(WSBT) Hundreds turned out to demand answers about a proposed intermodal rail hub in LaPorte County, as a grassroots fight against the project continues to grow.

The hub would link dozens of freight railroad lines with storage areas and semi-trucks on thousands of acres around State Road 39 and U.S. 6. Some estimates show the hub comprising an area nearly half the size of the city of LaPorte.

Crowds packed in to the Noble Township Fire Department in Union Mills to talk about the project Tuesday night.

John Glasgow was one of them. He and his family have farmed green beans, pickles, and seed corn on 230 acres near the proposed rail hub site for more than a century. When he learned his green beans and pickles could soon be replaced by rail spikes and cargo cranes he had a simple response.

"This is all I've worked for my entire life. This house, this is my life here," he said pointing to the farm behind him. "And if they come, I'm going to have to move somewhere else."

Tuesday night, John joined a crowd estimated by organizers at nearly 600 to tell elected officials just that. Ruth Minich was one of the original five neighbors who began meeting last year to talk about the projects future. And her group has grown quickly.

"One meeting last month, we had 50 people," she said "[Monday] night, we had 300. Tonight, well, you can count them!" she said with a laugh.

And you could hear them too. And see their message, on shirts, hats, yard signs, and stickers. Each one simply read "no intermodal."

Their reasons vary as much as the crowd — fears of new noise at the proposed site, new pollution and new traffic. But the biggest concern is the project's size, because no one seems to be sure exactly where it might go.

Some in the crowd said that's because of what they called "under the table negotiating and secret agreements."

But county and state officials at the meeting said there is no official site.

"We don't know any more than you do!" County Council President Jerry Cooley told the crowd, who often yelled questions during the presentation.

Cooley also said no agreements have been made with any developers.

"We have not been asked for anything through the developer or nobody," he said. "We just want to see what's going on ourselves!"

What they've found so far are examples from other intermodal rail hubs across the country. Cooley says the hub has the potential to bring in $25 million new tax dollars a year and 6,000 new jobs.

But that's not a fair trade off to Glasgow, who says he can't imagine selling his family's heritage for any price. And if the sounds of progress are on their way in, he and his family will be on the way out.

"I'll move if I have to. I don't want to live next to this. And a lot of other people don't either," he said.

County leaders say the intermodal hub is still just an idea, and that confidentiality agreements signed earlier will not be honored by the county council. Many also pledged to listen to residents' input before looking at development sites.

Still, many at Tuesday's meeting remain skeptical and say their fight is far from over.