What does C&IM stand for?

[sparkingbolt]

I bought a couple forest green Walthers 40' boxcars that are lettered suchly, and wanted to know. Thanks, Dan

[orsonroy]

Chicago and Illinois Midland. A great little road that runs between Illinois' capitol, Springfield, and Peoria. The C&IM has been around since the 1920s, and was a HUGE coal hauling road. It was owned by Commonwealth Edison to move coal from central Illinois coalfields (didn't know that Illinois has as much coal as PA, did ya?) to barge loading docks on the IL river. The coal was then barged to Chicago to be used in electric plants. The C&IM was one of the last American railroads to dieselize, had the last production 4-4-0s in the USA, and at one time had an almost all-USRA steam fleet (0-8-0, 2-8-2 and 2-10-2). I think they're part of the G&W family of shortlines now.

I'm modeling an interchange with the C&IM in Peoria, circa 1950. Lots of coal gondolas, yellow cabooses and boxcars (they switched to green in 1956), and big steam. Doesn't get any better!

[Anonymous]

Never would I have guessed that one and being from Chgo.

[sparkingbolt]

Given the details, sounds like a great RR to model. I like 4-4-0s, even went to the trouble to build a "modern" one using MDC running gear and a shortened tyco boiler. (whole other subject) But I'm already established in SP, mid '60s, with the option to backdate. The 4-4-0 has to wait this out. Thanks, Dan.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by locomotive3

Never would I have guessed that one and being from Chgo.

Actually, the railroad never reached Chicago. It was planned, henceforth the name, but they never got there. Later on, it was renamed simply Illinois Midland, before G&W picked them up.

---jps

[dknelson]

The C&IM had some exceptionally interesting equipment. The coal gons were huge things, and some of them could be seen here in Milwaukee in the 1970s-80s in scrap metal service. some may still be around -- you could see the big letters on the sides under the black paint. They had unique EMD road switchers, huge 2-10-2s (from the Wabash I think) and other interesting power. If you get to East Peoria Illinois there is a stuffed and mounted C&IM caboose on display.
Dave Nelson

[orsonroy]

Dave,

One of the big coal gons is still sitting around in Springfield. The only C&IM steamer left is a USRA-clone 2-8-2 in the RR museum in St Louis. IRM has one of their homebuilt cabooses and a 40' steel box, and Monticello has some of their work equipment, including their Brownhoist crane.

Only some of their 2-10-2s were secondhand from the Wabash. The first six were built new from Lima and Baldwin, and were basically USRA clones.

[dknelson]

Thanks for the info Ray. There may yet be an old C&IM gon here in Milwaukee too -- I have not scoped out Miller Compressing scrap yard in a while -- not since they got rid of the FM switchers!
For anyone with a deep interest in this railroad I recommend searching out an old book by Richard Wallin, Paul Stringham and John Szwajkart, published by Golden West Books in 1979. The cover is a great painting by Howard Fogg of # 701, one of the 2-10-2s that Ray refers to: bought new from Lima
It now sells for collectors prices. I am revealing my age here: bought mine new for $9.98. It has a complete loco roster, info on predecessor roads, a freight car pictorial, including the green box cars that started this discussion -- all b&w photos but quality stuff. Golden West Books brought out some first rate books back then
Dave Nelson

[JDCoop]

QUOTE: A great little road that runs between Illinois' capitol, Springfield, and Peoria

It actually drops a little farther south to Taylorville (although Taylorville rarely, if at all, sees any action anymore). At Taylorville, the C&IM had interchanges with Wabash and B&O.

At one time, the C&IM had a huge shop complex located near the Wabash (now the NS). Much of it is gone, but some of the shop buildings and part of the roundhouse still exist. It houses a metal fabricator (at least that's what was there the last time I was past it). If I remember its history correctly, it was possibly the main C&IM shop until the railroad realized that it was at the wrong end of their line.

The "imported" western coal traffic to the power station between Pawnee and Kincaid is probably 99% of the train movement on the line south of Springfield.

MR had an article, I belive back in the mid to late 1980s that featured the C&IM as a 'Railroad You Can Model" if anyone is interested. That area is my old stomping grounds, hence my interest on the segment south of the capitol city.

Jeff

[jrbarney]

Jeff,
Did a quick search at the Index of Magazines:
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=C%26IM&sort=D&output=3&view=0Think the layout article you mentioned is probably the one by Jim Hediger in the October 1986 issue of Model Railroader, starting on page 100.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543