Resources for Railfans and Historians

Touring the C&EI

Once you have visited the museum in Watseka it is time to take a tour of the railroad as it remains today.

Most of the former C&EI is still intact with only some minor branch lines abandoned. This is a credit to the importance of the original railroad in that it became a feeder to the Chicago area in the late 1800s and remains so today under control of CSX Transportation and the Union Pacific south of Woodland Junction, just south of Watseka, and joint control from Woodland Junction to Dolton Junction on the south side of Chicago. The Union Pacific dispatches the railroad from Woodland Junction to Dolton. The history of the railroad is elsewhere on this web site.

Southeast to Evansville

Heading south along the UP from Watseka is a good railfan place, Woodland Junction, some 6 miles to the south. Here the Union Pacific St. Louis/Southern Illinois lines split off to the southwest while the CSXT line to Danville and Evansville splits to the southeast. Further south on the CSX line you will find the former Milford depot, now city hall and meeting center. In Rossville the former depot houses the Danville Junction Chapter, NRHS museum and train layout with much of the display featuring the C&EI. The museum is open weekends, noon to 4:00 PM, Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.

In Danville the remains of the beautiful Danville station still stand, though the beauty is gone. Danville Junction and North Yard still exist, and this is the crossing of Norfolk Southern former Wabash mainline, a great train watching location. There are still some buildings of the former C&EI Danville Junction shops standing along with businesses that made up Danville Junction. The former Oaklawn Shops are still located on the east side of Danville and can be viewed from the Oregon Street overpass. This is now the home of a freight car rebuilding company and Mervis Corporation. On the east side of Danville is Brewer Yard and trains arriving and departing can be viewed from Vine Street at the south end of the yard.

Heading south the former Clinton, Indiana depot is now a mining and railroad museum. This beautiful station lies on the curve near the Wabash River bridge. In Terre Haute the former C&EI Haley Tower still stands next to the track; however, it has been removed from service and moved to the new site of Wabash Valley Railroad Museum.  In Princeton, Indiana the depot, built by the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad, has been restored as a visitor center and sits adjacent to the CSXT/Norfolk Southern mainlines. In the Evansville area little remains of the railroad and the former Wansford Yard is used to service the industry in the area. The bypass line now takes trains to the west and south and connects with the former L&N line near downtown with trains terminating at the former L&N Howell yard.

Southwest to St. Louis and Southern Illinois

Southwest from Woodland Junction on the line that was built in 1903-04, the first major town is Villa Grove. This is a UP division point. In 2023 the roundhouse and other buildings were removed to make room for a solar installation. From here the lines heads southwest through Sullivan and then to Findley. Taking the southwest leg out of Findley Junction one can find the former IC tower at Pana that controlled the interlocking of four railroads, the C&EI, NYC, B&O and the IC. Today only the Union Pacific remains.

Taking the south leg from Findley Junction to Southern Illinois one needs to stop at Shelbyville to view the major trestle that crosses the river valley. At Altamont the line joins CSX, the former Conrail St. Louis line, and heads west before turning south at St. Elmo and heading to Salem. Salem yard is still active as a crew change point, and the station sits adjacent to the main track, formerly an antique shop, it is now empty. South of Salem, the first major town is Mt. Vernon. Here the former Southern, now Norfolk Southern, and Louisville & Nashville, now CSX, lines cross the UP. The former Precision National locomotive rebuilding shops are located at the junction.

At Benton the UP heads southwest through Murphysboro to join up with the mainline at Gorham near the Mississippi River. South of Benton the UP continues south on former C&EI trackage to West Frankfort, Marion and ending near the Ohio River at Joppa. The depots at West Frankfort, Johnson City and Marion are still standing. The former branch to the Thebes Mississippi River bridge is gone, but the embankment can still be seen in traces along with bridge structures and the depot at Tamms is now used as a city building.

North to Dolton

Heading north from Watseka the former C&EI line is now a high-speed double track with reverse signaling and universal crossovers every 10 to 15 miles.  The first photo location is Momence with the bridges over the Kankakee River. You enter the park just off Route 1, between the two bodies of water. The former Conrail line and the abandoned Milwaukee line cross at the north edge of town while the remains of the “Coal Road” from Indiana connect to the UP at the southeast part of the city.

Continue north on Route 1 and stop at Beecher. Here the former depot has been moved back to town and restored by the local historical society. Stay on route 1 where Route 394 splits off and stops at the former Olympia Fields Racetrack. The passenger platform where the C&EI trains used to unload remains on the west side of the highway.  At Chicago Heights you will find the EJ&E tower guarding the crossing. Many UP trains are staged south of this point when traffic volume does not allow them to proceed to Dolton Yard.

Thorton Junction is the crossing of the Canadian National, former GTW, and near the south end of Dolton Yard. There is a connection from the joint track to the former GTW that CSX uses to get to their intermodal facility near the BRC. Dolton Yard is crossed over by Sibley Avenue and the yard may be viewed from the bridge. The office and diesel house are just north of Sibley Road. The north end of the yard is used as an intermodal yard.  At the north end of the yard is Dolton Junction, the end of the former Chicago and Western Indiana, and the crossing of the IHB and B&O CT (CSX), a very busy location.