CSS&SB: Street Running on the South Shore

2022 was an eventful year for railfans, and in retrospect at year's end, one of the2022's key events was the cessation of street running on the South Shore in Michigan City IN. Unusually, the track is being retained and upgraded to double track, rather than the line being rerouted or abandoned as was the case in many other long gone stretches of street running. Instead, the road surface will be reduced to one lane one-way only, and the balance of the width given to dedicated double track right of way. 21 grade crossings will also be eliminated. This will remove a single track bottleneck and enable higher speeds, thus improving operations overall. With all this in mind, I decided to take a look back in film and video at the South Shore's street operations, both in South Bend (long abandoned) and Michigan City. The wonky shot with the Geeps was at the end of a reel and damaged. I stitched together the usable frames the best I could, as it was the only available footage of Geeps running the street in the daytime.
Sounds were added to silent film from my video library, and the video was from an evening visit on the way to Missabe country. If I have made any errors in sorting footage to either city, my apologies, as I took my best guess based on Street View and the age of the film.

[@_mynewcareer]

Imagine seeing a Little Joe run down your street. Incredible

[@chonga6442]

I moved to the Michigan City area in 1977 and had the privilege of experiencing Joes up close and personal. It was a little jarring. Once a brother in law was too close to a passing train at an intersection and lost a side mirror off of his truck. I'm glad I wasn't along for that ride! Cool memories...

[@diamondglass7442]

yah so cool seeing one of thos... i just noticed 2 lights on the front isnt that common seeing that sight

[@edwinavil7867]

Very lucky, must have been quite the sight.

[@8avexp]

I still remember when South Shore trains came all the way to downtown South Bend.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Traction fans will miss the street running. Residents of Michigan City, particularly those living and working along the street, will not. Thanks for compiling this footage.

[@danielthoman7324]

I miss those old orange 🍊 cars. I grew up in Northwest Indiana and the South shore was something that was always there. I'm so glad that it still is!😅

[@johnpetrovitz935]

Little Joe’s sure weren’t little! Fantastic footage! Thanks so much for sharing! Excellent!!!!

[@hadymon0301]

I remember watching the passenger trains go down the street as a kid. Brings me back to the good ole days, riding the train from the South Bend airport out to Chicago with my parents for the weekend. There’s talk about the city of South Bend reopening the old Union Station down by the Cubs stadium for passenger service with the South Shore instead of running out to the airport. I think it would be great for them to restore the old station to its former glory, so I’m eager to hear what they decide to do.

[@CSullivanmeerkatmandude]

Gray, Indiana South Shore Railcats? There is a Baseball Stadium in downtown Gary, Indiana. Route 12/20 to the East of downtown Gary Indiana. The Union Station was on the north side of the South Shore Line and The Indiana Tollroad Interstate 90 bridge, on Broadway Indiana Route 53.

[@hadymon0301]

@@CSullivanmeerkatmandude the stadium is in South Bend. It’s now the South Bend Cubs but it used to be the Silverhawks. It’s directly north of union station in south bend. About 30 feet away

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

It's sad this had to go, but it's better than the line being removed entirely.

[@maas1208]

Yeah its better than ending up like the North Shore line, I'm still pissed that the North Shore line is gone.

[@xCharjx]

Wow Little Joes in the STREET? Great footage

[@chris_stoller18]

Michigan City Native here.

[@b3j8]

I took a series of time exposures on a bitterly cold evening in Jan 1978 at the old Bendix Station on the outskirts of South Bend as the last train back to Chicago boarded. Lacking a tripod, I made use of a pile of frozen snow, pressed the shutter release and hoped for the best. I had time for 3 shots. The last 1 came out fine w/only 1 blurred figure. I framed and hung a copy on the wall of my den.

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Hopefully it was before the blizzard of Jan 26-30.

[@b3j8]

@@Marcuswelby-nx2te Yup, missed it by a week.

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

40 inches

[@b3j8]

@@Marcuswelby-nx2te I remember digging out my Dad's car totally buried by drifts in our driveway!

[@nigelterry9299]

Anyone else as interested in the cars as the trains?

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@johnbanicki7232]

Awesome video. Recognized several of the video locations. Thanks for posting.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

South Shore #1100 seen passing by at the lead of the train at 2:40 is a former Indiana Railroad, railway post office car that was converted to a line car by the South Shore in 1947. Nice, vintage shots with realistic sound of the CSS&SB running on the streets of South Bend and Michigan City, IN. Thanks for sharing!

[@Tom-xe9iq]

Love it! A wonderful time machine to the past!

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

Fantastic film and the American cars also !!! 👍

[@olivei2484]

4:28 1963 (?) Cadillac.

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

@@olivei2484 The main stop lights are wrong for early 60s caddies, I think it's a big Olds or Buick ?

[@olivei2484]

@@ronniefarnsworth6465 Might be right, either way, past the 1950s into the early 60's.

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

@@olivei2484 Good stuff 👍

[@dlcluley]

@@olivei2484 '62 Cadillac

[@BringMayFlowers]

The music makes me wish we had the magic of buying two working Joes.

[@backalleyrailroading2835]

Just found your channel today and subbed for sure... This video is an incredible blast from the past !!!

[@nathancorcoran5347]

Great Video of this South Shore Line.

[@buffetlover458]

Wonderful high quality historic film! Tha ks for publishing it!

[@wolfgangpfeilergartenbahnd6530]

An interesting video about the railway traffic right through the city. Very nice this electric locomotive and the trams.

[@paulliebenberg3410]

Great job adding the sound!

[@fmnut]

Thanks and thanks for watching.

[@majorleaguemodelsbystevewo9451]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!!THANKS FOR POSTING!!

[@MrCateagle]

Love the maroon and orange. A very pleasant memory of my childhood in Lansing, IL.

[@georgeadams1853]

Quite a few Michigan City scenes bookeneded by South Bend scenes at the beginning and end of Part 1.

[@stevehull787]

Excellent footage 👍

[@stuartaaron613]

Great video!

[@starnorthtoflintridge6657]

Its a whole new set up in MC today

[@fmnut]

As acknowledged in the description.

[@ExpressRailfan]

​@@fmnutI have never seen a street train before?

[@barryhostetler1897]

I heard about the South Shore line in East Chicago was a Street Running

[@fmnut]

Yes, unfortunately I don't have any film or I would have included it.

[@sardu55]

The new extension down into Hammond and Dyer is a super major big deal for commuter rail in the Region. This will allow for improvements in Hammond, especially, in taking on new more affluent residents coming down from Chicago. Young urban types. The others, family types, will continue to head far away from the Region's northern cities for the great white burbs.

[@robertlee6781]

Spot on! Being able to take a train from Dyer and Munster to the Loop is going to make that part of the world open up big time. It would be nice I’d they could get it down to Crown Point. Such a nice alternative to the overpriced Illinois suburbs.

[@erzahler1930]

Thank you for this trip down Memory Lane. Loved it! I only wish there was some way I could go back in time and see these trains live in person. I know, just an air castle. Oh, well. What was that locomotive at 5:35? Was that an FL-9? It looked somewhat like one, but then it doesn't. I don't remember the FL-9 having two cabs, so it couldn't be that. Anyone know what it is? I surely don't know. (Edit/additional comment: at 11:30, is that part of the new line?)

[@fmnut]

For 5:35, do a Web search for "little joe locomotive". The explanation is too much for me to do here. The final night scenes are from 2004 as related in the description. The passenger service is currently buses between Michigan City and South Bend so the street can be torn up and the new line constructed.

[@gp3829]

Wonderful. Thanks for editing the footage and I enjoyed every moment. Also, seeing the Passing Siding at 11th St. station. Good to see the street-running in South Bend too. Why was it ever closed?

[@fmnut]

In 1970 the railroad was owned by Chessie System, a private company. There was no public funding of the passenger service at that time. Patronage to downtown South Bend had dropped off considerably through the 60s as the nation transitioned to a more suburban culture. At the same time, the street trackage in South Bend was in need of rebuilding and had no freight service. So abandoning the line downtown cut passenger losses and eliminated a costly capital expense, especially at a time when Chessie was trying to get rid of the passenger service altogether. Frankly, at the time, I think the street running in Michigan City could have suffered the same fate had it not been too expensive for Chessie to reroute the freight traffic.

[@gp3829]

@@fmnut Thanks for that info. I do not live in the USA but am a big fan of the CSS & NICTD. I just wonder if South Bend would benefit from a rapid transit, direct link to Chicago.

[@fmnut]

@@gp3829 well, they've still got it. The railroad does go to the airport in South Bend, and there is the planned extension to the Amtrak station which would get the line back into the city, if not exactly in town center.

[@gp3829]

@@fmnut That' good to hear of. Thanks.

[@scottweisel3640]

I wonder if these street running trains gave inspiration to The Polar Express movie?

[@dlcluley]

Excellent Video. :) Nice work with the audio, not only the trains, but the auto traffic as well. One small correction, I think the shot from 1:14-1:28 is eastbound on 11th in Michigan City rather than South Bend. I think it goes right after the shot from 8:23-8:33. Looks like the same '57 Ford following the train.

[@fmnut]

Thanks. I missed that.

[@marioarias3831]

a train passing through te street 😳😮

[@user-pe1ln8kj4u]

❤❤❤❤❤❤😊

[@owenjones9659]

do you guys have a map of where these older street running sections were in southbend?

[@fmnut]

No, sorry. Tried to find one while researching this video but no luck. The station was opposite the LaSalle hotel, you can see the hotel in some of the clips

[@dlcluley]

@owenjones9659 There was a storage yard on the north side of E Lasalle Ave, just east of the river downtown. The tracks went west from there on Lasalle (the station was at the corner of Lasalle & N Michigan) Eventually Lasalle angles south and ends at Colfax. The tracks continued west on Colfax and then through the S curve onto Orange St. Orange ends at Bendix Dr by the current Amtrak station and that is where the street running connected to the existing South Shore freight tracks.

[@owenjones9659]

@@dlcluley is there a road that is now where the old yard was at?

[@robertgift]

Wonderful film! 16 mm? Coloretained well! Thank you. 1:03 How do drivers know the train is turning left right in front of them? 4:11 No mee-mool lights *(o)T(o)* to warn approaching vehicles of the train coming into the street?

[@fmnut]

Film is 8mm. Some of the footage was badly underexposed and required a good bit of massaging with software. The answers to both your questions are: a) there was far less traffic years ago to conflict with rail traffic and b) drivers were expected to pay attention and it was felt that they did not need to be "protected" against hazards. The changes in driving habits and today's obsession with liability are the prime reason why street running is being eliminated wherever possible

[@robertgift]

@@fmnut Thank you. Amazing quality for 8mm! Super 8? The two places mentioned did not even have cross buck signs. Do they now?

[@fmnut]

@@robertgift Well, they don't have crossbucks now because that part of the line has been abandoned since 1970. The side streets in Michigan City do all have crossbucks today.

[@davidstoner3523]

Did the 800s have ditch lights back then

[@fmnut]

Well, as you can see in the video there were no ditch lights on them back in the 50s. Ditch lights didn't come into common use in the US until the early 90s. Can't say for sure if or when the Joes ever got them. I've never seen any film or video with them on.

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

Neetoo

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

What year is this?

[@fmnut]

Various years from the late 1950s to 2005.

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Thanks fm