State Line Tower

MP 19.8 1st Subdivision - Ns/SL

State Line was operated by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. The tower was, at one time, staffed with a crew of three operators and levermen. The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's mainline began at State Line with the junction of the Wabash, Erie and Monon mainlines. Here also the C&O of Indiana ended its joint trackage with the Erie and continued west to its own yard at Rockwell Street. The B&OCT and Nickle Plate mainlines crossed the C&WI and each other. All railroads mentioned above also crossed over and connected with branch lines of the IHB and EJE. Crystal clear, right?

Click on images to view larger image.

Before the freight was built at South Hammond in 1954, the Monon ran several transfer freights into Chicago. Besides runs to the Clearing and Chicago Junction transfers, there were also runs to the Chicago Produce Terminal, the BRC and Canal Street. One transfer ran to Dearborn Station in the early afternoon to pick cars from the Chicago freight house. In the evening a transfer delivered less than carload cars into the freight house at Dearborn. By June of 1970 these tasks had changed considerably and it was no longer necessary to run transfers on a daily basis.

On its way to South Hammond from the Belt Railway Chicago Clearing Yard. Pictured is a Monon transfer at State Line, May 11, 1963. Also pictured is an Erie RS3.

Monon switcher and caboose at State Line, early 1960's. The local is coming off the B&O interchange track.-MRHTS Archives-

State Line Tower, September 29, 1967. Train #6 bids a final farewell to State Line Tower and the Monon. This was the last run of a scheduled Monon passenger train.

A Clearing Transfer returning to South Hammond passing State Line Tower. Locomotive #511 on the point.

Northbound passenger passing State Line Tower, exact date unknown. Probably early to mid 1950's.

Left: BL2 #37 northbound passing the tower about the cross the Harbor Belt, circa 1967. Right: Another shot July of 1967. Northbound passenger passing State Line Tower on its way to Dearborn Station. Passenger service would end in two months.

State Line Junction, 1967. Local freight under power of #13.

Left and Right: Two views of State Line Tower, circa 1990. In the image on the right, the Erie is the tracks running from the foreground to the background. The B&OCT are those in the middle of the image running left and right.

State Line Tower, 1999. The tower was demolished in October 2000.

State Line Tower 2005

Left: Looking at the location of the former tower. The building was torn down in 2000. During the 1999 Convention the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society toured this location. The tower was still standing. Right: Standing on the former Monon right of way looking northwest towards the junction.

Looking south across the CSX and NS crossing at State Line Junction. You are almost looking down the former right of way. Right: Looking west along the CSX line at State Line Junction.

Looking south along the overgrown former Monon right of way, just south of State Line Junction.

Left: CSX local moving through State Line Junction, Feburary 12, 2005. Right: NS freight southbound crossing the CSX diamond at State Line Junction, February 12, 2005. Photographer was standing to the left of the former Monon right of way when he took this picture.

More Images Coming Soon