The is a
Class II Railroad in the
United States . The line is comprised of 320 miles of track—30 miles of single mainline track, 24 miles of double main track and 266 miles of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of
Chicago in
Franklin Park, Illinois , traveling southeast around the city to its headquarters in
Hammond, Indiana .
The line's largest yard, Blue Island, is located in
Riverdale, Illinois with other yards in the
Indiana cities of Hammond and
East Chicago . The Gibson Yard, located in Hammond, is arguably the largest auto-switching operation in the United States.
Throughout the 1970s and 1990s to the present, Indiana Harbor Belt operated an extensive .
The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Police Department consists of 15 sworn officers and is, current to 2006, directed by Chief of Police Vic Barks and Assistant Chief Rob Olszowka. Operating under the authority of state and federal statute, the IHBPD is responsible for the protection of employees, property and assets on or about IHB property in the states of Indiana and Illinois.
As of 2007,
CSX Railroad is scheduled to take over operations of the Indiana Harbor Belt, though no date has yet been announced.
- Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
- [http://www.railchicago.com/ihb.htm RAILChicago - Chicago RAILExperts]
- [http://www.ihbarchive.com Indiana Harbor Belt Archive (railfan site)]
- [http://www.schs.ws Shortlines of Chicago Historical Society IHB History]
