Indiana Rail RoadIndianapolis to Bloomington

When it was an Illinois Central branch, the line started from Indianapolis Union Station (MP 0.0), turning south at the west end of the station and crossing South Street, Merrill Street and McCarty Street along the east side of Missouri Street, passing beneath I-70 in the same span as Missouri Street, and then crossing Morris Street on a bridge. Today's line starts at the Senate Avenue Terminal (MP 1.4) on the south side of Morris Street, on the east side of West Street and the west side of Senate Avenue, where a residual portion of the line northwards rises up on an embankment west of the yard entrance, that stops short of Morris Street. There is a locomotive and car shop here, as well as the Indiana Reload Center, a facility for transferring lumber and construction materials between rail cars and road vehicles. The yard has at least ten tracks, oriented north-south, funneling down to one at the south end. There is a scrap yard on the west side.

On the east side of the yard, heading south, a connecting track rises up and then turns east to join the former Indianapolis Union 'belt line' around the south side of the city. The main line angles south-southwest, passing beneath the ex-IU line, now part of CSX, that crosses overhead, and throwing off another connector to the line heading towards the east on the south side of the line, which joins with an east-to-south connectors that trails into the INRD line on the east side a little but further south (Indianapolis Belt Railway Connection, MP 2.1). Raymond Street bridges overhead and the line crosses Bluff Road at grade, coming alongside the east bank of the White River in an area of light industrial facilities. A mile or so further along, the line turns south, away from the river, as it passes through the industrial fabric of the south side of Indianapolis, and continues south, crossing Troy and Sumner Avenues at grade (with a wooded area between them) before reaching a wye on the west side of the line (MP 4.1) with a spur that heads due west to the Indianapolis Power & Light Harding Street Generating Station.

The line crosses Hanna Avenue at grade and then bridges Lick Creek to reach the north switch (North Dixie, MP 4.6) of the 6,224 ft. Dixie siding, on the east side of the line, constructed in 2003. Dual concrete bridges carry I-74/465 overhead, the siding ends at South Dixie (MP 5.8), there is a chemical facility on the east side of the line, and, running among trees and fields, the line crosses Epler and Edgewood Avenues at grade, the latter near the Indianapolis Yard Limit (MP 7.0). Bluff Road (MP 8.4) crosses at grade at a very acute angle, Hall & House Lumber is on the east side, followed by the Banta Road grade crossing, an industrial facility on the west side, and upscale housing developments on both sides of the line as it angles SSW again to Mt. Perry, where it resumes its southward course, still through those upscale housing areas, cross Southport Road and Stop 11 Road at grade. Railroad Road runs alongside to the east as far as the County Line Road grade crossing, where it becomes Peterman Road

Two or three miles south of Mt. Perry, the line angles SSE, crossing Peterman Road at grade, and then south again, still among upscale housing, bridging over a creek and the adjacent Fairview Road, and crossing North Road and Olive Branch Road at grade, still among that upscale housing behind the lines of trees, past Forest Lawn on the east side, and leaving the Indianapolis housing behind in favor of woods and fields before reaching Frances (MP 11.6), whence it continues due south for about 11 miles, through Bargersville (MP 17.4), where there is industry on the west side and a spur to silos on the east side, a grade crossing, silos on the west side and another spur on the east side, another grade crossing, and a spur to lineside industry on the east side, and then fields again, with a bridge over a road, farms, and three more grade crossings, one of them over CR 441. The line is jointed rail along this section, and curves west-southwest through Anita (MP 24.8), at the northern edge of the hilly country (i.e. the southern edge of the Canadian Shields glaciated region). The depots at the towns along this section of the line all closed in 1936.

The line crosses two more grade crossings, including one over SR 135, then turns south-southwest, southwest across three more grade crossings to Morgantown (MP 30.1), where a Big Four branch once passed overhead, south across SR 135 and a dirt road grade crossing, SSE, SSW with a road bridge crossing overhead and then just east of south past Fruitdale (MP 33.6), where there is a grade crossing, southwest across two more rural grade crossings and then SR 135, with a highway coming alongside to the northwest, crossing several rural roads and then SR 45 at grade, almost to Helmsburg (MP 39.0), and then west past that location, with SR 45 alongside to the north, crossing several more rural roads at grade and then SR 45 and turning southwest into and past Trevlac (MP 41.3), with more grade crossings, including one at which SR 45 crosses to the west, makes a right-angle turn to the south, and crosses again, two more grade crossings, across SR 45 again and then west across the 982 ft. long steel viaduct over Shuffle Creek, with its view of Lake Lemon to the north, and a bridge over  dirt road, and then south-southwest through a deep rock cut to enter the 500 ft. Peterson Tunnel (MP 47.5), across a dirt road grade crossing curvily southwest, with a road alongside to the southeast, and then west across a grade crossing to New Unionville (MP 49.7), the crest of the line.

There are several grade crossing as the line turns south, south-southwest, across four more rural grade crossings and then the main SR 46, and then west-northwest, with many small street grade crossings, past Indiana University (with its hospital on the south side) in Bloomington (MP 55.0), where the power plant is on the south side of the line with its sidings facing west,  west-southwest, with several road bridges overhead and roads passing below (intermingled as the line is alternately in cutting and on embankment), past the 2,560 ft. siding at Cavanaugh (MP 55.6), passing beneath the dual bridges of SR 37, bridging over the former Monon line now owned by CSX, north of that line's McDoel Yard, to a wye on the south side of the line at INRD's Bloomington location.

From that wye, a branch heads south-southeast, across several grade crossings, to join the formation of the former Monon, where it turns due south to the vicinity of Clear Creek and Quarry Junction, where it turns south-southwest, on track laid in early 2006, to reach a set of stub-end sidings at Victor.