Illinois Central Railroad

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.Steamtown National Historic Site, Illinois Central Railroad number 790. Retrieved February 10 2006. 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 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: 1972-1998

On August 10, 1972 the Illinois Central Railroad merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. 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 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; integration of operations began July 1, 1999, though the Illinois Central name continued to be used until after the railroad's sesquicentennial in 2001. As time passes, the IC identity is slowly fading through CN's maintenance and repainting programs, although some CN locomotives retain the IC reporting marks on their 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. Illinois Central's largest passenger terminal, Central Station, stood at 12th Street east of Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

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 afterword dropped the name in favor of the City of New Orleans, a daytime train that had been operated by the Illinois Central whose name was popularized by a song by Steve Goodman.

The Green Diamond was the Illinois Central's premier train between Chicago 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.

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
Lawrence A. Downs, 1926-1938
John L. Beven, 1938-1945
Wayne A. Johnston, 1945-1967
William B. Johnson, 1967-1969
Alan S. 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, participated in the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant at the Chicago Railroad Fair. Preserved on static display at Illinois Railway Museum.
790. Preserved on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site, believed to be in good condition that restoration to operations is feasible.

Subject of song

The name of the railroad was popularized in the song "City of New Orleans" written and performed by Steve Goodman and covered by Arlo Guthrie among others.

References

Stover, John F., Purdue University, The Management of the Illinois Central Railroad in the 20th Century (PDF). Retrieved February 9 2006.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Archives, Wayne A. Johnston Papers, 1945-1967. Retrieved February 9 2006.

External links

Illinois Central Historical Society
Illinois Central Railroad On-Line
Illinois Central Resource Page
STB decision, docket number FD_33556_0 (granting CN control of the IC)

Illinois Central Railroad | Canadian National Railway | 1851 establishments | 1998 disestablishments