Illinois Central West Line

Illinois Central West Line
Overview
Status	Defunct
Owner	Illinois Central Railroad
Locale	Chicago metropolitan area
Termini	Randolph Street Station Addison
Service
Type	Commuter Rail
Train number(s)	140, 141, 145, 146, 147, 148
History
Opened	May 1, 1892
Closed	1931
Technical
Line length	24.12 miles (38.82 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend 0.00 Randolph Street 0.64 mi 1.03 km Van Buren Street 1.26 mi 2.03 km Roosevelt Road Central Station ME to S. Chi, Blue Island, and Univ Pk South Shore Line to South Bend Airport Amtrak to Carbondale and New Orleans Wabash Avenue and 16th Street Green Orange RI St. Charles Air Line Red Orange to the Loop Amtrak/Metra to Union Station Illini/Saluki & City of New Orleans to Union Station via switchback SWS to Manhattan 3.34 mi 5.38 km Halsted Street Bubbly Creek Orange to Midway HC to Joliet Amtrak to St. Louis & San Antonio Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal 7.19 mi 11.57 km Lawndale Avenue 7.61 mi 12.25 km Crawford Avenue 8.58 mi 13.81 km Hyman Avenue 9.05 mi 14.56 km Hawthorne 10.17 mi 16.37 km Odgen Avenue BNSF 11.19 mi 18.01 km Berwyn 11.95 mi 19.23 km Parkway 12.75 mi 20.52 km North Riverside Des Plaines River 13.17 mi 21.2 km Tuxedo Park 13.22 mi 21.28 km Speedway 13.9 mi 22.4 km Hines 14.48 mi 23.3 km Broadview Addison Creek Chicago "L" Westchester Branch CA&E to Bellwood or Mt. Carmel 16.15 mi 25.99 km Oakridge 17.50 mi 28.16 km Hillside 19.35 mi 31.14 km Elmhurst CA&E to Wells Street Chicago Great Western to Chicago CA&E to Wheaton Chicago Great Western to DeKalb 20.24 mi 32.57 km St. Charles Road UP-W to Ogilvie Salt Creek UP-W to Elburn 21.28 mi 34.25 km Suburb Hill 22.29 mi 35.87 km South Addison 24.12 mi 38.82 km Addison Illinois Central intercity trains to Freeport, Waterloo and Sioux City This diagram: view talk edit

The Illinois Central West Line was a commuter line operated by the Illinois Central Railroad between the Randolph Street Station in Chicago and Addison, Illinois. The service began in 1892 and ended in 1931.

History[edit]

Iowan
Legend
IC suburban and South Shore Line 0 Chicago IC intercity, suburban, and South Shore Line 7.6 mi 12.2 km Hawthorne 9.6 mi 15.4 km Berwyn 12.5 mi 20.1 km Hines 16.0 mi 25.7 km Hillside 17.9 mi 28.8 km Elmhurst IC West Suburban 28.1 mi 45.2 km Cloverdale 37.6 mi 60.5 km Coleman 45.4 mi 73.1 km Plato Center 51.7 mi 83.2 km Burlington 60.0 mi 96.6 km Genoa 72.3 mi 116.4 km Irene 77.7 mi 125 km Perryville 85.2 mi 137.1 km Rockford 98.9 mi 159.2 km Seward 113.0 mi 181.9 km Freeport 125.5 mi 202 km Lena 137.1 mi 220.6 km Warren 143.0 mi 230.1 km Apple River 151.2 mi 243.3 km Scales Mound 164.0 mi 263.9 km Galena 180.2 mi 290 km East Dubuque IL IA Mississippi River 181.8 mi 292.6 km Dubuque 204.6 mi 329.3 km Farley 211.0 mi 339.6 km Dyersville 228.6 mi 367.9 km Manchester 251.1 mi 404.1 km Independence 259.8 mi 418.1 km Jesup 274.9 mi 442.4 km Waterloo 282.0 mi 453.8 km Cedar Falls 292.1 mi 470.1 km New Hartford 300.7 mi 483.9 km Parkersburg 305.6 mi 491.8 km Aplington 309.5 mi 498.1 km Austinville 314.9 mi 506.8 km Ackley 325.7 mi 524.2 km Iowa Falls 332.1 mi 534.5 km Alden 340.7 mi 548.3 km Williams 345.7 mi 556.4 km Blairsburg 354.9 mi 571.2 km Webster City 363.7 mi 585.3 km Duncombe 374.6 mi 602.9 km Ft. Dodge 384.3 mi 618.5 km Barnum 393.1 mi 632.6 km Manson 400.9 mi 645.2 km Pomeroy 409.4 mi 658.9 km Fonda 417.6 mi 672.1 km Newell 428 mi 689 km Storm Lake 433.7 mi 698 km Alta 441.1 mi 709.9 km Aurelia 450.4 mi 724.8 km Cherokee to Sioux Falls 456.9 mi 735.3 km Meriden 461.1 mi 742.1 km Cleghorn 465.6 mi 749.3 km Marcus 474.1 mi 763 km Remsen 484.4 mi 779.6 km Le Mars 498.1 mi 801.6 km Hinton 505.2 mi 813 km Leeds 509.6 mi 820.1 km Sioux City
This diagram: view talk edit

Sinnissippi
Legend
IC suburban and South Shore Line 0 Chicago IC intercity, suburban, and South Shore Line 7.6 mi 12.2 km Hawthorne 9.6 mi 15.4 km Berwyn 12.5 mi 20.1 km Hines 16.0 mi 25.7 km Hillside 17.9 mi 28.8 km Elmhurst IC West Suburban 28.1 mi 45.2 km Cloverdale 45.4 mi 73.1 km Plato Center 51.7 mi 83.2 km Burlington 60.0 mi 96.6 km Genoa 72.3 mi 116.4 km Irene 77.7 mi 125 km Perryville 85.2 mi 137.1 km Rockford 98.9 mi 159.2 km Seward 113.0 mi 181.9 km Freeport Land O'Corn, Iowan, and Hawkeye to Waterloo, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls
This diagram: view talk edit

The Illinois Central Railroad opened a westerly line from Chicago to Freeport, Illinois in 1891. A suburban passenger service over a portion of this line between Chicago and Addison was inaugurated on May 1, 1892. Stations were initially located at Wabash Avenue and 16th Street, Crawford Avenue, Hyman (Cicero) Avenue, Robinson (Laramie) Avenue, Ogden Avenue, Parkview Avenue, Brook View, Hill Side, and South Addison. Service consisted of three trains in each direction Monday to Saturday and two trains in each direction on Sundays.^[1] A collision between an Addison suburban train and another locomotive occurred on February 25, 1893.^[2]

On April 15, 1931, the Illinois Central Railroad asked the Illinois Commerce Commission to allow discontinuance of passenger trains over the line.^[3] Discontinuance was granted and the commuter service ended.

Route[edit]

The West Line's eastern terminus was the Randolph Street Station on the east side of the Chicago Loop. From Randolph, trains traveled south over the suburban tracks of the Illinois Central's main line (still used by Metra Electric District trains). South of Roosevelt Road and Central Station, the West Line diverged from the main line between 14th and 16th Streets over a section of trackage that no longer exists that connected with what is now the Canadian National's Freeport Subdivision. From there, the trains headed west to the vicinity of the South branch of the Chicago River, where the line angled to the southwest and roughly paralleled the river. Near 35th Street, the line crossed the river and continued west. From Central Avenue, it angled northwest through suburban Cicero, Berwyn, North Riverside, Hines, Broadview, Hillside, Elmhurst, and Villa Park, before reaching Addison. At the crossing of North Avenue in Addison, the line left the Freeport Subdivision, heading north along a branch on the west side of Addison Road before terminating in the vicinity of Lake Street.

Stations[edit]

References[edit]