Information includes line histories, stations, milepost locations, whether single or multiple track, signal systems in use, and radio frequencies. Much information is from railroad employee timetables. Some employee timetables did not include milepost locations or where they are measured from, while every effort is made to include that information.
For the larger railroads, separate pages are provided for the former railroads. And for the larger former railroads, pages are organized by historic operating divisions. As passenger service declined during the 1950's, many divisions were consolidated.
The New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad became Penn Central in 1968 and Conrail in 1976, and was finally divided in 1999 between CSX and Norfolk Southern. Those former operating divisions are generally grouped with the present railroad acquiring most of the routes in each area. Typically Norfolk Southern for lines east of Chicago into northern Indiana, and beyond to Michigan and Ohio. And CSX for lines in southern Illinois and Indiana, generally through St. Louis and through Indianapolis east into Ohio.
The Erie Lackawanna Railway became part of Conrail in 1976, but most lines in the Midwest were abandoned as redundant. Most of those lines which had survived as part of Conrail became part of Norfolk Southern, and are grouped here as such.
For most railroads, divisions are divided into subdivisions, or districts on some railroads. On a main line, a subdivision or district typically was around 100-150 miles, a traditional work day for a train crew. Or a branch line could be one subdivision or district. The New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad generally identified its lines as main lines or branches.
Most railroads identified their subdivisions or districts by name, some railroads by number. As railroads merged, or agreed to adopt common rulebooks, most railroads now use named subdivisions. Norfolk Southern continues to use named districts, or main lines and branches for lines which evolved from New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad.
Also included here are abandoned lines and segments, with stations indicated in italics. Some larger railroads sold segments of trackage to newer short line railroads, but not all segments were sold. Some abandoned trackage is shown with the short line railroads, as the most concise way for completeness.
Some lines in general are considered as abandoned. But a few short segments were actually retained, typically within a city or town, and connecting with a line remaining in operation.
References are occasionally made to obscure branch lines and industrial lines. But these lines are not always fully explained, sometimes due to early abandonments or lack of adequate descriptions in employee timetables or other resources.
Every effort is made to keep current railroad information up to date, but this is not always possible.
Metra (Northeast Illinois Commuter Rail Corporation)
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
Terminal Railroad Association Of St. Louis
Official Web site for CREATE, which is an acronym for "Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program". This is a plan created by nearly all railroads and relevant government agencies in the Chicago area, consisting of numerous improvements which will reduce railroad congestion in the Chicago area.