The longest railroad in the world in 1856, Illinois Central rails crossed Illinois, and eventually connected Chicago to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. Locomotives and trains featured in the calendar range from a Mountain (4-8-2) built by Lima in 1924, an Alco 0-6-0 switcher from 1916, EMD GP-9s from 1954, named trains like the City of Miami, and more. Celebrate the “Mainline of Mid-America.”
This 2024 monthly wall calendar features: Large blocks for notes | Superb printing quality | Heavy 100-pound paper | Deluxe 11- by 14-inch size
Locomotives featured in this edition include:
• Illinois Central EMD Class GP-18 9415 and EMD Class GP-28 9432 lead a local freight at Louisville, KY, on January 7, 1966.
• Illinois Central 9030 and 9008 (two GP9’s built by EMD in 1954) are running light at Clinton, IL, on February 3, 1955. Between 1954 and 1958, Illinois Central purchased 328 GP-9s.
• Here comes Illinois Central 4000 on the northbound City of Miami approaching Champaign, IL, on March 2, 1947. The City of Miami offered every-third-day reserved coach service.
• Illinois Central 2736, a 2-10-2 Santa Fe with an auxiliary water car, is being prepared for service at the Paducah, KY, engine terminal on April 27, 1957. This locomotive and others like it were built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1921, and most remained in service until late 1958.
• Illinois Central engine 9512, an Electro-Motive GP-38AC four-axle, diesel-electric built in 1970, and two other units just like it, plus a Gulf, Mobile and Ohio unit on the rear of the power consist lead a freight through Alma, IN, on May 2, 1973.
• Illinois Central 2438, a Mountain Type (4-8-2) built by the Lima Locomotive Works in December 1924, is in passenger train service at Chicago, IL, on June 2, 1953.
• Illinois Central 9200 and 9203, both steam boiler equipped EMD GP-9s, are on Train #11, the Hawkeye at Chicago, IL, in July 1966. The Hawkeye was a daily train operated between Chicago and Sioux City, IA, a distance of 509 miles. The Hawkeye operated under that name from 1919 until the last train ran the day prior to the start of Amtrak.
• Illinois Central (EMD E-9A) 4034 and Central of Georgia 812 (EMD E8A painted in I.C. colors) are leading Train #10, the northbound Seminole at Kankakee, IL, on July 26, 1967. The Seminole went into service in 1925. It was a passenger train, providing daily service between Chicago and Naples, FL.
• Locomotive 2604, a Mountain (4-8-2), is on a southbound coal empty; it has pulled off the main line at DuQuoin, IL, to allow a freight to do some switching in September 1958. The Illinois Central acquired E units early on, but they continued to use steam instead of the early diesel cab units like the EMD FT’s, F3’s, F7’s and Alco FA’s through 1958.
• Illinois Central 290, one of two 0-6-0 switchers built by the American Locomotive Company in 1916, was assigned switching duties at New Orleans, LA, on October 3, 1943. Legendary Denver photographer Richard Kindig was on leave from the Army during World War II and found 290 at the I.C. engine terminal.
• Here is the Green Diamond northbound at the Kankakee, IL, depot on November 13, 1941. Built by Pullman-Standard, it was delivered with a power car and five passenger cars, all streamlined. Officially delivered to the Illinois Central on March 27, 1936, IC ran several publicity trains, and the train was put on display. Finally, on May 17, 1936, it was put into regular service.
• Illinois Central 3507, an 0-8-0 built and delivered by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921, is putting on a quite a show as it pulls away from the water tank at Paducah, KY, on April 28, 1957. There were originally 70 of these switchers and they all had long careers. These locomotives were retired a few at a time as diesel switchers took over, and by 1960 all of them were retired.
Published by Tide-mark Press © 2023
