I have a railroad map that shows the railroads that ran through Pontiac, Illinois.
The old SP line, obviously, is still there and in operation. The east-to-west IC line has been abandoned.
There is also an abandoned line that ran from the northwest to the southeast – from Streator through Pontiac to Fairbury on the TPW.
The map lists it as Norfolk & Western. How could this be? Did NW have trackage rights on the TPW?
PZ
It was the Wabash’s branch up to Streator. I guess they used the TP&W to get from Fairbury to the former main line at Forest.
Jay Gould caused that. (Think Chicago & Strawn + Toledo, Peoria & Wabash…)
For what it’s worth, here are shots taken in Streator including a Wabash steam locomotive:
http://streatorland.com/railroads.html
This website: http://www.frontiernet.net/~kevinperkins/railroad.htm
Has a bit of history:
The Chicago & Paducah Railroad
The Chicago and Paducah Railroad entered Effingham County from the North and went to Shumway, Illinois. From there it split into two branches one going on to Altamont, Illinois and the other going to Effingham, Illinois.
The Altamont branch ran regular service from Streator to Altamont on June 29th, 1874. In February 1876 regular service was begun to Effingham. The Chicago & Paducah was bought by the Wabash Railroad on April 5th, 1880. The line was abandoned in 1936 from Effingham to Bement. The Altamont to Shumway branch had been abandoned earlier. The road had nineteen and three fourths miles in Effingham County.
While this interesting website on Illinois railroads has a discussion of another line to Streator
http://genealogytrails.com/ill/cook/railroads.html
CHICAGO, PEKIN & SOUTHWESTERN RAILROAD, a division of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, chartered as the Chicago & Plainfield Railroad, in 1859; opened from Pekin to Streator in 1878, and to Mazon Bridge in 1876; sold under foreclosure in 1879, and now constitutes a part of the Chicago & Alton system.
Dave Nelson