Kankakee Belt Route

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kankakee Belt Route is the nickname for the Illinois Division of the New York Central Railroad, 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 the line serving as an Iowa, Illinois and Indiana connector. 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.

1 History
2 Today
3 NYC Kankakee Belt Line - Illinois section (1964)
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

In the mid-1930's, waterway improvements were made on the Illinois River to improve barge movement (for example, new locks at Lockport). After these improvements, significant grain traffic (primariliy corn) was drawn away from the rails to the river. Corn was now being moved to Chicago by barge and then shipped to the East 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 cenets for corn products.

What took place from 1956 to the Supreme Court decision in 1964 MECHLING BARGE LINES v. U.S., 376 U.S. 375 (1964) is another episode in the long and continued competition struggle between the railroads and waterway barge lines.

[edit] 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 interchanges and facilities in Indiana. It still serves as a Chicago bypass.

The west end of this Norfolk Southern Line is now at the former Illinois River bridge at Dupue. The bridge at DuPue has been removed (latest satellite photo confirms). The Burlington Northern now operates the remaining track section from DuPue (at north abutment of old NYC bridge) where it interchanges with Iowa Interstate Railroad (old Rock Island) to the BNSF mainline (old CB&Q) at Zearing.