Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (NICTD)

Michigan City Carroll St (Shops) Station and Yard

The Michigan City Yard is used for overnight storage and maintenance of all electric trains, as well as the diesel locomotive shops and the operations center for the SouthShore freight operation. A passenger stop exists at the small shelter.

Shown above is car 9 leading a South Bend to Chicago train.
The yard layout. Electrified tracks are shown in red.

The eastbound entrance signal to CP 32.2 just west of Carroll Ave.
Car 26 at the tail of a train making a station stop at Shops.

The platform looking east with the shops entry signal to the left of the main line. The shelter is on the left and a small shed protects the chair lift.
The plaftorm looking west with the diamond signal just beyond the connection to CSS South Harbor Yard.

Car 48 is held on the yard lead. The signal to the right is the main line signal.
The westbound entrance to CP 32.2 at the west end of the yard.

The diamond from the south. The track to the left is the connection from the CSS Kingsbury Line to NICTD's main line.
The diamond from the north. The track to the left with the boxcar on it is the connection between the CSS South Harbor Yard to NICTD's main line.

Looking east into the yard. The bridge in the background carries Roeske Ave over the yard and is a favorite photo spot for rail fans.
This night photo highlights the signals set for a westbound train arriving from South Bend. Main line signals are "Clear" to allow the train to pass.

2009 Flashback
The following photos were taken before the signal and track upgrades at CP 32.2 were completed in November 2011.

Entering Shops from the west was the end of C.T.C. The branch to the south leads to the SouthShore Freight line (former Nickel Plate Line and most recently Norfolk Southern) to Kingsbury.
Westbound C.T.C. began as trains left for Chicago. This signal was replaced as part of the C.T.C. upgrade extending C.T.C. to South Bend.

Entering Shops from the east was the end of automatic block signals. Signals to the east were upgraded to C.T.C. in 2011 using funding received in 2009. The eastbound signal shown here (behind a pole on the left just behind the bridge) was removed in November 2011.
The main line through the yard takes a shift to the south just after entering the yard. Derails and blue signal protection is used to protect yard tracks used for storing cars overnight. The platform between storage tracks is for the use of employees. The main line once ran straight through the yard with the track on the left used as a freight siding.
In the fall of 2013 the bridge over Trail Creek at the east end of the yard was removed and replaced by a new span. The new bridge was built just north of the old bridge and moved into place during a ten day outage in late October. (Passengers on through trains were bused between South Bend and Michigan City.)
The completed span is shown below.

Karwick Rd
Eastbound toward South Bend the line passes under the Grand Rapids CSX line. Beyond the bridge is a turnoff that leads to a small yard that no longer connects to the CSX Line. The CSX line is used for Amtrak "Pere Marquette" service to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The signal in the distance has been replaced with a new Control Point signal that hold out trains from entering the yard. The eastbound signal at Royal Rd (1/2 mile away) was moved to the signal location shown. Yard limits were removed from the main line in November 2011.

"Option 2" (of seven options) for ending street running through Michigan City suggested using the path the CSX line takes through Michigan City for a southern reroute. The new NICTD line would have run parallel to the CSX until Michigan Ave then follow a sweeping curve north then east under the CSX line at the bridge shown. Builing "Option 2" would have required a new yard to be built east of this location. A freight connection would have been built connecting from the CSX alignment to the "Nickle Plate" line running to Carroll Ave. "Option2" was rejected and NICTD build "Option 1A" following the historic alignment through Michigan City.

1998 Flashback

A view from 1998 shows car 4 stored on a siding with RTA purchased car 35 at the platform.
Note the 1982 paint schemes and the large RTA logo on the car nearest the road.
The 1998 view to the west from a bridge over the yard. To the left is the back of the first automatic block signal eastbound toward South Bend (this signal was moved to the east end of the yard before being removed in 2011). To the right is the SouthShore Freight diesel shops. The 1998 view to the east showing the cleaning shop and storage lanes. In 2009 the second track from the right is used as the through track from South Bend. The next four tracks are used for car storage, with the building to the left serving as a car wash. The track furthest to the right with the hopper car on it remains a freight siding.
The 1998 view to the Northeast showing the electric shops and feeder lines. The car to the center right is a wreck damaged car that is not on a track. The Eastport electric substation is located just to the west of Roeske Rd as part of the Shops complex.
(There are actually three substations east of Eastport. Photo from 1998.)
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