New Amtrak route through Central IL?

[littleb]

I have seen Amtrak trains on a railroad line yesterday and today. I have never seen these trains on this line, ever. This is just a freight train route. This route runs north and south in this area. I do not know much about the route except that it comes down to Sidney from the north. It crosses the Homer/Sidney line then it goes on south of Sidney.

 

[chertling]

It looks like you managed to catch the detoured Texas Eagle... due to track work between Springfield and St. Louis, you can expect to see Amtrak's Texas Eagle passing through Sidney periodically over the next few months. The exact dates are: September 1 – 8, 2010; September 16 – 24, 2010; October 1 – 9, 2010; October 16 – 23, 2010; and November 1 – 9, 2010.

 

[Guest]

It looks like you managed to catch the detoured Texas Eagle... due to track work between Springfield and St. Louis, you can expect to see Amtrak's Texas Eagle passing through Sidney periodically over the next few months. The exact dates are: September 1 – 8, 2010; September 16 – 24, 2010; October 1 – 9, 2010; October 16 – 23, 2010; and November 1 – 9, 2010.

Looks like the rerouting is making the SB Eagle run about 1 1/2 hours late into St. Louis but the time is being made up in Texas so it arrives into DAL pretty close to on time. The NB seems to be runn ing a little slower, gets into CHI a couple of hours late so far!Would be nice to get the new mileage, Ive ridden this train perhaps 100 times and it's always the same old route from Texas to CHI!

 

[AlanB]

Amtrak has also dropped the 321/322 car on detour days to avoid the switching moves in St. Louis and help make up time that way.

 

[DAWall]

Anyone know the exact detour the TE is using?

 

[George Harris]

If I remember right, the Chicago St. louis distance via the former C&EI route is 290 miles. A few points along the way:

0.0 Chicago

16.7 Dolton Jct

18.0 Yard Center

20.1 Thornton Jct

49.9 Momence

77.5 Watseka

82.4 Woodland Jct (EDT)

132.9 Sidney

144.6 Villa Grove

153.8 Tuscola

176.1 Sullivan

183.1 Findlay

205.7 Pana

231.4 Hillsboro

273.7 Vierling Jct (BDT)

275.6 Lenox

290 +/- St. Louis

The ex C&EI and the ex GM&O (the current Amtrak route through Springfield) come together at Lenox. Woodland Junction is where the line to Evansville and the line to St. Louis come together. North of that point, the railroad is double track all the way to Chicago.

 

[littleb]

If I remember right, the Chicago St. louis distance via the former C&EI route is 290 miles. A few points along the way:

0.0 Chicago

16.7 Dolton Jct

18.0 Yard Center

20.1 Thornton Jct

49.9 Momence

77.5 Watseka

82.4 Woodland Jct (EDT)

132.9 Sidney

144.6 Villa Grove

153.8 Tuscola

176.1 Sullivan

183.1 Findlay

205.7 Pana

231.4 Hillsboro

273.7 Vierling Jct (BDT)

275.6 Lenox

290 +/- St. Louis

The ex C&EI and the ex GM&O (the current Amtrak route through Springfield) come together at Lenox. Woodland Junction is where the line to Evansville and the line to St. Louis come together. North of that point, the railroad is double track all the way to Chicago.

Thank you!

How interesting. Wouldn't the folks in Sidney be glad to know that info! Better pass it on.

 

[railiner]

If the track work is between Springfield and St. Louis, why would they reroute the train way over that way?

 

[George Harris]

If the track work is between Springfield and St. Louis, why would they reroute the train way over that way?

Best alternate route. Note that it is less than 10 miles longer than the normal route through Springfield. There is no practical alternative between St. Louis and Springfield at all. There were two in the past, the GM&O route used by Amtrak, and the ICRR route which was somewhat longer and was abandoned after the ICRR + GM&O merger.

There was in the distant past three routes with Chicago to St. Louis passenger service. The CM&O, the ICRR, and the C&EI. Since the C&EI was slightly longer than the other two and did not have much in the way of significantly sized intermediate points, it dropped out early, I think in the early 1950's. The GM&O was always the fastest and carried the most people, but the ICRR was in the game until at least the mid 1960's, although with only a single train from somewhere around 1960 on.

 

[jphjaxfl]

If the track work is between Springfield and St. Louis, why would they reroute the train way over that way?

There probably aren't any other tracks that up to passenger train standard. The IC used to have a route from Springfield to St. Louis, but I think parts or all of that was abandoned in the ICG era when the Illinois Central acquired the GM&O which included the former Alton Route that Amtrak currently uses. The old Illinois Terminal Electric interurban line use to parallel the current Amtrak route much of the way between Springfield and St.Louis. Even in the Amtrak era you could see remains of the IT line but that line has be abandoned for many years.

 

[George Harris]

If the track work is between Springfield and St. Louis, why would they reroute the train way over that way?

There probably aren't any other tracks that up to passenger train standard. The IC used to have a route from Springfield to St. Louis, but I think parts or all of that was abandoned in the ICG era when the Illinois Central acquired the GM&O which included the former Alton Route that Amtrak currently uses. The old Illinois Terminal Electric interurban line use to parallel the current Amtrak route much of the way between Springfield and St.Louis. Even in the Amtrak era you could see remains of the IT line but that line has be abandoned for many years.

Based on knowledge current in about 1980:

The Illinois Central route south of Springfield had already been abandoned in part. It was still in place as far as Farmersville, about 25 miles south of Springfield. No through trains possible this way. The Illinois Terminal was getting between Springield and St. Louis by trackage rights on the GM&O line. No trains possible this way. There was at that time a C&NW line that passed about 5 to 8 miles west of Springfield. It does not appear in the recent Union Pacific employee timetables, so it must also be gong. It was not high speed, anyway.

 

[PaulM]

There was in the distant past three routes with Chicago to St. Louis passenger service. The CM&O, the ICRR, and the C&EI. Since the C&EI was slightly longer than the other two and did not have much in the way of significantly sized intermediate points, it dropped out early, I think in the early 1950's. The GM&O was always the fastest and carried the most people, but the ICRR was in the game until at least the mid 1960's, although with only a single train from somewhere around 1960 on.

Also the Wabash; but I don't know the route or if it's still around.

 

[JayPea]

There was in the distant past three routes with Chicago to St. Louis passenger service. The CM&O, the ICRR, and the C&EI. Since the C&EI was slightly longer than the other two and did not have much in the way of significantly sized intermediate points, it dropped out early, I think in the early 1950's. The GM&O was always the fastest and carried the most people, but the ICRR was in the game until at least the mid 1960's, although with only a single train from somewhere around 1960 on.

Also the Wabash; but I don't know the route or if it's still around.

I believe the Wabash route, the route of the old Bluebird is still around. I can't say for 100% certain the track on its entire Chicago-St. Louis run is still around, but I believe that to be the case. It ran on today's Norfolk and Western route, and from its origins in Chicago, ran through Forrest downstate to Decatur and then through Taylorville, Litchfield, and Granite City to St. Louis. Again, so far as I know, the track is still there. I know it is north of Decatur; my aunt and uncle live a couple miles from this line and when I visit there the sound of the train's horn wakes me up daily around 6:30 AM when a freight passes through. Better than any alarm clock!!

 

[MikefromCrete]

There was in the distant past three routes with Chicago to St. Louis passenger service. The CM&O, the ICRR, and the C&EI. Since the C&EI was slightly longer than the other two and did not have much in the way of significantly sized intermediate points, it dropped out early, I think in the early 1950's. The GM&O was always the fastest and carried the most people, but the ICRR was in the game until at least the mid 1960's, although with only a single train from somewhere around 1960 on.

Also the Wabash; but I don't know the route or if it's still around.

I believe the Wabash route, the route of the old Bluebird is still around. I can't say for 100% certain the track on its entire Chicago-St. Louis run is still around, but I believe that to be the case. It ran on today's Norfolk and Western route, and from its origins in Chicago, ran through Forrest downstate to Decatur and then through Taylorville, Litchfield, and Granite City to St. Louis. Again, so far as I know, the track is still there. I know it is north of Decatur; my aunt and uncle live a couple miles from this line and when I visit there the sound of the train's horn wakes me up daily around 6:30 AM when a freight passes through. Better than any alarm clock!!

Former Wabash CHI-STL line ends in a cornfield in Manhattan, IL., at the site of a recently built Metra storage yard.

 

[railiner]

I don't know exactly where the track work is but there are some other possibilities if you look at the Illinois railroad map. If the work is btween Springfield and Godfrey, there is a KCS line that goes via Roodhouse. There are other alternates as well, depending on where the work is.

If the entire line is affected, where none of the alternates south of Springfield are viable, I would have routed the trains on the IC (CN) Mainline from Chicago to Tolono thence the NS via Decatur, or if better, the IC to Tuscola and then onto the C&EI (UP) as is being done.