Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is a Class III railroad in the United States.Ownership
The IHB is an independent railroad which is jointly owned by Conrail Shared Assets Operations and Canadian Pacific Railway. These shareholders trace their ownership stake in IHB to previous mergers and acquisitions in the railroad industry. Conrail's ownership is traced back to the Penn Central Transportation Company and prior to that, the New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad. Canadian Pacific's ownership is through its subsidiary, the Soo Line, which inherited it from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.Route and facilities
The line comprises of track— of single mainline track, of double-main track and of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of Chicago in Franklin Park, Illinois at the Milwaukee District/West Line, traveling southeast around the city to its headquarters in Hammond, Indiana.
The railroad's largest yard is Blue Island located in Riverdale, Illinois. The Gibson Yard, located in Hammond, Indiana, is arguably the largest automobile traffic switching operation in the United States. Other yards include Burnham, Calumet City, Alsip, Argo, LaGrange, Rose, Franklin Park, Whiting, Michigan Avenue, and Lakefront.
Since the 1970s, the IHB has operated an extensive interlocking tower system including: East End, Osbourne, Calumet, State Line, Gibson, Stewart Avenue, Graselli, 55th Street and Argo towers. Switch tenders are located at North Harvey and Columbia Avenue. IHB also took over State Line tower from the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad.
