Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad

Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad
Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad trackage (CN's Iowa Zone)
A Chicago Central train passes westbound through northern Illinois in 1993.
Overview
HeadquartersWaterloo, Iowa
Reporting markCC
LocaleMidwestern United States
Dates of operation1985–1999
PredecessorIllinois Central Railroad
SuccessorCanadian National Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Other
Websitecn.ca

The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad (reporting mark CC) is part of the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), which is owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN) through the Grand Trunk Corporation. Operationally, the Chicago Central & Pacific is designated as the Iowa Zone of CN's Southern Region.[1][2]

History

The Iowa Division of the original Illinois Central Railroad began its service to Warren, Illinois in January 1854. By September 1854 the tracks ran to Scales Mound, Illinois and on October 31, 1854, the Illinois Central made it to Galena, Illinois.[3] On June 12, 1855 the tracks were expanded to East Dubuque, Illinois.[3] By December 1868 a drawbridge was built over the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Iowa.[4] The Dubuque Rail Bridge was rebuilt in the 1890s.

With entrepreneur Jack Haley as president and CEO, the Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad was formed by a spin-off from the by-then-named Illinois Central Gulf.[5] Distinct operations began on December 24, 1985.[6]

The IC repurchased the railroad in 1996 and operated it as a subsidiary until the IC itself was purchased by CN three years later. The operation continues as a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Corporation.

Structure

The railroad was organized into eight subdivisions and other spurs. The subdivisions listed from east to west include the following:[1]

  • Freeport Subdivision
  • Dubuque Subdivision
  • Cedar Rapids Subdivision
  • Osage Subdivision
  • Waterloo Subdivision
  • Omaha Subdivision
  • Cherokee Subdivision
  • Ida Grove Subdivision

References

  1. ^ a b Canadian National (2009-01-11). Canadian National North Division Timetable No 2 (Report).
  2. ^ "Regions". Canadian National. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b Ackerman, William (1900). History of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and Representative Employes [sic]. Chicago: Railroad Historical Company.
  4. ^ Ringwalt, J.L. (1888). "Development of Early Transportation Systems in the United States". Retrieved 2012-12-23.
  5. ^ Buhrman, Kathy Haley (2020). Hear the Whistle: The Story of Jack Haley, American Entrepreneur and Railroad Pioneer. Steinauer Publishing. ISBN 9781735871714.
  6. ^ Agreement between Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad Company and its employees represented by the United Transportation Union, effective December 24, 1985. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad Company. 2021. p. 58. OCLC 809708515.
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