Towns and Nature: Lafayette, IN: Lafayette Junction: Wabash+Monon vs. Big Four+NKP/W&LE and Cargill Grain Plant

Junction: (Satellite, because CSX/Monon and NS/Wabash have been rerouted along the river and share the NYC+NKP route through here, I gave up finding a precise location of the tower. Note that the Weaver Court Road and those homes along that road use the former Wabash right of way.)

Cargill Plant: (Satellite)

Bob McCord photo via Monon
[A lot of those signaling pipelines go through two 90-degree cranks to pass under the NYC+NKP tracks and then some curve between the Monon tracks.
The tracks on the far right are the Wabash tracks, and they cross the NYC+NKP behind the photographer. That crossing is also controlled by this tower.]

Jim Bennett Photo

TrainOrders

It's March 1974, and we're inside the tower at Lafayette Junction (Lafayette, Indiana), taking a break from classes at nearby Purdue. A southbound L&N freight crosses the former Nickel Plate diamonds (Frankfort to Peoria line), headed south on the former Monon Route to Bloomington and Louisville. It's all crap now...everything in this shot is gone, everything except these great memories.

Steve Zahn

Glenview, IL

Shawn Noe posted
Lafayette Junction. As usual the Monon has pawned off the control of one end of a passing siding on their side.

Eric Reinert: The Monon was built so early, it was the senior road at all crossings with the exception of Clay City. And the railroad custom of the era was that the junior road had the responsibility of bearing the costs of such crossings in perpetuity.

Back in the 1970s, Monon (Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville) still ran on 6th Street and the Wabash still cut a diagonal route through Lafayette. I confirmed that Big Four and NKP shared the route going West from the bridge across the Wabash River. That route is now operated by KB&S.

1941/41 Lafayette West Quad @ 24,000

I had to remind myself why NKP would be going through this junction. It was the W&LE branch to Peoria.

Rails and Trails via Dennis DeBruler

This is the best resolution I could find, and it did not help much.

Sep 28, 1952 @ 69,000; ARA000950050774

There are some comments on the above post about wanting to model in HO. In fact, someone has.

OperatngSessions
[This is one of four photos of a 48' (14.6m) x 30' (9.1m) layout set in the year 1948.]

In fact, it must be a popular modelling subject because a kit is available. This is nice because all of the photos I could find were from the tower rather than of the tower.

MrMuffinsTrains

When I saw the grain elevator in the background of the layout photo, I dug deeper. Not only was there an elevator close to the junction, it has grown considerably as a Cargill plant.

Street View, Sep 2023

It is obviously rail served. With all of those hoppers and tank cars, do they make ethanol or corn syrup? Actually, neither. They process soybeans here so it would be soybean oil in the tank cars. [cargillag]