Gritty, Industrial Railroading - CN L525 Switches Decatur, Illinois Industries
Saturday afternoon, April 23, 2022, Canadian National Railway local L525 switched two customers at a small industrial park on Decatur, Illinois' northeast side. GTW 4934 and IC 3117 spotted a load and pulled an empty from Morgan Distributing Inc., and dug out three empties left by Parke Toll Packing & Blending, before shoving down the line. It was good to see CN running on it own line for a chance. I've seen Decatur Junction Railway (DT) and even the Decatur & Eastern Illinois RR running on a portion of this line. Even better, watching a Class I servicing an industry on a branchline is irresistable! Research reveals that Morgan Distributing Inc. opened its facility here in 1954, followed by Ring Can Corp. in 1984 and Parke-Toll Packing & Blending in 1996. The last one must have a trackmobile to move cars to and from CN's preferred pickup/setout spot. The industrial lead serving these industries diverges from the former Illinois Central Railroad line to White He