The Kankakee Belt Route is the nickname for the Illinois Division of the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

, which extended from South Bend, Indiana, through Kankakee, Illinois, and westward to Zearing, Illinois. This line was sometimes referred to as the "3 I Line", in reference to a corporate predecessor, the "Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad". That portion of the line west of Kankakee to Moronts, Illinois, roughly parallels the Illinois River in Northern Illinois and was used, in large part, to transport corn toward eastern markets. See Kankakee Outwash Plain

History

In the mid-1930s, waterway improvements were made on the Illinois River to improve barge movement (for example, new wider and deeper locks at Lockport). These improvements enabled the Illinois River to handle larger barges as well as movement of Tank Landing Ships (LST) constructed by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company at Seneca, IL during World War II to New Orleans. After these improvements, significant grain traffic (primarily corn) was drawn away from the railroads to the river barges. Corn was now being moved to Chicago by barge, transferred to rail car at Great Lakes facilities and then shipped to Eastern US destinations by rail. Prior to 1957, barge rates from ports along the Illinois River to Chicago and then via rail from Chicago to eastern destinations had a total shipping cost of 53.625 cents for corn and 54.125 cents for corn products. At the same time, the rates for shipping corn via all-rail routes from origins on the Kankakee Belt Line to eastern markets averaged 72 cents for corn and 72.5 cents for corn products. What took place from 1956 to the Supreme Court decision in 196
MECHLING BARGE LINES v. U.S., 376 U.S. 375 (1964)
is another episode in the long and continued competitive struggle between the railroads and waterway barge lines.

Today

Today, the Norfolk Southern operates the Kankakee Belt Route (ex-Conrail, ex-NYC, Kankakee Belt Line). The Kankakee Belt Route sees around eight to ten trains daily, from the BNSF (old AT&SF main line) at Streator, Illinois to Norfolk Southern Railway interchanges and facilities in Indiana. It still serves as a Chicago bypass. The north-south portion of the Kankakee Belt Line (Gary, IN to Danville, IL) acquired the name "Danville Secondary" when the line was under ownership of Conrail. South of Schneider, where this N-S line crosses the current Norfolk Southern (ex-Penn Central/NYC) line, down to Danville was abandoned ("out of service") in 1994. The abandoned portion of the line measures 76.2 miles. The west end of this Norfolk Southern Line now ends at the former Illinois River bridge east of Depue, due south of Seatonville. This Illinois River swing bridge at DePue has an interesting history. The bridge was hit by a barge in the 1960s, caught fire and the bridge tender killed. This swing bridge was removed in the early 1980s, and much of the track from Illinois River to Ladd was removed.

Illinois Railway The Illinois Railway , formerly Illinois Railnet, is a shortline railroad operating in Northern Illinois owned by OmniTRAX. It operates of former BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of ...

acquired old-NYC trackage between Depue and Ladd. In 2004,

acquired trackage between the Wye (“Y”) with

BNSF BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

at Zearing, thru Ladd and Spring Valley to LaSalle. The east end of the Kankakee Belt towards South Bend is unused except for the local trackage around South Bend. NS operates the local trackage of the Kankakee Belt in South Bend in conjunction with their operations of the former New Jersey, Indiana, and Illinois Railroad, a Wabash subsidiary, and the Vandalia line, a former PRR route from Logansport. Since the demise of Studebaker and Singer, these lines are lightly used with no more than five customers total. The track between here and the NIPSCO plant in Wheatfield was removed in 1983.

NYC Kankakee Belt Line – Illinois section (1964)

List of Illinois cities and interchange railroads (east to west) as of 1964 * Delmar, Illinois – Milwaukee Road *

Momence, Illinois Momence is a city and capital of Momence township, Illinois it is located in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,171 at the 2000 census, and 3,310 in 2010. It is part of the Kankakee– Bradley Metropolitan Statis ...

–

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two Wor ...

* Kankakee, Illinois –

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

and

* Reddick, Illinois –

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary co ...

Dwight, Illinois Dwight is a village located mainly in Livingston County, Illinois, with a small portion in Grundy County. The population was 4,032 at the 2020 census. Dwight contains an original stretch of U.S. Route 66, and from 1892 until 2016 continuously ...

–

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois. From its two ...

, old

Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 a ...

Streator, Illinois Streator is a city in LaSalle and Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately southwest of Chicago in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. As of the 2020 censu ...

–

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad * Lostant, Illinois –

*Illinois River bridge (removed) at 41°18′50.87″N, 89°16′43.02″W * De Pue, Illinois –

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

Ladd, Illinois Ladd is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,236 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Ladd is most known for Rip's Tavern (which serves about 1,200 orders of fried chicke ...

–

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

, and LaSalle and Bureau County Railroad (LS&BC), also known as "The Bee" * Zearing, Illinois – Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

NYC Kankakee Belt Line – Indiana section (1964)

List of Indiana cities and interchange railroads (east to west) as of 1964 *

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

–

and

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

* North Liberty, Indiana –

Walkerton, Indiana Walkerton is a town in Lincoln Township, St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,144 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the South Bend– Mishawaka, IN- MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Walkerton was ...

– Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and Nickel Plate Railroad * Hamlet, Indiana – Pennsylvania Railroad *

Knox, Indiana Knox is a city in Center Township, Starke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 3,704 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Starke County. History Knox was founded in 1851, and is named for American Revolutiona ...

– Nickel Plate Railroad *

North Judson, Indiana North Judson is a town in Wayne Township, Starke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,857 as of the 2020 census. History The area now known as North Judson was originally Brantwood, a town platted on October 1, 1859, less ...

– Pennsylvania Railroad,

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway * San Pierre, Indiana –

Monon Railroad The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Ra ...

Shelby, Indiana Shelby is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Cedar Creek Township, Lake County, Indiana. Shelby had a population of 539 at the 2010 census. History Shelby was laid out and platted in 1886 by William R. Shelby, when the r ...

–

Schneider, Indiana Schneider is a town in West Creek Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 277 at the 2010 census. It is the smallest incorporated town in Lake County by population. It sits in the Kankakee River Valley. History The Sch ...

–

References

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1975/ii7511323.html

External links

Map of Kankakee Belt : NY Central

The Bee

MECHLING BARGE LINES v. U.S., 376 U.S. 375 (1964)
{{coord, 41, 19, N, 89, 17, W, source:enwiki-plaintext-parser, display=title New York Central Railroad Rail infrastructure in Illinois Rail infrastructure in Indiana Norfolk Southern Railway lines