The Illinois Railroads: The History of the Rails that Connect the Heart of the Midwest

When people think of trains, many conjure up visions of Amtrak, with dining cars and sleeper cars. Some think of the song "The Train They Call the City of New Orleans". Plenty remember counting railcars as children, and some probably still do that as the cars clickety-clack past a railroad crossing with its flashing red lights, all along pondering what might be in those massive teetering railcars as they snake slowly through the city or across the wide-open prairie on slivers of steel. But Amtrak did not exist until May 1, 1971, when Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, establishing the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Railroads were not created for the purpose of moving people. Railroads were created more than a century ago for transporting goods. Today, there are 48 separate railroads operating throughout just the state of Illinois. Initially, railroads were built a few miles at a time, connecting with waterways and primarily for the transportation of coal.