The Abandoned Railroad Tracks of Perfect North Ski Slopes, Guilford, Indiana

Many people who have visited Perfect North Slopes ski resort in Dearborn County, Indiana are familiar with the long drive back to the parking lot but few know the history of that roadway and the bridge they use to cross over Tanners Creek.

I spoke to Clyde Perfect, founder of Perfect North Slopes, about 10 years before he passed away on August 26, 2020. Clyde told me that there were possibly as many as 3 different railroad alignments that came down through the Tanners Creek Valley and across his property. The current railroad alignment parallels state route 1 and carries trains daily between the rail yard in Cincinnati and the Honda Plant in Greensburg, Indiana.

Perfect Lane sits on the previous railroad alignment, That alignment then crossed Tanners Creek at this location and continued on southeast. The old Perfect driveway sits on this alignment as well.

The massive railroad bridge abutments still stand and support the current bridge leading back to Perfect North Slopes. However, there use to be a steel through truss bridge at this location. No pictures exist of that bridge however aerial photos show that it was still standing as late as 1970. After the bridge was removed, portions of it were used to build the new bridge that is currently in use.

Another railroad alignment was built between the previously mentioned alignment and the current alignment in this area. It also crossed Tanners Creek just 100 yards north of the current bridge. The cut stone bridge abutment from that crossing still exists on the north side of the creek and portions of the steel rail lines can still be found along the banks of the creek.

GPS Location: 39º09’09.5″N 84º53’12.5″W