Indiana Northeastern Railroad
| Reporting mark | IN |
|---|---|
| Locale | Indiana, Michigan, Ohio |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Hillsdale, Michigan |
The Indiana Northeastern Railroad (reporting mark IN) is a short-line railroad operating in northeastern Indiana, northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. Today's Indiana Northeastern Railroad stretches nearly 130 miles in length. The railroad's traffic interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Montpelier, Ohio.
Commodities moved by Indiana Northeastern Railroad include corn, soybeans, wheat and flour. They also handle plastics, fiberboard, aluminum, copper, coal, perlite, stone, lumber, glass, rendering products, as well as agricultural fertilizers and chemicals. The railroad's traffic base has continued to increase, in spite of occasional downturns in the economy. The railroad's growth in such times is an indicator of its strength and resilience.
For motive power, the IN uses many first-generation diesels. This makes the IN an ideal railroad for railroad photographers to take pictures of how railroads were powered in the first days of diesel traction. The IN's paint scheme is solid black with white lettering along the long hoods that say "INDIANA NORTHEASTERN" and yellow diagonal stripes across the front and rear of the locomotives, similar to the paint scheme of the Nickel Plate Road. Units currently in use are a pair of EMD GP30's, an EMD GP10, four EMD GP9's with high-noses, an EMD GP7, and an EMD GP7u.
The Little River Railroad also offers steam excursions on the line between Coldwater and Quincy, Michigan.
The East - West portion of the line was built by the Wabash Railroad between 1891and 1892 from Montpelier, OH to Clarke Jct. in the outskirts of Chicago, IL and was designated as the Wabash 4th District. It was the shortest direct route from Detroit, MI to Chicago, IL at the time of its construction. The line lost its through-train passenger service in the 1930s when the Pennsylvania Railroad wanted to compete in the Chicago – Detroit passenger market. The two railroads reached an agreement to run trains on the PRR between Chicago and Ft. Wayne, IN and then switch to the Wabash trackage for the Ft. Wayne to Detroit portion of the trip. This eliminated the necessity of the Montpelier, OH to Chicago, IL portion of the line.
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