The New York Central Railroad originally used La Salle Street Station, sharing a route with the Rock Island Railroad as far south as Englewood. At Englewood, the route turned southeast to parallel the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is along this stretch where the rival railroads' Twentieth Century Limited and Broadway Limited trains raced against each other, operating between Chicago and New York. But those railroads merged in 1968 into the Penn Central, and all trains were consolitated onto the ex-Pennsylvania Railroad route, serving Union Station. Under Conrail, the route became known as the "Chicago Line", and became part of Norfolk Southern after the Conrail breakup. Amtrak trains departing Union Station proceed south for several miles, passing Comiskey Park and NS's 55th Street Yard on the way. The route then turns southeast over the Dan Ryan Expressway, where two CTA rapid transit lines are visible. East of the expressway at Englewood, the route crosses the former Rock Island line, now a Metra commuter line. And southeast of there, the former New York Central right of way parallels to the north. East of the Hammond-Whiting Amtrak station is CP 506, where the connection was constructed by Penn Central with the New York Central line. East of there, this main line is the former New York Central route, while the former Pennsylvania route is now abandoned east of there. The route passes the various steel mills and other industries in the Gary/northwest Indiana area. Other trains continue over this line, which parallels the South Shore Line for several miles. At Porter (CP 482), trains to Michigan diverge northeast, mostly over the former Michigan Central line now owned by Amtrak. The "Pere Marquette" to Grand Rapids diverges over the former Pere Marquette route, now part of CSX.
Radio Frequency - 160.800 (AAR Channel 46)
522.8 Chicago Union Station (Amtrak)
521.2 South Branch Bridge (drawbridge)
521.1 21st Street-Alton Jct. (IC crossing/remote-Amtrak-Lake Street)
518.5 CP 518 (junction-Metra)
516.9 55th Street Yard
516.5 58th Street
515.8 Englewood (crossing/remote-Metra dispatcher)
515.1 Park Manor Yard
513.3 CP 513
509.7 CP 509 (drawbridge)
508.7 Colehour
508.3 State Line (IL-IN)
508.0 Colehour Yard
507.2 CP 507
507.0 Hammond-Whiting (Amtrak station)
506.5 CP 506
506.0 Whiting
505.9 CP 505
503.4 Hick (tower/junction-IHB/drawbridge)
502.9 Indiana Harbor
502.8 CP 502 (IHB crossing/remote-Hick)
501.0 CP 501 (junction-NS/CSX)
498.1 Pine
497.1 CP 497
496.0 Gary
491.0 CP 491
487.1 CP 487
485.7 Burns Harbor
483.5 CP 483
482.2 CP 482 (junction-NS/Amtrak/CSX)
482.2 Porter
481.1 Chesterton
476.8 Burdick
473.4 Otis
467.5 Pinola
466.6 CP 466
463.8 CP 463
463.4 La Porte
462.4 CP 462 (NS crossing)
456.4 Rolling Prairie
450.1 New Carlisle
448.6 CP 448
448.4 Terre Coupee
443.7 Lydick
438.5 South Bend
437.5 CP 437 (CN junction)
435.4 CP 435
432.7 Mishawaka
426.4 CP 426
423.1 CP 423
421.6 Elkhart
421.5 CP 421
2 tracks, CTC in use. Some segments of 3 and 4 tracks. CTC controlled from Dearborn, MI. Chicago West Dispatcher controls trackage 21st St through CP 482, Chicago East Dispatcher controls trackage east of CP 482.
Mileposts are distances from Buffalo via former New York Central. Mileposts west of CP 505 have been changed from former Pennsylvania Railroad mileposts.
Information is subject to change, and is based on observations, along with information from employee timetables, and Google satellite imagery.
The following colors are used to indicate types of operation:
BLUE - manual interlocking
RED - centralized traffic control (CTC) or bidirectional signals
GREEN - automatic block signals
BLACK - unsignaled
Thin lines across tracks indicate signals. In CTC or bidirectional signal territory, signals usually exist for both directions at all locations, except at interlockings where the signals usually are only in the direction entering the interlocking.
