a right to head east. At the first intersection, take a right onto Rangeline Road/CR-200E. Drive to the crossing, and notice that the railroad is in the middle of a curve. It sweeps from northwest/southeast to the west, to northeast/southwest from the east. Ratings are NE2, SE2, SW3, NW2, and MP 245 is here.
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Chesterfield -- Donnelly Road/CR-100S. Continue south on Rangeline Road and take the big sweeping curve to the left to join CR-150S (which may be signed as either 25th Street Road or Valley Grove Road. At CR-67 (AKA Old IN-67 or Union Township Pike) take a left, and the tracks will come in from the left, and you'll be right next to them all the way to the Madison/Delaware county line. At Donnelly Road/CR-100S, park at the gas station east of crossing, but photo angles and sightlines are only fair. Remember all along here, that the railroad is on a bias of about 40º, but the streets cross at either 90º or 0º, and there is a code line on the south side of the tracks.
Chesterfield -- CR-300E. Further northeast via Union Township Pike, CR-300E goes north, and is wide open on both southern quads (poles, however), but there is no access from the north side.
Chesterfield -- CR-400E. Still further northeast via Union Township Pike, CR-400E is basically a carbon copy of CR-300E, although the angle of the Pike and railroad is starting to flatten somewhat. There is a defect detector at MP 242.
Chesterfield -- County Line Road/CR-500E. As you get close to I-69, Union Township Pike will bend to the east and intersect with County Line Road/CR-500E. This is the boundary between Madison County to the west and Delaware County to the east. The crossing is jammed between IN-32 to the north and two industries on the south. It's OK for a quick shot from the southeast, but that's about it. MP 241 is here.
This is the completion of the Avon - Indianapolis - Anderson segment of the larger Indianapolis - Marion, Ohio, tour. Exit 34 on I-69 is about a quarter of a mile east via IN-32.