Vermilion Valley Railroad
The Vermilion Valley Railroad (reporting mark VVRR) is a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) short-line railroad that operates across the Indiana-Illinois state line, connecting the Flex-N-Gate Corporation facility west of Covington, Indiana with CSX Transportation in Danville, Illinois.
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Connersville, Indiana |
| Reporting mark | VVRR |
| Locale | Western Indiana, eastern Illinois |
| Dates of operation | 2003– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Operations by the VVRR began in 2003 after CSX abandoned the ex-New York Central Railroad line. On May 12, 2023, VVRR was acquired by Gulf & Atlantic Railways.[1]
History
The line was completed in 1869 by the Indianapolis, Crawfordsville and Danville Railroad, and later became part of the Pekin-Indianapolis line of the Peoria and Eastern Railway, a New York Central Railroad subsidiary.[2]
Successor Conrail abandoned the portion between Olin and Crawfordsville by 1985,[3][4] and in 1999 the remaining pieces were conveyed to New York Central Lines LLC for operation by CSX.[5] CSX filed with the Surface Transportation Board for abandonment between Danville and Olin in 2001, since there had been no traffic for the past three years.[6]
Flex-N-Gate Corporation is an Illinois-based auto parts manufacturer that has submitted an offer of financial assistance and bought the line through newly created FNG Logistics Corporation in December 2002.[7] The Vermilion Valley Railroad began operating the line in April 2003.[8]
After being run by Indiana Boxcar Corporation until 2019 and Midwest and Bluegrass until 2023, VVRR operations have transitioned to Gulf & Atlantic Railways.
Locomotive roster
| Locomotive model | Road no. |
|---|---|
| EMD GP9 | 1726 |
| 5620 | |
| EMD GP9RM | 4029 |
| EMD F9A | 4210 |
| 4214 | |
| EMD SDM | IBCX 809 |
| IBCX 811 & 813 | |
| EMD SD18 | IBCX 616 |
References
- "Gulf & Atlantic completes acquisition of three short lines". Trains.Com. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- Interstate Commerce Commission, 28 Val. Rep. 90 (1929), Valuation Docket No. 264: The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company and its Leased Lines
- Conrail, Division & Region Maps, January 1983
- Conrail, Division Map Booklet, March 1985
- Consolidated Rail Corporation, System Map Showing the Proposed Acquisition of Conrail Lines & Rights (reformatted by Norfolk Southern Engineering Systems), July 9, 1997
- STB Docket No. AB-565 (Sub. No. 4X), October 5, 2001
- STB Docket No. AB-565 (Sub-No. 4X), April 28, 2003
- Railroad Retirement Board, Employer Status Determination: Vermilion Valley Railroad Company, Inc., June 30, 2003
- Loco roster