Railroads adjacent or running through college/university campuses

University of Washington, Seattle, had a Northern Pacific branch through it until sometime in the 1970's.  Line originally built by Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern as their main line east, which made it almost to the base of the Cascade Mountains, and became part of the line actually completed to the Canadian Pacific at Sumas WA about 1890.  I recall seeing NP Baldwin switchers,  VO 1000's IIRC, switching coal into the university's steam plant.  Now, sadly, is the Burke - Gilman trail.

Washington State University, Pullman WA, had both UP and NP branches along south edge of campus.  They got coal for their steam plant from the UP side until 5 years ago or so.  Intact to best of my knowledge.

University of Idaho, Moscow ID, had same UP & NP lines along one side.  Bits of each still intact last time I was there.

Mac

University of Tennessee has CSX and NS on three sides of the campus. Wabash College in Crawfordsville ,Indiana had NYC I think, slept since then, run on the south edge and possibly through part of the campus.

wanswheel

[snip] 

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/DC/081150p.pdf

City of South Bend, Indiana and Brothers of the Holy Cross, Inc., Petitioners, v. Surface Transportation Board and United States of America, Respondents, Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend Railway, Intervenor, Decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Nos. 08-1150 and 08-1301, Petitions for Review of an Order of the Surface Transportation Board, Decided May 29, 2009 (12 pages, approx. 45 KB in size). 

Mike/ wanswheel, thanks much for that link.    A very interesting case for those interested in the applicability and limits of the doctrine of 'adverse abandonment' of a rail line - i.e., typically a city or adjoining land owner wants the rail line abandoned so that something else can be done with the land that it occupies.  It also have several citations to similar recent cases.  Short version:  ''No, you can't have the railroad's R-O-W - who knows, someday the University might want to use the tracks again to receive it's 70,000 to 100,000 tons of coal per year, instead of by truck as it does now'' - even though a VP of the University was both quoted in a newspaper article and wrote a letter to the STB saying that wouldn't occur again in the forseeable future. 

There was a really good short column or 'frontispiece' article on that in Trains back in the 1960's - by Michael J. Dunn, III, if I recall correctly - which involved 3 short-line railroads, but I can't quickly find a reference or citation for it.  There have also been references to that kind of thing in subsequent articles on the STB and various projects and hsitories of specific railroads.  But who else would care ?

Thanks again.

- Paul North. 

Paul_D_North_Jr

wanswheel

[snip] 

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/DC/081150p.pdf

City of South Bend, Indiana and Brothers of the Holy Cross, Inc., Petitioners, v. Surface Transportation Board and United States of America, Respondents, Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend Railway, Intervenor, Decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Nos. 08-1150 and 08-1301, Petitions for Review of an Order of the Surface Transportation Board, Decided May 29, 2009 (12 pages, approx. 45 KB in size). 

Mike/ wanswheel, thanks much for that link.    A very interesting case for those interested in the applicability and limits of the doctrine of 'adverse abandonment' of a rail line - i.e., typically a city or adjoining land owner wants the rail line abandoned so that something else can be done with the land that it occupies.  It also have several citations to similar recent cases.  Short version:  ''No, you can't have the railroad's R-O-W - who knows, someday the University might want to use the tracks again to receive it's 70,000 to 100,000 tons of coal per year, instead of by truck as it does now'' - even though a VP of the University was both quoted in a newspaper article and wrote a letter to the STB saying that wouldn't occur again in the forseeable future. 

There was a really good short column or 'frontispiece' article on that in Trains back in the 1960's - by Michael J. Dunn, III, if I recall correctly - which involved 3 short-line railroads, but I can't quickly find a reference or citation for it.  There have also been references to that kind of thing in subsequent articles on the STB and various projects and hsitories of specific railroads.  But who else would care ?

Thanks again.

- Paul North. 

Check out the Google Map for Notre Dame University, Indiana.

   Pulling up the arerial pictures in a high resolution you can see the power plant and railroad between the coal stockpile, and the loco and a coal car on the line north of the power house.

  Following the branchline from the area of the University down to the connection with the NS. There are a number of street crossings that will require a lot of work not to mention signals or cross bucks. Meaning a pretty good outlay of funding that would fall to the city/county to provide.

With University getting approx 14 truckloads of coal a day ( works out to twent-eight trips-in and out) that has got to be a lot of heavy traffic on city streets.  It will be interesting to watch what happens if in fact the useage of coal goes to the 100,000 tons level.

CTA Green Line runs through the student union building and alongside the IIT campus from 31st to 35th Streets on the south side of Chicago.  The Dan Ryan Branch of the Red Line is about a block west of the IIT Campus.  CTA Blue Line runs adjacent to the UofI-Circle campus.

Pennsy (later PC) used to run adjacent to the Rose-Hulman campus on the east side of Terre Haute.  Today, this is a hiking/bike trail.

Art

On the north edge of my alma mater Heidelberg College (now Heidelberg University) in Tiffin, Ohio has the north edge of campus right along the CSX Chicago-Pittsburgh route (former B&O through Fostoria).  Spent many times at trackside. 

Kevin

Thinking of that now, a branch of the old line starts a Rails-to-trail just outside of campus, one that connects a couple towns a ways off.  It would be especially nice to go biking on.  I'm sure, though, that many areas feature such trails, especially near colleges where such demand would be much higher.

Another campus just about perfectly bisected by rail is pastoral little Grinnell College, in Grinnell, Iowa. Probably the dorms are "mixed" now, but in the old days (1960, when I was there), the men's houses were on one side of the tracks and the women's on the other. Many jokes were made about this.

 The line passed from main-line M&StL to Chicago and North Western control the fall of the year I was there. The red and white M&StL diesels stayed for a while. My favorite was an 'F' with an air-chime whistle, obviously intended to recall steam and the most beautiful whistle on a diesel I have ever heard. I believe only one unit had this.

 I dropped in on Grinnell a couple of years ago as a freight of successor U.P. passed the old depot (now a restaurant) shared with the main-line Rock Island in the old days. The triad air horns on the Rockets were pretty special too, enticing me to trackside for way too many hours away from the books. Hence only 1 year at Grinnell! 

BamaCSX83

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL has tracks running adjacent to the south side of campus.  Not sure whose tracks, but I do know that they are active from my tenure at the university earning my degree.

I have caught a glimpse of football activity on the UA campus from the Southern Crescent when going by there in the fall. This line, originally Alabama Great Southern, is now a part of he Norfolk Southern.

The Puget Sound Extension of the once mighty Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul and Pacific ran along the northern edge of the University of Montana campus in Missoula.  Today that right of way is a footpath, one which has a few block signals still in place to remind the students that a great railroad once passed through there.

RRCharlie

BNSF has a line that splits the Campus of Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

SADLY: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14667455 Mason Street claims another one (and yes, headline and story do not match, typical yellow press) Mason Street is where BNSF's Front Range Sub. /Old C&S Ft. Collins District, does its street-running.

Not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but there's also Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where CSX's former Conrail line from Toledo to Columbus passes on the west edge of campus.  Of course, when I looked for an apartment when I was in grad school up there, I looked for a place with a view.  

Kevin

 The joint Seaboard Air Line/ Southern line ran through NC State Campus in Raleigh.  Now CSX & NS (NC RR w/lease to NS)

Few More:

* University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (WAHOOWAH!).  Former SOU now NS line between Alexandria VA and Atlanta runs just east of the UVA Grounds.  Also, the former C&O, later CSX now some bloody short line the name of which I no longer recall, over which ran the George Washington and Sportsman, C&Os two premier passenger trains, plus a few desultory freights, crosses the NS main a half-mile east of campus and runs west from downtown Charlottesville tangent to the UVA Grounds.

* University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, located a half mile east of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Kingston, RI station..

* University of Chicago.  Lies majestically along the majestic Midway in south-side Chi-Town, the east side of which is bounded by the elevated tracks of METRA Electric, once the four-track IC.

*Randolph-Macon College, Ashland VA.  CSX's RF&P line runs through the middle of town and right past this fine liberal arts institution.

billio

Also, the former C&O, later CSX now some bloody short line the name of which I no longer recall, over which ran the George Washington and Sportsman, C&Os two premier passenger trains, plus a few desultory freights, crosses the NS main a half-mile east of campus and runs west from downtown Charlottesville tangent to the UVA Grounds.

mudchicken

<snip>USC (railroad now gone)

The Muni M line runs adjacent to San Francisco State University.

Fresno City College and CSU Chico always duke it out for higher levels of pedestrian-train confrontations using the BNSF Stockton sub and UP Valley sub respectively.

The scenic ex-SP UP Coast sub passes through Cal Poly SLO.

 The UP Fresno sub and RT Gold Line skirt the campus of CSU Sacramento. Nearby the ex-SP Cal-P line runs by UC Davis (my alma mater).

Loma Linda University has a good view of the UP Yuma sub. Occasionally a local passes UC Riverside on the BNSF/Metrolink San Jacinto branch.

OTOH CSU San Bernardino was just inappropriately sited too far from the busy BNSF Cajon sub triple track main.

Deggesty

BamaCSX83

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL has tracks running adjacent to the south side of campus.  Not sure whose tracks, but I do know that they are active from my tenure at the university earning my degree.

I have caught a glimpse of football activity on the UA campus from the Southern Crescent when going by there in the fall. This line, originally Alabama Great Southern, is now a part of he Norfolk Southern.

 

The University of Alabama!  Location, Tuscaloosa, AL.  Norfolk Southern does run right beside the campus, right beside the softball fields too.  It might run beside the practice fields too.  You might could count KCS in the mix too as NS and KCS interchange not too far from there.  You can easily hear a train thread its way through T-Town in the stands of Bryant-Denny Stadium, well that is when its not game day.

Roll Tide!

wholeman

There is a set of tracks next to the campus of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS.  I am not sure of who owns the line.  My sister is enrolled there and complains of the noise.  I don't know why she is complaining, she has lived really close to set of tracks all of her life.

The CSX (ex-NYC "St. Lawrence Div", né RW&O) runs thru Canton, NY on the west side of the St. Lawrence U./SUNY-Canton campii (???  Campuses?).  The village is on the west side.  I rode the "night train" (the "Canton Creeper", with Pullman sleepers) and the day train (a "Beeliner" [RDC, or two]) on many occasions to/from Westchester, either via Syracuse or Utica to/from Watertown.

Last time I was at the USMA ("West Point"), the station was still there and in very good shape (it is a stone building), protected by a very tasteful wrought iron fence, and is easily driven to.  Just look for a road going downhill.  Many-a football special departed this station. 

Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

The Amtrak Passenger Station though is east of the WMU campus in downtown Kalamazoo.

Andrew

Oh, there's so many!  PRR into Princeton, NJ, the B&O through WVA Weslyan in Buckhannon, the LV's EC&N at Cornell (gone), DL&W at had Drew U. at Madison, Fairligh Dickenson and St. Elizabeth's at Convent Sta.  How close to Alfred is the old Erie passenger main?  And Elmira College sitting atop the knoll at Fifth Street. Can't foreget the West Shore under and alongside West Point!   I think this thread has a long way to go!

 University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, USA has an Amtrak station for the Downeaster. It is convenient to the New England Center where many of the UNH events occur.

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY in Boston has two rail lines slicing through the campus. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor/MBTA Commuter Rail Line and the MBTA Orange Line cuts through the eastern half of the campus while the MBTA's Green Line E-Branch runs down the middle of street in the western half of the campus.  Northeastern University has for better or for worse its own commuter rail station (Ruggles) which is a great spot for railfanning after a class.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY has the MBTA Green Line B-Branch running through the middle of their campus plus MBTA's Worcester Communter Line/ CSX's ex-Beacon Yard on its northside.

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUATE OF TECHNOLOGY has a lightly used branch line also cutting its campus in half.  The MBTA and Amtrak use the branch line to transfer equipment between South Station and North Station.

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY has Amtrak's Northeast Corridor slicing through the southern part of it's campus. NJT/Amtrak trains stop at the New Brunswick train station.

University of Oregon in Eugene

The UP mainline runs between the steam heat plant and a soccer field on the north edge of campus.

James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA  - NS runs a coal train through the middle of campus.

 Montclair State University in New Jersey is located on the New Jersey Transit Boonton Line.  There are two stations on campus.  The original station was Montclair Heights.  At one time the station building was supposed to be purchased from the erie Lackawanna for use as a student recreation center.  The station is still in use although the original building burned down before the sale took place.  The new station on campus has a five story parking garage and serves as the transfer point between the diesel powered and electrified trains.  A shuttle bus is available to bring students to the central part of the campus from the station.

<> Kevin Olsen

<>Chemistry and Biochemistry

<>Montclair State University
 <> 

The CSX ex WM "Dutch Line" and the Gettysburg Northern both abut the Gettysburg College campus in GBG, PA.  In earlier years, the Gety ran thru the campus, but the college and the RR exchanged some property to facilitate the new football field.  Now, the Gbg Northern runs down the west side of the field to I/C with CSX and board passenagers @ the station. ( Students seem to take offense at having to vacate the tracks for tourist trains operating on home-game Saturdays.)  CSX ex WM Lurgan Branch may still be through the Shippensburg College in South Central PA.  The Arkansas & Missouri passes by the Fayettevlle campus, U of Arkansas..... RetGM  

Kevin C. Smith

I think there is a community college campus in Denver just west of Union Station wrapped by someone's tracks. Don't know if it's UP's tracks or BNSF's, though.

RTD's Auraria line and UPRR's ex-DRGW Burnham Lead (demoted original main line MP 0-4, now an industrial lead) run along the extreme west side of the campus.

Auraria Campus (Metropolitan State College at Denver + CU-Denver + Denver University -Auraria)....not a community college, all are 4Yr regional institutions.