TRRS 253: Railfanning Porter Junction, Chesterton, Indiana [HD]

The iron maze at CP 482 makes Chesterton one of those sure railroading towns. Three railroads mix here, all meeting the NS Chicago Line at milepost 482.2. From the north, the Amtrak Michigan Line, a federally designated High-Speed rail corridor, which features 8 daily Amtrak trains on 110-mph track. Right next to it is the CSX Grand Rapids sub, an ex Pere Marquette mainline that has seen better days. Only around 6 trains per day get coded over those rails. And on the south side of the junction, CSX's Porter Branch adds a few more trains to the already busy Control Point. Of course, the Chicago Line "anchors" the action, seeing over 80 trains per day on the double track.

Beyond the ownership of the rails, Canadian Pacific shows up with trackage rights over the NS, and runs about a dozen trains per day, included in the NS count. Pumpkins and Bananas can also be seen, as BNSF and UP power often run-through on freight transfers and coal drags.

In this movie, 11 hours of action is condensed into just 50 minutes. 46 trains call 482, with examples of 5 Class ones, 5 different Amtrak services, two 2 Amtrak units in Phase III Paint, plus an NS Operation Lifesaver Locomotive.

So grab a seat and enjoy an hour of trains as if you were there, in 720p HD!

For full runbys of each train from this trip, watch Episodes 236 thru 252.

And for more from the Thornapple River Rail series, visit my Channel at    / mqt3001