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Central Illinois Railroad

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Central Illinois Railroad

The Central Illinois Railroad (reporting mark CIRY) is a shortline railroad in Illinois. The switching and terminal railroad operates trackage near Peoria, Illinois. The Central Illinois Railroad was established in 2000, operating on track leased from the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

The railroad previously operated around eighteen miles of track owned by the BNSF near Chicago, Illinois, but on 30 July 2010 announced that due to financial losses on those lines, BNSF would resume handling operations on those lines on 9 August.

The CIRY is owned by the Railroad Services Group, which also provides contract switching services and track maintenance. It is also owned in majority by the La salle Rockford & Central Railway (LSRC).

Equipment

Railroad Services operates eight switching locomotives, some of which are operated by the CIRY and some of which provide contract switching.

  • 1005 DRSX/CIRY 1005 is an EMD NW2. 1005 is currently stationed at the Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Michigan.
  • 1202 CIRY 1202, formerly DRSX 1202 and IC 1427, is an EMD SW14, an Illinois Central Gulf rebuild of an EMD SW9. 1202 was based at Centex Industrial Park in Elk Grove Village, Illinois until May 2007. After Central Illinois Railroad lost its contract with Union Pacific to the park to Chicago Terminal Railroad, the 1202 was shipped down to Peoria, Illinois where it worked the south end of the Kellar Branchline.
  • 1203 DRSX/CIRY 1203 is a former Grand Trunk Western SW1200. It has reportedly been repainted into a scheme similar to that of CIRY's 1202 and 1207. It is employed at Mittal Steel in Hennepin, Illinois, which is closed and engine is stored out of service.
  • 1204 DRSX/CIRY 1204 is an ex-Southern Pacific SW1200E rebuild. 1204 was stored out of service at Barilla Pasta in Ames, Iowa. It was purchased in 2010 by Key Cooperative and is currently being operated at its facility in Newton, Iowa
  • 1206 CIRY 1206 (formerly DRSX 1206 and BRC 520) is an ex-Belt Railway of Chicago EMD SW9. 1206 is currently employed on Central Illinois Railroad's Lumber District Branchline. The engine's crew recently repainted it in a CB&Q themed paint scheme, celebrating the line's heritage. 1206 is arguably the railroad's most famous engine, recently being featured in Trains Magazine soon after receiving its new paint job. 1206 was stored out of service after the railroad shut down on August 9, 2010. It was moved to Fostoria, Ohio in July 2012, and now works at Sunny Farms Landfill.
  • 1207 CIRY 1207 (Formerly DRSX 1207 and BRC 521) is an EMD SW9. 1207 is currently based on the Kellar Branchline in Peoria Illinois.
  • 1208 DRSX 1208 (Formerly BRC 522) is an ex-Belt Railway of Chicago EMD SW9. 1208 is retired on the Lumber District. 1208 has suffered from heavy vandalism and mechanical abuse and neglect.
  • 1209 DRSX 1209 (Formerly BRC 523) is based on the Illinois Northern branch. 1209 is a former Belt Railway of Chicago EMD SW9.

    • References

    Central Illinois Railroad Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA