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Illinois Terminal Railroad

From Alfawiki
Illinois Terminal Railroad Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryRail transport
PredecessorIllinois Traction System
Founded1896
FounderWilliam B. McKinley
Defunct1982
FateAcquired by Norfolk and Western Railway
Headquarters
Champaign, Illinois
,
United States
Area served
Central and southern Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri
Key people
William B. McKinley (founder)
ProductsPassenger and freight rail services
ParentNorfolk and Western Railway (from 1981)

The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting mark ITC), originally known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a robust interurban electric railroad that provided both passenger and freight services throughout central and southern Illinois from 1896 until 1956. During the financial hardships of the Great Depression, it restructured as Illinois Terminal, shifting its focus toward freight interchange operations that linked major steam railroads at key terminals located in Peoria, Danville, and St. Louis. Passenger service was incrementally discontinued by 1956, although freight activities persisted despite operational difficulties caused by narrow street trackage and tight curves. In 1956, ITC was acquired by a coalition of connecting railroads.

History

The Illinois Terminal Railroad originated from the consolidation of multiple interurban rail lines under the leadership of businessman William B. McKinley, resulting in the formation of the Illinois Traction System (ITS), affiliated with Illinois Power and Light. At its height, ITS managed approximately 550 miles (900 km) of electric passenger rail routes across central and southern Illinois. The mainline formed a Y-shaped network extending from St. Louis to Springfield, Illinois, with branches reaching northwest to Peoria and eastward to Danville. Numerous connected streetcar lines operated at street level to serve local urban areas along these corridors.

One of the longest-operating sections was near East St. Louis, stemming from an Edwardsville–Alton interurban line acquired in 1928. Freight service encountered limitations due to street-running track with sharp curves that necessitated short trains and specialized rolling stock. To mitigate these issues, bypass tracks were constructed around certain municipalities—Springfield being a prime example—and trackage rights agreements were established with parallel steam railroads in other locations. Morton, Illinois highlighted operational complexities where heavy-duty track equipped with trolley overhead wiring ran directly along the town’s brick-paved main thoroughfare.

The electrification system initially employed 3,300-volt single-phase alternating current between 1907 and roughly 1910 before transitioning to a 650-volt direct current setup to enhance operational efficiency.

Interurban routes

  • 1 Danville–Ridge Farm (1901–1936)
  • 2 Danville–Catlin (1902–1939)
  • 3 Homer Branch (1904–1929)
  • 4 Danville–Champaign (1902–1953)
  • 5 Champaign–Decatur (1907–1955)
  • 6 Decatur–Springfield (1904–1955)
  • 7 Decatur–Bloomington (1905–1953)
  • 8 Bloomington–Peoria (1907–1953)
  • 9 Peoria–Springfield (1906–1956)
  • 10 Springfield–Granite City (1904–1956)
  • 11 Granite City–St. Louis (1910–1958)
  • 12 Staunton–Hillsboro (1905–1935)

Decline

The financial turmoil caused by the Great Depression severely affected the Illinois Traction System’s profitability, prompting the abandonment of numerous city streetcar routes during the 1930s. In compliance with the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, it divested its interests in an associated electric utility company. The passenger railroad reorganized in 1937 as the Illinois Terminal Railroad (ITR), maintaining electric interurban passenger service between Peoria/Danville and St. Louis for nearly twenty more years, partly supported by contracts for U.S. mail transportation.

During the 1950s, increasing automobile ownership led to a decline in ITC’s passenger revenues despite investments in three electric multiple-unit streamlined trainsets ("Streamliners") manufactured by St. Louis Car Company. These trains featured parlor cars, observation lounges, and dining facilities and operated on well-maintained lines but were hampered by tight curves and frequent mechanical issues. Even on routes lacking direct competition—such as St. Louis to Peoria—ridership dwindled. As a result, ITC terminated interurban passenger operations on March 3, 1956, and ceased suburban car services by 1958.

Appreciating the strategic importance of ITR’s freight business and infrastructure, nine Class I railroads purchased the company in June 1956. They managed ITR as a diesel-powered short line concentrating on freight transport, removing trolley wires and abandoning much of the interurban street trackage. Over the following quarter-century, ITC facilitated freight interchange for its owners until Norfolk and Western Railway acquired all shares on September 1, 1981, officially merging ITC into N&W on May 8, 1982.

Contemporary operations in St. Louis, Missouri

In 1989, Norfolk Southern divested its last operational rail segments in St. Louis, Missouri—stretching from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch building at 900 North Tucker Boulevard to Branch Street Yard near the McKinley Bridge—to Ironhorse Resources, Inc., based in O'Fallon, Illinois. Ironhorse established a subsidiary named Railroad Switching Service of Missouri (RSM) to manage freight deliveries for the Post-Dispatch, transporting boxcars filled with newsprint spools directly to an underground freight dock located within the newspaper’s headquarters. These spools were vital for the production process of the newspaper. Historically, the Post-Dispatch maintained a profit-sharing partnership with rival St. Louis Globe-Democrat from the 1960s through the 1980s and eventually handled printing duties for that publication at its facility. The Globe-Democrat had been housed in the former Midwest Terminal Building (currently known as the Globe Building), which served as ITR’s headquarters since the 1950s.

RSM utilized an EMD SW-8 locomotive, previously owned by the U.S. Army, which was stored within a subway tunnel beneath Tucker Boulevard when not in use. The rail line extended northward from the Post-Dispatch, passing through a subway for four blocks, then proceeding along Hadley Street and crossing a 1.5-mile trestle over North St. Louis to Branch Street Yard, where it linked up with Norfolk Southern Railroad. This trackage was operated by RSM until June 21, 2004, when rail service to the Post-Dispatch ended. Following this cessation, Ironhorse Resources obtained authorization from the Surface Transportation Board to abandon the line on January 12, 2005. After removal of the tracks, the subway tunnel beneath Tucker Boulevard was filled.

Subsequently, Ironhorse sold both the right-of-way and trestle to Great Rivers Greenway, which intends to transform them into a pedestrian and bicycle pathway named "The Trestle," aimed at improving urban infrastructure and fostering community connectivity throughout St. Louis.

The Illinois Terminal Railroad today

The McKinley Bridge spanning the Mississippi River, constructed in 1910 to accommodate trolley cars of the Illinois Traction System traveling into St. Louis, remains operational today. Portions of the Illinois Terminal Railroad and its associated lines have been repurposed as rail-trails, including the Interurban Trail located south of Springfield.

Initially, generating stations operated by the Illinois Traction System supplied electricity to numerous towns along its routes. During the 1930s, the railroad and its electrical utility business were separated; this utility was spun off as Illinois Power and Light Company. Serving central and southern Illinois, Illinois Power continued operations until it was acquired by Ameren, completing full consolidation in 2004.

The Illinois Traction Building in Champaign, Illinois, also referred to as the Illinois Traction Station or Illinois Power Building, was erected in 1913 and designed by architect Joseph Royer. It functioned as headquarters for both the Illinois Traction System and later Illinois Terminal Railway, and housed Illinois Power and Light until 1985. This building was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2012, Norfolk Southern painted NS #1072, an EMD SD70ACe, in Illinois Terminal livery.

External links

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