Everything about Illinois Central Railroad totally explained
The
Illinois Central, sometimes called the
Main Line of Mid-America, was a
railroad carrier in the central
United States, with its primary routes connecting
Chicago, Illinois with
New Orleans, Louisiana and
Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with
Sioux City, Iowa (1870). There was a significant branch to
Omaha, Nebraska (1899) west of
Fort Dodge, Iowa and another branch reaching
Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1877) starting from
Cherokee, Iowa.
History
The IC was one of the earlier
Class I railroads in the US. Its roots stretch back to abortive attempts by the
Illinois General Assembly to charter a railroad linking the northern and southern parts of the state of
Illinois. In 1850 U.S. President
Millard Fillmore signed a
land grant for the construction of the railroad, making the Illinois Central the first land-grant railroad in the United States.
The Illinois Central was officially chartered by the
Illinois General Assembly on
February 10,
1851. Upon its completion in 1856, the IC was the longest railroad in the world. Its main line went from
Cairo, Illinois, at the southern tip of the state, to
Galena, in the northwest corner. A branch line went from
Centralia (named for the railroad) to the rapidly growing city of
Chicago. In Chicago, its tracks were laid along the shore of
Lake Michigan and on an offshore causeway downtown, but landfilling and natural deposition have moved the present day shore to the east.
In 1867 the Illinois Central extended its track into
Iowa. Throughout the 1870s, and 1880s the IC acquired and expanded railroads throughout the southern United States. IC lines crisscrossed the state of
Mississippi and went as far as
New Orleans, Louisiana to the south and
Louisville, Kentucky in the east. In the 1880s, northern lines were built to
Dodgeville, Wisconsin,
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and
Omaha, Nebraska. Further expansion continued into the early twentieth century.
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad: 1972-1988
On
August 10,
1972 the Illinois Central Railroad merged with the
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad to form the
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. On
October 30 that year the
Illinois Central Gulf commuter rail crash, the company's deadliest, occurred. In the 1980s, the railroad spun off most of its east-west lines and many of its redundant north-south lines, including much of the former GM&O. Most of these lines were bought by other railroads, including entirely new railroads, such as the
Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway,
Paducah and Louisville Railway and
Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad. On
February 29,
1988, the ICG dropped the "Gulf" from its name and again became known as the Illinois Central Railroad.
Canadian National Railway: 1998-present
On
February 11,
1998 the IC was purchased by the
Canadian National Railway (CN) with the integration of operations beginning on
July 1,
1999.
The IC is now controlled by CN's holding company
Grand Trunk Corporation. The IC name continued to be used until after the railroad's
sesquicentennial in 2001, after which the IC corporate identity slowly faded through CN's maintenance and repainting programs. IC locomotives repainted into the CN paint scheme retain "IC"
reporting marks and sub-lettering on the sides of locomotive cabs.
Passenger train service
The Illinois Central was a major carrier of passengers on its Chicago-New Orleans mainline and between Chicago and St. Louis. IC also ran passengers on its Chicago to Omaha line, though it was never among the top performers on this route. Illinois Central's largest passenger terminal, Central Station, stood at 12th Street east of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Due to the railroad's north-south route from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, Illinois Central passenger trains were one means of transport during the
African American Great Migration of the 1920s.
Illinois Central's most famous train was the
Panama Limited, a premier all-Pullman car service between Chicago, St. Louis, Missouri, and New Orleans. In 1967, due to losses incurred by the operation of the train, the Illinois Central combined the Panama Limited with a coach-only train called the
Magnolia Star. On
June 1,
1971 Amtrak took over the operation of the service, but shortly afterward dropped the name in favor of the
City of New Orleans, a daytime streamlined coach train that had been operated by the Illinois Central whose name was popularized by a song written by
Steve Goodman and performed by
Arlo Guthrie (
Willie Nelson made the song #1 in 1984.). Illinois Central ran several other trains along the main route including
The Creole and
The Louisiane.
The
Green Diamond was the Illinois Central's premier train between Chicago, Springfield and St. Louis. Other important trains included the
Hawkeye which ran daily between Chicago and Sioux City and the City of Miami eventually running every other day between Chicago and Miami via the
Atlantic Coast Line, The
Central of Georgia Railroad and
Florida East Coast Railway.
The Illinois Central was always a major
Chicago commuter line operating electrified trains from its Michigan Avenue stations to the southeast suburbs until this traffic was assumed by
Metra.
After 1971 Amtrak operated the
Panama Limited, later re-named
City of New Orleans, over the Illinois Central mainline and the
Shawnee between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. Amtrak presently runs three trains daily over this route, the
City of New Orleans and the
Illini and
Saluki between Chicago and Carbondale. Another Illinois corridor service is planned for the former "Blackhawk" route between Chicago-Rockford and Dubuque. This service, subsidized by the State of Illinois is slated to begin in 2009.
List of Illinois Central Named Trains
- Chickasaw
- City of Miami
- City of New Orleans
- Creole
- Daylight
- Green Diamond
- Hawkeye
- Illini
- Iowan
- Land O'Corn
- Louisiane
- Miss Lou
- Night Diamond
- Northern Express
- Northwestern Limited
- Panama Limited
- Planter
- Seminole
- Southern Express
- Southwestern Limited
- Sunchaser
Company officers
Presidents of the Illinois Central Railroad have included:
Stuyvesant Fish, 1887-1906
James T. Harahan, 1906-1911
Charles H. Markham, 1911-1918
Charles A. Peabody, 1918-1919
Charles H. Markham, 1919-1926
Lawrence A. Downs, 1926-1938
John L. Beven, 1938-1945
Wayne A. Johnston, 1945-1967
William B. Johnson, 1967-1969
Alan Stephenson Boyd, 1969-1972
E. Hunter Harrison, 1993-1998
Preservation
Some historic equipment owned and used by Illinois Central can be found in museums across the United States, including:
201, a 2-4-4 tank locomotives that participated in the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant at the Chicago Railroad Fair. Preserved on static display at Illinois Railway Museum.
764, a 651 class 2-8-0 donated to the Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri in 1956.
790. Preserved on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site, believed to be in good condition that restoration to operations is feasible.
in Centralia, Illinois.
2542. A 2500 class 4-8-2 preserved on static display at McComb, Mississippi.
A yard office and unique coal-fueling tower remain at the Illinois Central yards in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
IC 8408 GP10 locomotive/IC 9426 caboose static display Homewood, IL
Further Information
Get more info on 'Illinois Central Railroad'.
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