The Railroads of Chicago IL

RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.

Todd and Denver Todd's Railfan Guide to
CHICAGO IL
the Railroads Of

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With a city the size of Chicago, and all of the traffic coming in and out of the area, there has been a huge number of railroads calling Chicago home. In some ways, it is a shame that we don't still have the 32 railroads that existed in 1928, for along with all of those railroads, also came a plethora of towers, yards, crossings, etc, to keep a railfan busy. Almost all of that infrastructure has disappeared with the mergers that have taken taken place over the years.... darn!

We'll start off with a listing by period of the railroads making Chicago a destination.

Errors can creep in from anywhere. The information on this page was stolen from a variety of sources, which may or may not be super-accurate :-) It is put together here on one page, because I have not (yet) seen this done, all in one place.

Pictures and additional information is always needed if anyone feels inclined to take 'em, send 'em, and share 'em, or if you have something to add or correct.... credit is always given! Contact info is here

--- In The Beginning – Chicago’s First Railroad ---

1. The Galena & Chicago Union (Chartered 1836)

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1039.html

--- The Railroads of 1879 ---

1. Baltimore and Ohio
2. Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy
3. Chicago, Alton, & St. Louis (Madison & Canal Streets)
4. Chicago & Eastern Illinois
5. Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul
6. Chicago & North Western [Galena Div](Wells & Water Streets)
7. Chicago & North Western [Milwaukee Div](Canal & Kinzie Streets)
8. Chicago & North Western [Wisconsin Div.]
9. Chicago & Pacific (Chicago Ave. & Larabee St)
10. Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific
11. Chicago & Western Indiana (Dearborn & Van Buren Streets)
12. Grand Trunk & Western
13. Illinois Central (Lake and Madison Streets)
14. Lakeshore and Michigan Southern (LaSalle & Van Buren Streets)
15. Michigan Central
16. Pittsburg, Cincinnati, & St. Louis (Canal & Kinzie Streets)
17. Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, & Chicago (Madison & Canal Streets)
18. Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific (Dearborn & Van Buren Streets)

(Location of their passenger depots in italics/parenthesis )

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10607.html

--- The Railroads of 1928 ---

1. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
2. Baltimore and Ohio
3. Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal
4. Belt Railway of Chicago
5. Chesapeake & Ohio
6. Chicago Great Western
7. Chicago Junction
8. Chicago River & Indiana
9. Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy
10. Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville
11. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific

12. Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific
13. Chicago, South Shore & South Bend
14. Chicago & Alton
15. Chicago & Eastern Illinois
16. Chicago & Illinois Western
17. Chicago & North Western
18. Chicago & Western Indiana
19. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St Louis
20. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern
21. Erie
22. Grand Trunk Western
23. Illinois Central
24. Illinois Northern
25. Indiana Harbor Belt
26. Michigan Central
27. Minneapolis, St Paul & Sault Ste Marie
28. New York Central
29. New York, Chicago & St Louis (NKP)
30. Pennsylvania
31. Pere Marquette
32. Wabash

Data obtained from Trains Magazine 7/2003

--- The Railroads of 1945 ---

1945 is generally considered the highest level of passenger traffic in U.S. history. With that in mind, here are the railroads around at that time:

This section being compiled

--- The Railroads of the Early 1990s ---

1. Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe
2. Amtrak
3. Belt Railway of Chicago/2
4. Burlington Northern
5 Chicago Rail Link/2
6. Chicago Short Line/2
7. Chicago & North Western
8. Chicago, Central, & Pacific note 1
9. Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend (Southshore Freight)
10. Conrail
11. CSX
12. Elgin, Joliet, & Eastern/2
13. Grand Trunk Western (Div. of CN North America)
14. Illinois Central
15. Indiana Harbor Belt/2
16. Iowa Interstate/2
17. Manufacturers Junction/2
18. Metra (NIRC)

19. Norfolk Southern
20. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) (on Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend trackage)
21. Soo Line (Div. of CP Rail System)
22. Southern Pacific
23. Union Pacific
24. Wisconsin Central/2
25. Wisconsin Southern/2

/2 = Class 2s, Short Lines, and Transfer & Terminal RRs
Note 1: formed as a spinoff of the Illinois Central in 1985, repurchased by the IC in 1996 and is now (2013) part of the Canadian National
(from Railroad & Railfan Magazine’s map of Chicago yards)

--- The Railroads of Today ---

1. Amtrak
2. Belt Railway of Chicago/2
3. BNSF
4. Canadian National
5. Canadian Pacific
6 Chicago Rail Link/2
7. Chicago Short Line/2
8. Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend (Southshore Freight)/2
9. CSX

10. Indiana Harbor Belt/2
11. Iowa Interstate/2
12. Manufacturers Junction/2
13. Metra

14. Norfolk Southern
15. Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
16. Union Pacific
17. Wisconsin Central/2
18. Wisconsin Southern/2

Note: No change in Passenger & Commuter carriers from the 1990's