SHORT LINE RAILROADS - ILLINOIS
Smaller companies operating former main line trackage, no longer wanted by the large railroads. In 1976, the bankruptcy of Penn Central and other northeast railroads led to the formation of Conrail, which was free to abandon routes with limited traffic potential. Thus began a new trend of forming short line railroads, which could operate certain routes more successfully than the large railroads.
BLOOMER LINE
Acquired two lines in area between Kankakee and Bloomington.
Kempton-Colfax
Forrest-Gibson City
BURLINGTON JUNCTION RAILWAY
Former Burlington Route line south of Quincy.
Quincy-Marblehead
CHICAGO RAIL LINK
Former Rock Island route through South Chicago.
Gresham Jct.-South Chicago
DECATUR & EASTERN ILLINOIS RAILROAD
Acquired several lines in eastern Illinois.
Hillsdale IN-Decatur IL
Terre Haute-Paris
Vermillion Grove-Paris
DECATUR JUNCTION RAILWAY
Former Illinois Central route south of Decatur.
Assumption-Decatur
EASTERN ILLINOIS RAILROAD
Former Nickel Plate route.
Metcalf-Neoga
EVANSVILLE WESTERN RAILWAY
Former Louisville & Nashville route northwest of Evansville IN.
Evansville-Okawville
ILLINOIS RAILWAY
Several branch lines acquired from BNSF.
Fox River Line (Montgomery-Streator)
La Salle Line (La Salle-Zearing)
Rockford Line (Flag Center-Rockford)
Mt. Morris Line (Oregon-Mt. Morris)
IOWA INTERSTATE
Former Rock Island routes.
Subdivision 1 (Utica-Davenport)
Subdivision 2 (Bureau-Peoria)
KANKAKEE BEAVERVILLE & SOUTHERN
Several former railroads between Kankakee and Lafayette IN.
Kankakee-Templeton
Cheneyville-Lafayette
Hooper-Danville
KEOKUK JUNCTION RAILWAY
Former Toledo Peoria & Western line.
Peoria-Keokuk
TAZEWELL & PEORIA RAILROAD
Former Peoria & Pekin Union Railway.
Peoria-Pekin
VERMILLION VALLEY RAILROAD
Former New York Central Peoria & Eastern line east of Danville IL.
Olin-Danville
WISCONSIN & SOUTHERN
Former Milwaukee Road lines.
Fox Lake Subdivision (Fox Lake-Janesville)