Tunnels in Illinois

[Paducah jeep]

Thanks for the information. I guess I should have realized that with the Edgewood Cutoff nearby the IC wouldn't run a paralell line so close to it. I my wife is from Metropolis and we had part of our drive to her home run along side the tracks.  In all the time 1966 to the abandoned time I only saw one train on the line and that was a backup caused by a derailment.

[BLS53]

Paducah jeep

There is a partiially daylighted and abandoned tunnel at the appproiately named communiity of Tunnel Hill, IL  The rail line, (IC) I think,was abandoned in the 60's.   Now it is a hiking trail. 

Taking US 45 NE from Vienna, IL turn NW onto IL 12.

There is a gravel parking lot at the tunnel site, it's about 3/8 mile to the portal

 

 

Tunnel Hill is the old NYC (Big Four) Chicago-Cairo line. Bought by the Southern in the early 1980's just prior to the NW merger, for possible rebuild to run unit grain trains from the old Wabash lines in central Illinois, down to a proposed barge terminal just north of Cairo. The line lay dormant until after the merger, at which time NS ran a well polished train of executives down the line to examine it's condition. All went well, until the train encountered the swampy wetlands of the Cache River area south of Vienna. At which time the rails sank into the mud, and the executives were left at the mercy of local first responders. A media storm ensued, including the environmentalists at SIU-Carbondale. In a public relations move, NS punted.  By 1990, the line was abandoned, and converted to a biking/hiking trail in 1997.

IC ended up with the business to the barge terminal. Building a lengthy new spur off the mainline. The old NYC line would have been more accessible, but suffered years of neglect during the Penn Central and Conrail eras.

[Paducah jeep]

There is a partiially daylighted and abandoned tunnel at the appproiately named communiity of Tunnel Hill, IL  The rail line, (IC) I think,was abandoned in the 60's.   Now it is a hiking trail. 

Taking US 45 NE from Vienna, IL turn NW onto IL 12.

There is a gravel parking lot at the tunnel site, it's about 3/8 mile to the portal

 

[MP173]

That is no doubt one of the most interesting websites around.

The Rafetown Bridge in Jasper County Illinois used to scare the crap out of me as a kid.  Great to see it has been closed due to structural issues.  Only, it should have been done 40 years ago.

ed

[schlimm]

 Ditto.  This is quite a site for bridges, etc. all over the US.   Thanks, RWM!!

[samfp1943]

zardoz

Railway Man

   http://bridgehunter.com/category/railroad/illinois-central-railroad/

Copied to "heat up" RWM's link! 

What a cool site--thanks for sharing!

 

And it is a cool site...Thanks for sharing it!

[nanaimo73]

I've heard that there were 8 tunnels in Illinois, with CN still using the 4 former Illinois Central tunnels.

The 4 abandoned tunnels are-

CGW Winston, abandoned; CRI&P Split Rock, near LaSalle, bypassed and abandoned; Mobile and Ohio, near Cobden, daylighted; and on NYC's Egyptian line, abandoned by NS during the 1980s.

I've also heard Indiana had 18, but I've not yet gotten around to tracking them all down.

[Railway Man]

Look at the link above.

[Sawtooth500]

Where are the other 5 abandoned tunnels besides the CGW Winston Tunnel?

[zardoz]

Railway Man

http://bridgehunter.com/category/railroad/illinois-central-railroad/

What a cool site--thanks for sharing!

[Railway Man]

There are 3 tunnels on the Edgewood Cutoff.  There are four abandoned railroad tunnels in Illinois (that I can think of).

Not including all the streetcar and subway tunnels in Chicago, which were not part of the national rail network.

Here's some photos:

http://bridgehunter.com/category/railroad/illinois-central-railroad/

RWM

[Victrola1]

 It is greater than the number of mountain passes in Iowa.

 

[blhanel]

Railway Man

 Active tunnels include CN (IC) at East Dubuque and several on CN (IC) on the Edgewood Cutoff.

RWM

Really?  I thought East Dubuque was the only one...

[Railway Man]

 Active tunnels include CN (IC) at East Dubuque and several on CN (IC) on the Edgewood Cutoff.

RWM

[Sawtooth500]

I'm trying to figure out if there are any RR tunnels in IL. Unless I'm missing something, the only one I could find is the now abandoned Winston Tunnel of the Chicago Great Western near Galena IL. Perhaps I'm missing one somewhere in southern IL, or was that the only RR tunnel in IL?