Frankfort (NS/CSX)

Frankfort's NS-CSX diamond sits right in the middle of town, making it one of the more accessible Class I crossings in Indiana. Two Norfolk Southern lines cross the CSX Frankfort Secondary Subdivision here — the New Castle District at control point CP-229 (just east of Walnut Street) and the Frankfort District at CP-230 (to the west). The best legal vantage point is northeast of the junction on Vandalia Avenue, where you can watch trains approach from all four directions without setting foot on railroad property. Another popular spot is the parking area behind the former New York Central freight house, reached by heading south on Walnut Street to West 2nd Street, then right onto Liberty Street. A shop on the southeast corner of Walnut Street and the tracks is reportedly tolerant of railfans as long as you don't block their access — from that corner you can see CSX movements plus anything NS is running between Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, and the Frankfort yard. Trains crossing the diamond must coordinate with dispatchers, which often slows them to restricted speed and gives you extended time to observe power consists and car types. Be aware that NS trains have a reputation for blocking grade crossings in Frankfort — the city once adopted a zero-tolerance citation policy for trains stopped longer than 10 minutes, a dispute that went all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Frankfort sits on the flat, open agricultural land of central Indiana at roughly 850 feet above sea level. The tracks run through a modest downtown lined with low commercial buildings and residential streets. A few blocks west, the Clinton County Courthouse — a striking Second Empire limestone building from 1882-1884 with a 165-foot domed clock tower designed by architect George W. Bunting — dominates the skyline and provides a distinctive backdrop for train photography. The railroad right-of-way is nearly arrow-straight in all directions, offering long sight lines for approaching trains. Grain elevators punctuate the horizon, a reminder that agriculture and rail freight remain the economic backbone of Clinton County. Summers are hot and humid, October brings pleasant foliage, and winter occasionally delivers photogenic snow scenes with locomotives punching through drifts.

Norfolk Southern is the dominant operator at Frankfort. The company maintains a yard here on the former Nickel Plate Road property, and two NS lines (the New Castle District and the Frankfort District) cross the CSX Frankfort Secondary Subdivision at CP-229 and CP-230 respectively. NS traffic consists primarily of mixed manifest freight moving between Fort Wayne, Peru, and Cincinnati, plus local switching serving the yard and nearby industries including an ADM soybean crushing plant. CSX has comparatively limited operations in Frankfort — the Frankfort Secondary Subdivision is a roughly 35-mile branch running from Control Point Clermont near Indianapolis to just beyond Frankfort. CSX service is primarily local freight: the L419 operates as a turn from Avon Yard to Frankfort Monday through Friday (on duty at 0500), and the L473 also serves the area. The ADM soy processing facility receives service from both CSX locals. No scheduled passenger service operates through Frankfort today. Motive power is modern — expect GE ES44AC/ET44AC and EMD SD70ACe units on NS, with a variety of power on CSX locals.

The Vandalia Avenue viewpoint northeast of the diamond gives a head-on perspective on westbound NS trains and a broadside view of CSX movements — morning light works well here as you're shooting roughly westward. For afternoon shots with favorable light on NS southbounds, try the area near Liberty Street behind the former NYC freight house, where you can frame trains against the grain elevators to the east. A 50-85mm lens captures the full crossing scene including the distinctive "Christmas Tree" diamond crossing signal that earned Frankfort a feature in the November 2014 issue of Trains Magazine. Switch to a 200mm to compress long NS manifests against the distant flat horizon or isolate the historic NKP coal tower as a backdrop. The Clinton County Courthouse dome makes an excellent compositional element from the northwest quadrant of the crossing. Night photography is feasible thanks to the interlocker signals and nearby streetlighting, though be mindful of your position relative to railroad property boundaries.

Frankfort has been a railroad junction since the 1870s. The Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad) established a significant presence here, with the Frankfort & Kokomo Railroad — a 25-mile line between the two Indiana cities first operated in 1874 — purchased by the NKP in September 1880. The NKP built repair shop facilities at Frankfort including a roundhouse, turntable, and coaling tower. The coaling tower still stands in the Norfolk Southern yard, bearing its original NKP herald despite being out of active service since the late 1950s. The roundhouse, though in decline, remains on NS property — it made news when it was damaged by fire. Frankfort was also once home to two former NKP predecessor lines: the Lake Erie & Western and the Clover Leaf Route. The Monon Railroad (Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway) crossed through Frankfort as well, running named passenger trains like the Tippecanoe and Hoosier on its Chicago-to-Indianapolis route via Frankfort. Louisville & Nashville, the Monon's successor, abandoned the Indianapolis-to-Frankfort segment in 1984, and the rails were removed by 1985. The CSX line through town traces its heritage to the Big Four Route (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway).

The at-grade diamond where two Class I railroads cross is increasingly rare in North American railroading — most have been eliminated through grade separations or line abandonments. Frankfort's diamond stands out further thanks to its unusual "Christmas Tree" diamond crossing signal, a distinctive installation that caught the attention of Trains Magazine in 2014. The presence of an intact NKP coaling tower still displaying its original herald makes this a pilgrimage site for Nickel Plate Road historians. Unlike many railroad viewing locations that require navigating rural roads or restricted areas, every primary vantage point in Frankfort is on public property within easy walking distance of downtown amenities. The NS yard adds operational interest beyond simple through-traffic — you can observe local switching, car storage, and the occasional light engine move in addition to road trains crossing the diamond.