The Muncie & Western Railroad was the Ball Brothers railroad. It operated less then 10 miles of track snaking through the large Ball Brothers complex. Its sole goal was to spot and pull all the facilities inside the plant and interchange the traffic to the C&O, PRR, NKP, NYC at various locations around the large complex. The NKP and NYC both had what they called "Belt" tracks to reach the M&W, but they also serviced other industries on their belts. The C&O and PRR directly connected to the M&W at the same location, at Mock Avenue on Muncie's southeast side. The C&O used a wye to connect to the M&W and the PRR actually just connected at its south end with the M&W.

The road lasted until 1995 when it sold its engines off and the remaining trackage to the Norfolk Southern to service the new industries that would take over the south plants. In 1998 the remaining M&W track that NS didn't use was removed, today only 3 tracks enter the former Ball Brothers facility.

A special thanks to Bob Jettmore for the images.
If you have any images of the Muncie & Western Railroad that you would like to share, please feel free to contact me
at matt@(remove)candoindiana.com


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Muncie & Western #8 pulls a cut of cars off the NKP track inside the Ball Brothers plant at Muncie Indiana.
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The #8 baths in the sun on the connection to the C&O side, just north of 18th Street. The M&W used this track to reach the track to the C&O, although it was almost a mile away. The trackage at the south end of the Ball facility was a maze of track.
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The crew on M&W #8 work to clean a fresh falling snow out of the switch points just north of 18th Street crossing just inside the facility at Ball Brothers. Today this is really the only operated portion of the Muncie & Western track left. Its used by the Norfolk Southern to switch the industry (Spartech) that is located in the south plants at the old Ball Brothers site.
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Muncie & Western #11 & #8 rest outside the old engine house. You can see the tall tower in the background, located on 12th Street. Most of what you see in the pictures today is gone, especially when speaking of the trackage.




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