Bad Tracks In Need Repair

The Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad works its way over swamp land!

This freight is seen rocking back and forth over poorly maintained tracks that haven’t been repaired for 50 years!

While work continues on the cleanup of the 53 mile long Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad line, much work needs to be done replacing rails, ties, and ballast.

This short line railroad was the victim of multiple mergers and bankruptcies over the years and the neglect shows. Much of the 53 mile long stretch of rail is built over swamp ground and is in poor state of repair. The current rated load capacity of the track is supposed to be 263,000 lbs.

The Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad, a subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, runs the line between Woodburn, Indiana and Liberty Center, Ohio.

You can hear the creak and grind of the wheels and freight cars as they slowly move over the rotting ties and uneven road bed!

Let us know if you are a maintenance of way worker and what you would do to fix this line!