Fort Wayne Rail Operations
 

Overview

This page shows which trains normally run through Fort Wayne and describes the basic operations of each railroad in the city.
 


 

Norfolk Southern

Fort Wayne is part of Norfolk Southern's Lake Division and generally speaking, is a convergence point of three major lines.  East Wayne Yard is used for staging some trains but the majority of NS trains here are through-trains.  Fort Wayne is one of the major passing points of NS trains coming from the Southern Region and going to Chicago or Detroit and vice versa.  This creates quite a mixture of traffic.  The thickest traffic resides between Mike and Hugo interlockings on the Huntington District which is double-track between Hugo and just west of NE.  Also, Triple Crown's main yard is in Fort Wayne at the west end of Piqua Yard and all roadrailer trains head for this yard via Mike interlocking or the Piqua Wye. Roadrailer trains are numbered 240-269.  Local freights operate on all NS lines in the area.  You can tell them by the prefix "L" or "LF."  The "L" stands for locals on the Lake Division and the "F" for Fort Wayne.

One of the biggest challenges Norfolk Southern faces in Fort Wayne is train saturation.  With the convergence of 3 major lines, the famous statement "too many trains and not enough track" certainly applies here at times.  Often a single problem with one train will have a ripple effect on all 3 lines and will tie them up for long periods of time.  The Conrail acquisition in 1999 added many additional trains to the Huntington and Fostoria Districts which created quite a bit of congestion within the city.  NS has done a lot of experimenting with routes since then, consolidating several trains, and they even tried routing a few mail trains on the CSX Fort Wayne Line east of Fort Wayne for a few years.

Foreign Power:  Foreign power seems to come in waves on NS, but a few trains are regulars for non-NS power here in Fort Wayne.  UP power is common on 10E, 15E, 171, and sometimes 307.  BNSF power is seen occasionally on 18Q, 17J, 27V, and 276.  Wisconsin Central power sometimes will show up on 175, although this train usually runs at night.  Another good one for various foreign power is the molten sulfur trains 61N and 60Q.
 
 


In recent times Norfolk Southern has experimented with different routes for their trains in this area.  Once such experiment was done with 21A, a mail hotshot train from Elizabethport, NJ to St. Louis.  This train was rerouted on the CSX Fort Wayne Line east of Mike interlocking in October 2000 as a shortcut route around Toledo and Cleveland.  Here NS I1A (extra 21A) is westbound on the Fort Wayne Line approaching Paulding Rd. in New Haven, Indiana on May 21, 2001.
The bridge in the background is I-469.  NS no longer uses this routing.



Norfolk Southern Train Listing - Fort Wayne, Indiana

This listing is a continuous "work in progress."  These are just the ones that run regularly through Fort Wayne.  For simplicity, the unit 500 series are not included.  For a complete listing of NS systemwide train symbols visit the NS Train Schedule Website.

Abbreviations used in this listing:
C  - Chicago District
N  - New Castle District
H  - Huntington District
F  - Fostoria District
T  - Triple Crown Yard
W1 - Fort Wayne Line (between Junction and Sand)
W2 - Fort Wayne Line (Mike and eastward)
W3 - Fort Wayne Line (between Mike and Sand)
B - Uses the transfer track in Butler to Join onto the Chicago Line
 

How to read the listings

Example:
 
215 Chicago Landers Yd.-Jacksonville FL CW1N 1/15/06 Notes

Color codes
Road Freights
Intermodals
Roadrailers
Autos & Parts
Coal
Locals
Misc.

 
 
10E Salem IL (from UP)-Conway PA HF 12/5/05 new route via Bellevue 4/02
11E Conway PA-Salem IL (to UP) FH 1/15/06  
120 Kansas City MO-Detroit Oakwood Yd. H    
121 Detroit Oakwood Yd.-Decatur IL H 10/28/05  
122 Decatur IL-Detroit H    
13N Port Harrington DE-Gibson IN/IHB FC    
144 Bingham, AL - Elkhart IN   3/30/06  
145 Buffalo NY-Kansas City MO FH 10/22/05  
146 Decatur IL-Bellevue OH HF    
15E Bellevue OH-Sidney IL (to UP) FH    
15K   H 1/15/06  
16K Decatur IL - Columbus OH HF 10/22/05  
171 Detroit Sterling-Sidney IL (to UP) H 10/19/05  
175 Chicago-Macon, GA CW1N   new route 1/23/03
177 Chicago Calumet Yd.-Chattanooga TN CHN   via East Wayne Yd, combines w/197 as needed
17J Detroit Sterling Yd.-Madison IL (to BNSF) H 10/30/05 Chrysler parts
17K Bellevue OH-Tolono IL FH    
17R Clearing Yard - Columbus CF   Started summer 2005
181 Oakwood-St. Louis H    
186 East St Louis - Bellevue HF    
187 Bellevue - East St Louis FH    
18Q Madison IL (from BNSF)-Detroit Sterling Yd. H    
193 Fort Wayne-Cincinnati HN   operates in lieu of 177
196 Chattanooga-Detroit NH    
197 Detroit-East Point GA HN 1/15/06  

 
20A St. Louis MO-Erail NJ H   except Sun. Mon.
20T Kansas City MO-Rutherford PA H   except Sun. Mon.
215 Chicago Landers Yd.-Jacksonville FL CW1N    
216 Austell GA -Chicago Landers Yd. NW1C    
217 Greensboro NC-Chicago Calumet Yd. FC   except Mon.
218 Chicago Calumet Yd.-Greensboro NC CF   except Mon. Sat.
21A Erail NJ-St. Louis MO FH 1/15/06 Tues-Sun
21T Erail NJ-Kansas City MO FH 1/15/06 Tues-Sun
22N -Fort Wayne H 1/15/06 cuts Autoracks in Wabash Yard
230 Jacksonville FL-Chicago Landers Yd. NW1C    
233 Norfolk VA-Chicago Landers Yd. FC   except Tues.
234 Chicago Landers Yd.-Norfolk VA CF   except Sun. Mon.
235 Norfolk VA- Chicago Landers Yd NW1C    
236 Chicago Landers Yd.-Norfolk VA CW1N   except Mon.
23V     1/15/06  
25A Chicago - ?      

 
240 Argentine KS (from BNSF)-Fort Wayne HT    
251 Sandusky OH-Atlanta GA FTHN   except Mon.
252 Fort Wayne-Detroit TH    
253 Detroit-Voltz MO HTH    
255 Detroit-Argentine KS (to BNSF) HTH    
256 Mitchell IL-Sandusky OH HTF    
260 Voltz MO-Detroit HTH    
261 Bethlehem PA-Chicago FHTW3C    
262 Chicago-Bethlehem PA CW3THF    
263 Detroit-Voltz MO H   except Sat. Sun.
264 Jacksonville FL-Chicago NHTW3C   except Mon.
265 Rutherford PA-Fort Wayne FHT   Wed, Thurs
266 Voltz MO-Detroit H   operates on Sundays
267 Fort Wayne-Mitchell IL TH    

 
25G Kansas City MO (from UP)-Detroit Oakwood Yd. H    
26Q St. Louis, MO-Detroit Oakwood Yd. H    
26R Bellevue-Roanoke IN/GM FH   new train 04/08/04
272 Kansas City MO-Bellevue OH HF   some intermodal, new train 10/28/02 
274 Moberly MO - Cresent VA HF    
276 Atlanta-Bellevue OH NHF   usually has mixed freight on head end
277 Crescent VA-Voltz MO FH   Ford
27V Wayne, MI - Kansas City MO H   Ford - new route 6/22/02
280 Chicago-Bellevue OH CF   new train 6/24/03
28A Ft Wayne- Bethleham PA F 1/15/06  
28K Kansas City MO-Toledo Airline Jct.Yd H   as needed
296 Kansas City MO-Bellevue OH HF   as needed

 
306 Chicago-Bellevue OH CF 1/15/06  
307 Bellevue OH-Chicago FC    
313 Fort Wayne-Muncie-Fort Wayne HNH   Muncie turn; except Sat. (former 417)
323 Fort Wayne-Van Loon IN-Fort Wayne C   Van Loon turn, EJE interchanges
324 Chicago - Fort Wayne C   Started Fall 2005, possibly on to Elkhart
34N Decatur IL-Conway PA HB 1/15/06 Works EW Yard Early afternoon
35N Conway PA-Madison IL (to TRRA) BH    
365 ?-? C    

 

412   C   Loaded Coke train
413   C   Empty Coke train

 

51R   F 1/15/06  
55E        
58V        

 
60N Occidental FL-Chicago NW1C   molten sulfur empty
60R Chicago-Hopewell VA (Honeywell) CF   molten sulfur load
60Q Chicago-Lee Creek NC CF or CW1N   molten sulfur load
60T Chicago-Evans City, AL CW1N   potash train, infrequent
61N Chicago-Occidental FL CW1N   molten sulfur load
61Q Lee Creek NC-Chicago FC or NW1C   molten sulfur empty
61R Hopewell VA (Honeywell)-Chicago FC   molten sulfur empty
62G ?-Butler/Columbia City IN (SDI) H   steel slab train
65E     1/15/06  

 
776 Ensley AL-Gibson/IHB NW1C   load; new train 1/04
777 Gibson/IHB-Ensley AL CW1N   empty; new train 1/04
84A Williamson WV-Indianapolis/CSXT FHN   load; Peavine closure reroute
856 ?-? FC   new train 3/04.
857 ?-? CF   new train 3/04
86Z Mobile AL-Van Loon IN/EJE NW1C   load; new train 1/04
87Z Van Loon IN/EJE-Mobile, AL CW1N   empty; new train 1/27/2004
882 Williamson WV-Van Loon IN/EJE FC   load
883 Van Loon IN/EJE-Chicago-Williamson WV CF   empty
884 Williamson WV-Chicago FC   load
885 Chicago-Williamson WV CF   empty 

 
LF10 Fort Wayne local HN   also runs as LF20, Mon-Fri.
LF14 Fort Wayne local C   GR&I, downtown ex-NKP, and Whitley SDI
LF20 Fort Wayne local H   works at Piqua
L41 Chicago District local C   Dunfee-Nickel, IN
L20 Fostoria District local F   Fostoria-Dawkins
L75 Leipsic, OH turn F   coil steel
L80 New Castle District local N   Muncie-Yoder IN
L87 Montpelier OH job H   Montpelier OH to East Wayne Yd.
L90 GM turn H   East Wayne Yd. to Roanoke, IN and return
L91 Woodburn Branch local F   Goodrich Tire plant & MAW interchange
L92 GM local yard job H   switches GM yard; L93 also
L95 GM turn H   Roanoke IN to East Wayne Yd.
L96 Butler, IN SDI local H   East Wayne-Butler, IN SDI
L97 Huntington District local H   Peru-Roanoke, IN via East Wayne Yd.

 

o42 ?-Elkhart via Osborn NW1C   Empty FEMA Train
o43 ?-Elkhart via Osborn NW1C   Empty FEMA Train

Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Train Listing - Fort Wayne, Indiana

FWCH Fort Wayne Piqua Yard to Chicago
CHFW Chicago to Fort Wayne Piqua Yard
LIFW Lima, OH to Fort Wayne Piqua Yard
FWLI Fort Wayne Piqua Yard to Lima, OH
FWDC Fort Wayne Piqua Yard to Decatur, IN
DCFW Decatur, IN to Fort Wayne Piqua Yard

 
 

Fort Wayne Navigation Menu:

Rail Line Descriptions
Operations
Locations & Interlockings
Frequencies
Historical Aspects
Norfolk Southern's New Route
Hotbox Detectors
Train Stations

 

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© Original Content Copyright 1999-2007 David Safdy
© Design and Updates Copyright 2005-2007 Greg Lavoie
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