Chicago and St. Louis Railway

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The Chicago and St. Louis Railway was a predecessor of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that owned a line between Chicago and Pekin, Illinois. More than half of the line is now part of the BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway company

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.

Chicago City in Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,716,450 (2017), it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States, and the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is often referred to as "Chicagoland." The Chicago metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States; the fourth largest in North America ; and the third largest metropolitan area in the world by land area.

Pekin, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Pekin (Pee-kin) is a city in and the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is the largest city of Tazewell County and the second most populous municipality of the Peoria metropolitan area, after Peoria itself. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extend into Peoria County. Pekin is the 13th-most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago Metropolitan Area. It is the most populous municipality in the United States with the name Pekin.

Contents

History

The Illinois General Assembly chartered the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad on February 24, 1859 to build a railroad from Chicago via Lyons, Plainfield, and Lisbon or Newark to Ottawa. [1] In 1867, the General Assembly authorized a branch into Peoria County, [2] and in 1869 it was renamed twice with expanded powers: first on March 29 to Chicago, Plainfield and Pekin Railroad, with the power to build on any route from Chicago via Plainfield to Pekin, [3] and then on April 19 to Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern Railroad (CP&SW), with only Chicago and Pekin named as intermediate points. [4] The road's first construction contract was dated August 21, 1869, [5] and on January 6, 1873 it was opened from Streator to Pekin, except for about 6 miles (9.7 km) of trackage rights on the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw Railway between Eureka (Streator Junction) and Washington (Pekin Junction). [6] In 1875, the CP&SW bought an unfinished grade between Streator and the Mazon River at Gorman from the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad (C&IR), [7] which it opened for operation on May 21, 1876, along with trackage rights into Joliet on the C&IR. [6] The CP&SW was also known as the "Hinckley road" after president Francis E. Hinckley. [8]

Illinois General Assembly


The Illinois General Assembly (IGA) is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The State Senate has 59 members while the House has 118 members, all elected from single-member districts. A Senate district is formed by combining two adjacent House districts. The current General Assembly is Illinois's 100th. The General Assembly meets in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Its session laws are generally adopted by majority vote in both houses, and upon gaining the assent of the Governor of Illinois. They are published in the official Laws of Illinois.

The Mazon River or Mazon Creek, is a tributary of the Illinois River in the United States. The confluence is near Morris, Illinois.

The Chicago and Illinois River Railroad was a predecessor of the Alton Railroad that built a line from Joliet southwest through Coal City, Illinois, to the Mazon River. A portion is now a second main track on the BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon.

The CP&SW was sold at foreclosure on May 31, 1881 to Hinckley and reorganized on May 15, 1882 as the Chicago, St. Louis and Western Railroad. Another reorganization in March 1885 produced the Chicago and St. Louis Railway, which on December 21, 1885 opened an extension beyond the Mazon River, paralleling the old C&IR to Joliet and continuing on to Corwith in Chicago, [5] [9] from where it had trackage rights over the Chicago and Southern Railroad.[ citation needed ] Finally, in December 1886, new Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary Chicago, Santa Fe and California Railway, bought the line as part of a project to extend the Santa Fe from Kansas City to Chicago, [8] which, including the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Chicago from Corwith to near downtown Chicago, was completed on July 1, 1888. The new main line left the old Chicago and St. Louis at Ancona, making the Ancona-Pekin segment a branch line, the Santa Fe's only one in Illinois outside Chicago. [5]

The Chicago and Southern Railroad built a rail line in northeastern Illinois, extending south from Chicago to Thornton. It now mainly forms part of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, while the north end has been operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the Illinois Northern Railway, and most recently the Central Illinois Railroad.

Ancona, Illinois Unincorporated community in Illinois, United States

Ancona is an unincorporated community in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. Ancona is located along a railroad line south-southwest of Streator. Ancona has a post office with ZIP code 61311. It formerly served the Santa Fe Railway at Ancona Station. It is part of the geographic region known as Streatorland.

The Santa Fe and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) jointly acquired control of the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad (TP&W), successor to the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw Railway, in 1960, [10] and in January 1981 the Santa Fe bought the PRR's 50% share from successor Penn Central Corporation, merging it on December 3, 1983. [11] The TP&W branched off the Santa Fe's Chicago line at Lomax, Illinois and headed east through Peoria (just north of Pekin) to Logansport, Indiana, and so this acquisition allowed the Santa Fe to abandon most of its Pekin Branch. However, the Santa Fe soon had second thoughts about the TP&W merger, [12] and in February 1989 a new independent Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway acquired the old TP&W, as well a short remnant of the Pekin Branch between Crandall and Morton. [13] The rest of the old line, between Corwith and Ancona, is now part of successor BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision. [14]

Pennsylvania Railroad former American Class I railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was so named because it was established in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Lomax, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Lomax is a village in Henderson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 454 at the 2010 census, a decline from 477 in 2000. It is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Logansport, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.

See also

Related Research Articles

Chillicothe, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area.

BNSF Railway freight railroad network in North America

The BNSF Railway Company is the largest freight railroad network in North America. One of eight North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 44,000 employees, 32,500 miles (52,300 km) of track in 28 states, and more than 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 million miles in 2010, more than any other North American railroad. The BNSF and Union Pacific have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the Western U.S. and share trackage rights over thousands of miles of track.

Gateway Western Railway

The Gateway Western Railway was a Class II railroad that operated 408 miles of former Chicago and Alton Railroad track between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri. It also operated between Kansas City, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois on the old Alton Railroad line that eventually was the Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway.

Central Illinois Railroad

The Central Illinois Railroad is a shortline railroad in Illinois. The switching and terminal railroad operates trackage near Peoria, Illinois. The Central Illinois Railroad was established in 2000, operating on track leased from the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad

The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjointed segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Southern California. It was incorporated by the U.S. Congress in 1866 as a transcontinental railroad connecting Springfield, Missouri and Van Buren, Arkansas with California. The central portion was never constructed, and the two halves later became parts of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway systems, now both merged into the BNSF Railway.

Corwith Yard

Corwith Yards, a railroad intermodal freight terminal located at Pershing Road & Kedzie Avenue in the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, in the neighborhood of Brighton Park, is a landmark in the history of railroad freight transport. At the time it was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1887, it was the world's largest railway yard. With adjacent parking and buildings it covers nearly a square mile of land. In the late 19th century Corwith Yards was the end of the line for trains of livestock loaded at AT&SF stations such as Dodge City, Kansas, and bound for the Union Stock Yards, as well as grain and other cargo from the western United States.

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway short-line railroad in Illinois & Indiana

The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short line railroad that operates 247 miles (398 km) of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana. TP&W has trackage rights between Galesburg, Illinois, and Peoria, between Logansport and Kokomo, Indiana, and between Reynolds, Indiana, and Lafayette, Indiana. TPW has connections with UP, BNSF, NS, CSXT, CN, CP, CERA, CIM, KBSR and T&P. The railroad is now owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Keokuk Junction Railway

The Keokuk Junction Railway Co., is a Class III railroad in the U.S. states of Illinois and Iowa. It is a subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp.

Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad

The Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad (CP&StL) was a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois that operated a main line between Pekin and Madison via Springfield. Its property was sold at foreclosure to several new companies in the 1920s; the portion north of Springfield has since become the Illinois and Midland Railroad, while the remainder has been abandoned, except for a portion near St. Louis that is now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Southern Transcon

The Southern Transcon is a railroad corridor between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois and serves as a BNSF Railway main line made up of 11 rail lines between Southern California and Chicago. Completed in its current alignment in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen Cutoff in New Mexico and bypassed the steep grades of Raton Pass, it now serves as a mostly double-tracked intermodal corridor.

The following is a brief history of the North American rail system, mainly through major changes to Class I railroads, the largest class by operating revenue.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, or variations with Railroad or Station or Passenger and/or Freight may refer to any one of many stations of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. These include:

Streator station

Streator Station was a train station located in Streator, Illinois, United States. It was served by numerous Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) passenger trains during its heyday. Amtrak served the station until 1996 with the Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles daily. When the Burlington Northern and the AT&SF railways merged, BNSF built a connecting track between the two main lines east of Cameron, Illinois,. This allowed passenger trains to change from the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) main line to the Southern Transcon freely. This along with the amendment of a stretch of track that was essential for getting to Chicago Union Station forced Amtrak to reroute the Southwest Chief to bypass Chillicothe and Streator.

Mazon station

Mazon Station was a small Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway station in Mazon, Illinois. The station was 66 miles west of Chicago on the BNSF Southern Transcon line. It also served the Kankakee and Seneca railroad. The most famous Santa Fe trains such as the Chief, Super Chief, and El Capitan didn't stop at Mazon. The Grand Canyon Limited train numbers 123 and 124 were the only service to Mazon. Even though passenger service has long left Mazon, the building still stands and is used by BNSF maintenance workers.

Coal City Station was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway station in Coal City, Illinois. It served trains on the "Doodlebug" spur line from Peoria and Pekin, Illinois to Chicago. The train was often run with one car, dubbed the "dinky", and made its last run on 1955. The station house is one story and made of brick.

Ancona Station was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway station in the unincorporated community of Ancona, Illinois. It a major junction station on the railway since it was point was where the Pekin Branch split from the main line. Ancona was the eastern point where the Santa Fe decided to build track west to existing track in Kansas City in 1889. Freight trains still pass on the double-tracked main line and the location provides a good location for railfans. The branch line to Pekin was abandoned in 1982 although the former right-of-way can still easily be seen.

The Cameron connector is a section of track built in 1995–1996 which connects the former Burlington Northern Railroad and the former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway tracks, both which are currently part of the BNSF Railway, to each other near Cameron, Illinois.

References

  1. ↑ An act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company, approved February 24, 1859
  2. ↑ An act to amend an act entitled "An act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company", approved February 25, 1867
  3. ↑ An act to amend an act entitled "An act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company," approved Feb. 24, 1859, and an act amendatory thereto, entitled "An act to amend an act entitled 'an act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company.', approved March 29, 1869
  4. ↑ An act supplemental to "An act to amend an act entitled 'An act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company,' approved February 24, 1859, and an act amendatory thereto entitled 'an act to incorporate the Chicago and Plainfield Railroad Company,'[sic]" approved March 29, 1869, approved April 19, 1869
  5. 1 2 3 Interstate Commerce Commission (1927), Valuation Docket No. 625: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company , 127 I.C.C., p. 1
  6. 1 2 Henry V. Poor, Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1880, pp. 754-755
  7. ↑ Interstate Commerce Commission (1932), Valuation Docket No. 851: Chicago and Alton Railroad Company , 40 Val. Rep., p. 1
  8. 1 2 Glenn Danford Bradley, The Story of the Santa Fe, 1920, pp. 259-262
  9. ↑ Poor's Manual of Railroads, 1887, pp. 407-408
  10. ↑ Moody's Transportation Manual, 1976, p. 111
  11. ↑ Moody's Transportation Manual, 1992, p. 403
  12. ↑ Glischinski, Steve (1997). Santa Fe Railway. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-7603-0380-1.
  13. ↑ Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition, Kalmbach Publishing, 1996, p. 310
  14. ↑ BNSF Railway, Chicago Division Timetable No. 6, in effect July 20, 2007
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