Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
Company type	Railroad
Industry	Transportation
Predecessor	Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad; Evansville, Terre Haute and Chicago Railroad; Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad
Founded	1877
Defunct	1976
Fate	Acquired and fully integrated by Missouri Pacific Railroad
Successor	Missouri Pacific Railroad; Louisville and Nashville Railroad (Evansville line)
Headquarters	Chicago, United States
Area served	Illinois, Indiana, Missouri
Products	Rail transport services (passenger and freight)
Owner	Missouri Pacific Railroad (from 1967)
Number of employees	Approximately 1,200 (early 20th century at Danville shops) (Early 20th century)
Parent	Missouri Pacific Railroad (from 1967)

The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago with southern regions of Illinois, as well as St. Louis and Evansville. Established in 1877 through the unification of three separate railroads, it pursued rapid growth and sustained its operations through the Great Depression and both World Wars before being acquired by the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N). The Missouri Pacific fully integrated the C&EI in 1976; subsequently, MoPac itself was absorbed by Union Pacific Railroad.

History

Formed in 1877 by consolidating the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad, Evansville, Terre Haute and Chicago Railroad, and Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad, the C&EI was designed to connect Chicago with markets in southern Illinois and Indiana. It constructed a vital route from Chicago to a Mississippi River crossing at Thebes, Illinois. Strategic management connections with the Chicago and Indiana Coal Railway culminated in a merger by 1894, which propelled further network growth.

Danville, Illinois functioned as the central point along the mainline stretching between Chicago and Evansville. The railroad established its initial locomotive and car repair facilities there in 1877; these shops expanded significantly during the early 20th century, ultimately employing approximately 1,200 workers. By this time, C&EI operated 737 miles of mainline track supported by a large fleet of rolling stock.

In 1902, control passed to the Frisco, which extended the lines to Evansville and established connections to the Ohio River. However, Frisco’s financial failure in 1913 led to C&EI regaining independence by 1920. During this era, several lines were divested, and after entering bankruptcy in 1933, the railroad restructured and resumed operations in 1940 before expanding service to St. Louis in 1954.

Missouri Pacific began acquiring shares of C&EI in 1961 and achieved controlling interest by 1967 following regulatory approval. A stipulation of this merger required divesting C&EI’s Evansville line to Louisville and Nashville in 1969. The segment south of Chicago near Danville remains under joint ownership by MoPac’s successor Union Pacific and L&N’s successor CSX Transportation. Until its full absorption into Missouri Pacific in 1976, C&EI operated as a subsidiary.

C&EI’s primary terminal in Chicago was Dearborn Station; however, during Frisco ownership, operations shifted to LaSalle Street Station. The railroad ran several streamliner services including its proprietary Meadowlark (Chicago–Cypress) and Whippoorwill (Chicago–Evansville), as well as portions of L&N’s Humming Bird and Georgian. It also contributed to the "Dixie Route" heading to Florida with trains such as the Dixie Limited and Dixie Flyer, managing Chicago–Evansville segments before handing off passengers to southern carriers. Passenger service along Chicago–Evansville ceased in 1968; only the Danville-Chicago Flyer continued afterward.

At its height in 1925, C&EI operated 945 miles of road with nearly 2,000 miles of track; following line sales by 1970, these figures declined to 643 miles of road and just over 1,000 miles of track. In 1967, reported freight revenue totaled over three billion ton-miles while passenger traffic reached 41 million miles.

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