Schneider, IN: Abandoned Tracks and Grain Elevator?

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When I pulled off US 41 onto 241st Ave. on the south side of Schneider to turn around to get a picture of a railroad bridge over the Kankakee River because the river was high, I spotted an abandoned railroad crossing. So I parked the car and walked to the crossing. Not only were the trees growing between the tracks, the road sign on the right side of the picture stated the tracks were inactive. I thought about taking a picture of the sign itself. Now I wish I did because I think it said Monon. But after studying the maps, this was part of the Kankakee Belt Line. The view on the right is facing North, the view below is facing South. It is not evident in the southern view, but there is a trail just east of the tracks that has been kept relatively clear of trees.

 

I took a picture of the track itself because it was in remarkably good shape when it quit being used --- decent ties and clean ballast. In fact, it is still in good shape --- the tie plates, spikes, and bolts are still intact. The INDOT track status map does not distinguish between Out of Service (OOS) and abandoned so I'm guessing it is OOS.

Below is the railroad bridge over the high Kankaee River that precipitated finding this unused track. It, of course, is also no longer being used. All of the drift wood piled up against the trestle bents illustrates that the expense of steel girders allows driftwood to pass through. I checked a map to confirm that the bridge was built at a curve in the river and that the left (North) side is the outer bank. So another reason for steel spans is that the river is probably a lot deeper on the North side.

North of town, I noticed a grain elevator with no steel bins. But I was on US 41, and I did not want to turn around again. Fortunately, Bing maps provides a decent view. That is a lot of concrete silos for a country elevator. Most country elevators have expanded by adding steel bins. The next time I'm through the area, I'm going to have to take a closer look. Was this a big elevator that got abandoned before steel bins became popular or was it expanded with concrete silos? The Google Maps image shows cars parked on a siding, but as you zoom in they become blurry! It makes me appreciate how well Google Maps normally works.

Bing's generated link doesn't work

Update: Google is still blurry, but Bing has details. In fact the new version of Bing has a nice streetview. That view shows that the rail yard is used, but the elevator does look abandoned. That is one of the biggest elevators I have seen that is abandoned. Especially considering there is still an active railroad next to it.