Pieces of the Rock

[nanaimo73]

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was born during the 1850s. From Chicago it reached west to Denver and New Mexico. With expansion it also reached Minneapolis, Memphis and Galveston, an 8,000 mile system operating in 14 States.
The Rock Island Technical Society hosts a history of the Rock Island here.

The Union Pacific Railroad won approval to acquire the CRI&P on November 8, 1974. The Rock Island had deteriorated during the preceding 10 year merger case, which resulted in Union Pacific cancelling the merger. This led the Board of Directors to file
for bankruptcy on March 17, 1975. Operations came to an end on March 31, 1980,
and the Trustee began selling The Rock in pieces.

The following list is a summary of Rock Island routes that remain in service, or have seen service since March 1980. I believe the railroad shut down owning 6,296 route miles, and also had 798 miles of trackage rights, resulting in a total mileage of 7,094. This summary shows 3,800 miles still in operation, or 61% of the final total. There has been a further 1,104 miles of track that have seen operation since March 1980,
but are silent now. This leaves 1,393 route miles that were not used after the CRI&P shutdown, including 170 miles across Missouri were the rails are still in place and a slim chance remains of reactivation. In addition to Rock Island rail lines still in operation, there are also 848 miles of other railroads still active where the CRI&P ran using trackage rights.

This three part summary begins with a list of the railroads that are currently running parts of the former Rock Island system. In the second part, I have broken the CRI&P into 8 geographic areas, and described their dispositions since 1980. The final part gives a list of Rock Island's locomotive fleet, and the present owners of the surviving units. If you have any corrections or suggestions to improve this summary, I would be glad to hear from you.  

Railroads operating CRI&P trackage-
Union Pacific holds almost half of the existing Rock Island trackage (1,856 out of
3,800 miles), while BNSF, Iowa Interstate and the Kyle Railroad also operate 
significant pieces. The rest is held by an assortment of 24 other railroads. There are 
6 more railroads are operating lines which the CRI&P used through trackage rights. 

Union Pacific Railroad    1,856 miles
When the Rock Island's lines became available, UP only acquired 37 miles, from Fairbury to the power plant at Hallam in Nebraska. Union Pacific also operated 42 miles in Kansas and Colorado on a temporary basis, trackage that is now part of the Kyle Railroad. Beginning in 1982, the railroad seemed to embark on a strategy of merger by proxy, swallowing other railroads that had acquired CRI&P routes on their own.
First up was the Missouri Pacific, holder of 99 miles of Rock Island trackage in Arkansas, 16 miles of which is still part of Union Pacific. This included the
Harahan Bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis, which had been a joint MP, SSW and CRI&P property.
During 1988 UP merged the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and it's subsidiary, the
Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The OKT had 556 miles from the Rock Island in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Union Pacific now runs on 496 of these miles, from Herington to Fort Worth and Chickasha to Fort Sill.
MKT acquired 218 miles of the Choctaw line crossing Oklahoma, from Howe to
El Reno. All 218 miles went to Union Pacific when they merged the MKT during 1988. While the Arkansas Oklahoma Railroad now operates half of this trackage, Union Pacific has kept the 25 miles from Oklahoma City to El Reno.
When Union Pacific absorbed the Chicago and North Western during 1995, they added 681 miles which had belonged to the CRI&P. This included the Spine Line between the Twin Cities and Kansas City, as well as a network of branchlines in western Iowa. UP is still operating 603 of the route miles from this merger.
The year 1996 saw Union Pacific picking up the Golden State route when they acquired Southern Pacific and subsidiary St. Louis Southwestern. This transaction increased UP's former Rock Island mileage by 778, of which 670 miles are still part of the railroad. 
Union Pacific now has the former Rock Island reaching from South St. Paul to Fort Worth and New Mexico. They already had their own lines reaching Denver from Omaha and Kansas City, while the merger of the Missouri Pacific added lines to St. Louis from Kansas City and Fort Worth to Houston. During 1989 Japonica Partners launched a hostile bid for the C&NW, causing UP to take out an option to buy the Iowa Interstate. Eventually UP decided acquiring the North Western made more sense than getting the IAIS and upgrading the line with CTC and double track.
UP also has another 295 miles that were used by the Rock Island through trackage rights.

BNSF Railway    217 miles
BNSF has 217 route miles that were a part of the CRI&P. This includes 214 miles between Dallas (Waxahachie) and Houston (Belt Jct) that were jointly owned by the Rock Island and the Burlington. As well, there are also 288 miles in the BNSF system that the Rock Island used through trackage rights.

Iowa Interstate    471 miles 
Iowa Interstate is the second largest operator of existing Rock Island trackage,
running on the Chicago - Omaha mainline from Blue Island to Council Bluffs.
They own 389 miles of this line, along with another 82 miles in 5 branches to
Oakland, Harlan, Prairie City, Milan,IL and Peoria.

Kyle Railroad    342 miles
Kyle operators 342 miles in Kansas and Colorado, from Belleville to Limon.
They had previously run an additional 66 miles, to Mahaska and Clay Center.

Appanoose County Community Railroad    5 miles
The APNC has 5 miles that were part of the mainline between Chicago and Kansas City. It begins south of Centerville and reaches east to Moulton Jct.

Arkansas Midland    26 miles
Missouri Pacific purchased Rock Island trackage in central Arkansas which became part of Union Pacific. Two of these lines were sold by UP when the Arkansas Midland was created. One now runs 7 miles from North Little Rock east to Galloway,
while the other reaches 19 miles from Malvern to Hot Springs.

Arkansas Oklahoma Railroad    110 miles
The Arkansas-Oklahoma is presently operating two sections of the former
Choctaw line across Oklahoma, which had seen use by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas and Union Pacific. Their eastern segment runs 70 miles from Howe to McAlester, while the other segment runs 40 miles from Shawnee to Oklahoma City.

AT&L Railroad    48 miles      Photos
Since 1985, the AT&L has running 31 miles from El Reno to Bridgeport, with a
branch 17 miles long from Geary north to Watonga, located in western Oklahoma.

Burlington Junction Railway    2 miles
Burlington Junction acquired the 2 mile line running north from Burlington to the
Case Plant in eastern Iowa during 1985.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway    8 miles
The CRandIC owns an 8 mile line in Iowa which stretches from Iowa City 
south to Hills.

Central Illinois Railroad Company    8 miles
This railroad has an 8 mile former Rock Island line in Illinois which is known as the
Kellar Branch, running north from Peoria to Alta. It is owned by the cities of Peoria and Peoria Heights, which are trying to condemn the southern end of this line for a recreational trail.

Central Midland Railway    49 miles
Currently this railroad, recently purchased by Progressive Rail, runs 49 miles between St. Louis and Union.

Chicago Rail Link    12 miles
Chicago Rail Link operates 12 miles in the Calumet region of south Chicago.
From Gresham, these lines run east to South Chicago, and south to Deering
and Calumet Harbour.

CSX    56 miles
The mainline running west from Joliet across Illinois for 56 miles to Utica is now
operated by CSX.

Denver Rock Island Railroad    1 miles
The DRI uses 1 mile of the CRI&P in Denver from Belt Junction to here.

Farmrail    79 miles      Photos
A 78 mile stretch of the CRI&P in western Oklahoma between Weatherford and Erick is currently operated by Farmrail. An additional mile is being operated to
reach an elevator in Lone Wolf.

Fordyce and Princeton    54 miles
The F&P has a former Rock Island line in southern Arkansas which reaches 54 miles
from Fordyce to Withrow Jct, and another 5 miles the CRI&P used with trackage rights to Crossett.

Iowa, Chicago and Eastern    63 miles
Regional railroad Iowa, Chicago and Eastern operate 62 miles of the CRI&P from
Nahant to Washington, in Iowa. The Milwaukee Road had purchased this portion of the Kansas City line to improve their own line to Kansas City.
Also operated is a 1 mile spur from Columbus Junction to this plant. IC&E also has
123 miles of the CMSP&P where the Rock Island ran on through trackage rights.

Iowa Northern Railway    120 miles
IANR runs on 120 miles from Cedar Rapids to Manly, which was part of the mainline linking Chicago with the Twin Cities through Iowa. 

Iowa Northwestern 21 miles
The Iowa Northwestern has recently operated 21 miles between Superior and
Lake Park in northwestern Iowa. Traffic on this line is marginal, and is currently not operating.

Kansas City Southern    26 miles
In Louisiana, 26 miles from Hodge to Winnfield now belong to KCS. The Rock Island also had trackage rights on one mile of the railway's line in Kansas City.

Keokuk Junction Railway    4 miles
KJRY have 4 miles along the riverfront through Keokuk in southeast Iowa.

Little Rock and Western Railway    79 miles
The LR&W operate 79 miles of the Choctaw line in Arkansas, 
from Pulaski to Danville.

Metra    47 miles
This Chicago area Commuter Railroad purchased the Rock Island running from 
LaSalle Street Station to Joliet, and the Suburban Line from Gresham to
Blue Island, a total of 47 miles in Illinois.

Ouachita Railroad    26 miles
The Ouachita has been running the 26 miles from El Dorado to Lille, Louisiana
since 1990.

Texas North Western    20 miles      Photos
TXNW originaly acquired 126 miles from Liberal, Kansas to Stinnett and Etter, Texas. They are now down to 20 miles between Etter and Capps.

Trinity Railway Express    34 miles
Commuter railroad TRE operates the 34 miles linking Fort Worth and Dallas.

Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway    16 miles
In Oklahoma, the WT&J operate 16 miles between Waurika and Temple,
on a line owned by the State.

Rock Island had trackage rights on these lines-

Canadian Pacific
CP's former Milwaukee Road line carried Rock Island traffic on 45 miles in Minnesota, from South Minneapolis to Newport and Rosemount to Comus.

Kansas City Terminal
KCT was used for 9 miles in the Kansas City area, from Sheffield Jct in Missouri to Armourdale in Kansas.

Kaw River Railroad
KRR has a 16 mile former CB&Q line from Kearney to Birmingham in Missouri,
last used by the CRI&P in 1945.

Louisiana Southern
In Louisiana, the 46 mile Kansas City Southern line between Winnfield and Alexandria is being operated by Louisiana Southern.

Tazewell and Peoria
Between Peoria and Pekin, the CRI&P used 10 miles of rights in Illinois on the
Peoria and Pekin Union Railway, which is now the T&P.

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis 
The CRI&P used 10 miles from Carrie Avenue Yard to Rock Island Jct in Missouri. 

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Chicago to Omaha

From Chicago, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific reached 493 miles to Omaha.
The Mississippi River was spanned by the Rock Island's own bridge, while Union Pacific's bridge was used to cross the Missouri River.
The route across Illinois was the busiest part of the system, handling 20 million gross ton-miles during 1964. In contrast, most of the line across Iowa handled only 7 MGT, after routes to Kansas City and the Twin Cities had split off.

Chicago area Commuter Railroad Metra purchased the Rock Island running from 
LaSalle Street Station to Joliet during December 1982. Also acquired was the
Suburban Line, from Gresham to Blue Island, bringing the mileage total to 47.
Chicago Rail Link operates 12 miles in the Calumet region of south Chicago.
From Gresham, these lines run east to South Chicago, and south to Deering
and Calumet Harbour.
The mainline running west from Joliet for the next 56 miles to Utica is now
operated by CSX. The Baltimore and Ohio acquired this line through a long term
lease during August 1980.
Iowa Interstate has the route between Utica and Council Bluffs, a distance of
394 miles. Five of these miles have been torn up, from East Moline to Rock Island.
IAIS have 4 branches made up of former CRI&P track, reaching to Oakland, Harlan (previously to Audubon), Prairie City (previously to Pella), and Milan,IL.
Iowa Interstate operates 50 miles to Iowa Jct. in Peoria following the 2006 acquisition of the Lincoln and Southern, bringing their current total of mileage operated to 471.
The Chicago and North Western bought the 6 miles from Iowa Jct. to Hollis. 
Union Pacific currently runs 4 miles of this segment.
The last 3 miles from Hollis to Pekin were acquired by the Peoria and Pekin Union,
and have been abandoned.
Another 8 miles are operated by the Central Illinois Railroad Company, which is known as the Kellar Branch, running north from Peoria to Alta. It is owned by the cities of Peoria and Peoria Heights, which are trying to condemn the southern end of this line for a recreational trail.

The Rock Island also had three segments of trackage rights on other railroads in this area. Included were 3 miles on Union Pacific from Council Bluffs to Omaha.
Between Peoria and Pekin, the CRI&P used 10 miles of rights on the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway, which is now the Tazewell and Peoria.
Just east of the Quad Cities, Rock Island used 10 miles of Burlington Northern which is still in use by BNSF Railway. This segment connects Colona and Orion, and was used as part of a branch to La Fayette, which previously ran down to Peoria.

The CRI&P owned 682 route miles between Chicago and Omaha (including a few branches) when it ceased operations during March 1980. Still in use are 598 miles (88%), while another 53 miles have seen use since the shutdown. Trackage rights were exercised on 23 miles belonging to other railroads, all of which continues to operate.
Currently the CSX operated portion between Joliet and Ottawa sees over 5 MGT, while the remainer of the trackage handles less tonnage.   

Iowa Interstate                        471 miles
CSX                                    i      56 miles
Metra                                        47 miles
Chicago Rail Link                        12 miles
Central Illinois Railroad Company  8 miles
Union Pacific                                4 miles
 

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Other Eastern Iowa Lines

The CRI&P crossed the Mississippi River and entered Iowa at Davenport, one of the Quad Cities. From there, the mainline headed west through West Liberty and Des Moines, and crossed the Missouri into Omaha. From Davenport, a 169 mile line ran SW to join the Spine Line at Allerton. This was the middle section of a Chicago to
Kansas City route, and carried 8 GMT during 1964.
A second key line ran north from Burlington, crossed the Chicago - Omaha main in
West Liberty, and joined the Spine Line in Manly, near the Minnesota border. The 164 miles between West Liberty and Manly formed the middle section of the
Chicago - Twin Cities line, and carried 6 GMT during 1964.

Iowa Northern Railway picked up 127 miles from Cedar Rapids through Vinton and Waterloo to Manly. To this an additional 15 miles were added, from Vinton to Dysart, part of a line to Iowa Falls. Six miles between Waterloo and Cedar Falls
were abandoned in the 1980s due to highway construction, while the branch to
Dysart was abandoned in the 1990s.
The 58 miles between Dysart and Iowa Falls were leased during 1980 and 1981 by the Keota and Washington Railroad before abandonment.
Chicago and North Western added 4 miles in Cedar Rapids after 1980. 
Union Pacific still runs some of this trackage on the south side of Downtown.
The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway runs on 8 miles from Iowa City
south to Hills.
Burlington Northern acquired 2 miles running north from Burlington to the
Case Plant. This line has been operated by the Burlington Junction Railway
since 1985.
The Milwaukee Road improved their Kansas City line by purchasing 62 miles of the CRI&P from Nahant to Washington, and also picked up the Rock Island's trackage rights on the DRI&NW to Clinton. The line between Washington and Clinton through Nahant is now part of the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern. Also operated by the IC&E
is a 1 mile spur from Columbus Junction to this plant.
From Washington to Keota, the Kewash Railroad ran 16 miles. This was
abandoned at the end of 1988.
Appanoose County Community Railroad has 5 miles that were part of the
mainline between Chicago and Kansas City. It begins south of Centerville and
reaches east to Moulton Jct.
Keokuk Junction Railway has 4 miles along the riverfront in Keokuk in the
lower east corner of Iowa.

The Rock Island had three lines in this area which used trackage rights over other carriers.
For 40 miles between Davenport and Clinton, the Milwaukee Road and the DRI&NW were utilized. This stretch of tracks is presently being operated by the
Iowa, Chicago and Eastern.
Keokuk was reached from Burlington over 43 miles of the Burlington Northern, now BNSF Railway.
A 6 mile piece of the Chicago and North Western was also used. From Beacon to Eddyville, it is now run by Union Pacific Railroad.

Out of the combined total of 606 routes miles owned by the CRI&P in these lines through eastern Iowa, 203 miles (33%) are still in use. Of the remaining 403, 59 of those miles did see post March 1980 use, and all of the 89 miles where the CRI&P had trackage rights are still being operated.

Iowa Northern Railway              120 miles
Iowa, Chicago and Eastern     i    63 miles
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City          8 miles
Appanoose County Community     5 miles
Keokuk Junction Railway         i     4 miles
Burlington Junction Railway          2 miles
Union Pacific Railroad            i       1 mile 

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The Spine Line, and Bow and Arrow Country

One of the Rock Island's most coveted lines connected the Twin Cities with Kansas City. North of Manly,IA, it also served as part of the Chicago-Twin Cities route, and carried 8 million gross tons during 1964. South of Allerton,IA, it also was part of the Chicago-Kansas City route, with 13 MGT during 1964. Traffic was lighter in the central part, at 5 MGT. The CRI&P branches west of the Spine Line, north of Des Moines,
serves some of America's best farmland. The Spine Line is currently handling between 20 and 40 MGT under Union Pacific ownership.

The Chicago and North Western won a bidding war with the Soo Line, and acquired 769 miles of track and 69 miles of trackage rights for $93 million during June 1983. From the north end in South St. Paul to Sheffield Jct in Kansas City the distance is 463 miles. This included 27 miles of trackage rights on the CMSP&P from Rosemount to Comus, 20 miles on C&NW (ex M&StL and CGW) from Northwood to Mason City, and 1 mile over KCS between Airline Jct. and Sheffield Jct. C&NW did not need the Rock Island bridge crossing the Mississippi at Newport as they owned
the three bridges crossing into St. Paul.
The Bow and Arrow branches picked up by the C&NW totaled 354 miles, and 41 miles of rights to Hartley. These connected Bricelyn with Sibley, Dows with Estherville, Iowa Falls with Thompson, Hayfield Jct. with Woden, Palmer with Royal and Carlisle with Indianola.
Union Pacific continues to use the Spine Line today, along with 183 miles of the branches. These run between Bricelyn and Superior, Goldfield and Estherville, Clarion and Dows, Iowa Falls and Alden, and Belmond and Forest City,
along with the rights to Hartley. 
The Iowa Northwestern has recently operated 21 miles between Superior and
Lake Park. Traffic on this line is marginal, and is currently not operating.
The Rock Island's original route to Kansas passed through St. Joseph, north of Kansas City. The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad operated the Topeka to St. Joseph line for a spell during 1980 and 1981. ATSF had rights on the 16 miles between Winthrop and St. Joseph, which they acquired. BNSF still uses 3 miles, between Winthrop and Rushville, as well as the swingbridge over the Missouri River into Atchison.

This region of the Rock Island included a total of 208 route miles where
trackage rights were exercised over other railroads.
Currently 196 miles of these lines are still in use-
Canadian Pacific, 18 miles ex CMSP&P, South Minneapolis to Newport
Canadian Pacific, 27 miles ex CMSP&P, Rosemount to Comus
Union Pacific Railroad, 20 miles ex C&NW, Northwood to Mason City
Iowa, Chicago and Eastern, 41 miles ex CMSP&P, Emmetsburg to Hartley 
Iowa, Chicago and Eastern, 42 miles ex CMSP&P, Polo to Airline Jct.
Kansas City Southern, 1 mile, Airline Jct. to Sheffield Jct.
Union Pacific Railroad, 4 miles, St. Joseph to Elwood
BNSF Railway, 41 miles, Armour to Bridge Jct.
Kansas City Terminal, 2 miles, Bridge Jct. to West Bluff Jct.
Until 1976, rights were also exercised over the C&NW between West Des Moines and Gowrie. Union Pacific is still using 28 miles at the ends of this route, from
West Des Moines to Waukee and Grand Jct. to Gowrie.
And until 1945, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy was used for 54 miles between Cameron and Kansas City, of which 26 miles are still in use. 
The Kaw River Railroad has 16 miles from Kearney to Birmingham while 
BNSF Railway has 10 miles from Birmingham to Kansas City.   

Between the Twin Cities and Kansas City, and with related branch lines, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific owned 954 route miles. Out of this total, 622 (65%) route miles are still in use. Another 243 miles did see use by other carriers which have since been abandoned.    

Union Pacific Railroad          i     598 miles
Iowa Northwestern Railroad        21 miles
BNSF Railway                              3 miles

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Missouri River to Colorado

The Rock Island line to Denver and Colorado Springs from Omaha and Kansas City came together at Belleville, KS, and then split at Limon, CO. The route to Denver included 89 miles of trackage rights on Union Pacific from Limon, and the line between Kansas City and Alma was shared with the Golden State Route. During 1964 7 GMT were carried between Belleville and Limon.

Burlington Northern, Union Pacific, Cadillac & Lake City and the Wabash Valley operated parts of the former Rock Island in northern Kansas until 1982, when fourteen Counties banded together to buy the track.
The Kyle Railroad took over as operator, and they still run 342 miles from
Belleville to Limon.
Four miles of the CRI&P in Denver remain. Union Pacific runs 3 miles from
Utah Jct. east to Belt Junction, and the other mile east from there to here are run by the Denver Rock Island Railroad.
On the Limon-Colorado Springs line, the Cadillac and Lake City ran a total of 44 miles from either end, although that has come to an end. Five miles running east from Roswell then went to the D&RGW, of which Union Pacific uses 2 miles from Roswell to Templeton Gap Road.
From Belleville southeast to the Golden State Route in McFarland, 84 of the 104 miles did see operation by the Kyle Railroad and the Wabash Valley, but it is all silent now.
Union Pacific picked up 37 miles of the Belleville-Omaha line, from Fairbury to the power plant at Hallam in Nebraska.

Trackage rights were in place over the Union Pacific from Omaha to South Omaha, and Limon to Denver, a total of 94 miles. 

The CRI&P had 734 route miles linking Omaha, McFarland, Denver and Colorado Springs, of which 385 (52%) remain in service. An additional 149 miles did see service after the shutdown, while 94 of the 97 miles which the Rock Island had trackage rights on are still in service.   

Kyle Railroad                       i    342 miles
Union Pacific Railroad                 42 miles
Denver Rock Island Railroad    i     1 mile  

[nanaimo73]

The Golden State Route

Stretching 669 miles from Kansas City to Santa Rosa, NM, this line was busiest near Kansas City and tailed off as other lines diverged. During 1964 15 MGT were carried east of Herington, where the Gulf route branched off, but only 6 MGT to the west.
The St. Louis line carried 3 MGT. Trackage rights over Kansas City Terminal and Union Pacific were utilized between Sheffield Jct in Kansas City and Topeka.
Traffic has increased since 1980, and the Golden State route now handles between
20 and 40 MGT for Union Pacific.

SP's St. Louis Southwestern acquired the 545 miles from Topeka to Tucumcari,NM, while Southern Pacific purchased the last 59 miles to Santa Rosa. SP had been operating this piece through a long term lease. This aquisition, including the St. Louis line, went through on October 20, 1980. Also included was the 27 mile branch from Bucklin to Dodge City, KS. 
Union Pacific now runs the mainline while the Boothill & Western was the last operator of the Dodge City branch.
The Texas North Western took 126 miles from Liberal, KS, to Stinnett and Etter, TX. TNW is now down to 20 miles between Etter and Capps, TX.
CRI&P had trackage rights over 65 miles of the ATSF to reach Amarillo from Etter,
and a 3 mile spur at Amarillo which the FW&D (BN) operated during the 1980s.

St. Louis Line

The St. Louis line started with trackage rights from Sheffield Jct to Leeds Jct, and then the RI had 278 miles of track to Rock Island Jct, MO, followed by more trackage rights into St. Louis. Although the SSW acquired the entire St. Louis line, they only operated the 83 miles east Owensville, principally to serve the power plant at Labadie. Trackage rights gained from the Union Pacific-Missouri Pacific merger allowed the St Louis Southwestern to avoid the high cost of placing the rest back in service. Currently the Central Midland Railway runs 49 miles between St. Louis and Union.
I believe Union Pacific used 25 miles on the west end for a few years between 
Leeds Jct. and Pleasant Hill for additional capacity.
Four of the five tunnels on the Rock Island were on this line, at Freeburg, Argyle, Eugene and Vale.

From St. Louis to Texas, there were 150 miles of railroad that the CRI&P exercised trackage rights on, and all of it is still in service.
The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis was used for 10 miles from
Carrie Avenue Yard to Rock Island Jct.
BNSF Railway was used for 3 miles, from Leeds Jct. to Sheffield Jct, and then Kansas City Terminal for 7 miles to Armourdale.
The next 65 miles from Armourdale to Topeka were on the Union Pacific.
To reach Amarillo from Etter, the 65 mile ATSF route is now a part of BNSF. 

Of the 1,039 miles in these two sections, 674 (65%) is still in use, while a further 195 miles of line saw some use after March 1980. 

Union Pacific Railroad                605 miles
Central Midland Railway  l           49 miles
Texas North Western      n          20 miles

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Kansas to the Gulf

The Rock Island's route to the Gulf of Mexico split from the Golden State Route at Herington, Kansas. The line passed through Wichita, El Reno and Fort Worth to reach Dallas. El Reno was the junction with the Choctaw Route, which linked Memphis with New Mexico. From Dallas, trackage rights were used on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas to reach Waxahachie. Waxahachie and Houston were connected with the former Burlington-Rock Island Railroad, jointly owned by the CRI&P and Burlington Northern. The final piece of the route consisted of trackage rights over the ATSF from Houston to Galveston. During 1964 the Herington to Fort Worth segment carried about 9 million gross tons, while south of Dallas it was 3 MGT. The line from Kansas to Fort Worth is now handling 10 to 20 MGT a year for Union Pacific.

The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad was set up as a subsidiary to acquire the 474 mile line from Herington to Dallas. OKT also took 28 miles north of Herington to Abilene, and 23 miles of RI trackage rights over Union Pacific to Salina. The OKT also assumed a 96 mile line between Chickasha through Lawton to Waurika. Union Pacific now runs Herington to Fort Worth and Chickasha to Fort Sill, 496 miles.
The Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway assumed 24 miles between Waurika and Walters, on a line owned by the State. Currently they only run to Temple, 16 miles from Waurika.
Another branch in Oklahoma included the 79 mile Anadarko-Mangum line, run by North Central Oklahoma Railway until 1985. One mile of this line at Lone Wolf is operated by Farmrail.
Enid Central had 55 miles between Enid and Ponca City during the early 1980s. West of Enid, the Rock Island used 40 miles of trackage rights on Burlington Northern to reach Augusta, from where a 32 mile branch went to Alva.
Trinity Railway Express operates the 34 miles linking Fort Worth and Dallas.
BNSF Railway now owns the 29 mile MKT line between Dallas and Waxahachie, as well as the 214 mile former joint line from Waxahachie to Belt Jct, Houston.
The Great Southwest Railroad was jointly owned by the CRI&P and Missouri Pacific, and was between Dallas and Fort Worth. Its mainline reached 8 miles from the
Rock Island line to the north and the MP line to the south, and it has been merged into Union Pacific.

The CRI&P had 150 miles of trackage rights in this territory, all of which remains in use. Union Pacific still uses the 23 miles linking Abilene and Salina.
BNSF Railway operates the 40 mile former BN line between Enid and Augusta,
and the 29 mile ex MKT line between Dallas and Waxahachie.
South of Belt Jct, 10 miles of the Houston Belt and Terminal was used to reach
T&NO Jct, which is now part of Union Pacific.
The rest of this route used ATSF's 48 mile line linking T&NO Jct with Galveston, currently owned by BNSF Railway.   

Out of 982 miles owned, or jointly owned by the CRI&P, 765 miles (79%) are still in use. Of the remaining 217, 186 of those miles did see activity since 1980. 

Union Pacific Railroad                 500 miles
BNSF Railway             l               214 miles
Trinity Railway Express    l    i       34 miles
Wichita, Tillman and Jackson        16 miles
Farmrail                                       1 mile 

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The Choctaw Route

The Choctaw Route reached from Memphis, Tennessee to Tucumcari, New Mexico.
This 874 mile line was completed on May 9, 1910, except for the Harahan Bridge over the Mississippi, which was completed on July 14, 1916. El Reno, OK, near the mid-point of the line, connected with the rest of the system through the Kansas to Texas line. During 1964, the eastern half saw roughly 6 million gross ton-miles, about triple the amount on the western half.

The CRI&P, Missouri Pacific and the St. Louis Southwestern jointly owned the Arkansas and Memphis Railway Bridge and Terminal Company, and Harahan Bridge, linking Memphis with Briark, AR, now under the sole ownership of Union Pacific.
The St. Louis Southwestern acquired the 65 miles between Briark and their mainline
at Brinkley. SSW had run over this line via trackage rights to reach Memphis, and it is still in use by Union Pacific.
From Mesa, the CRI&P had branches 13 miles north to Des Arc and 21 miles south to Stuttgart, where the St. Louis Southwestern purchased 2 miles of track. 
Missouri Pacific purchased 54 miles from Hazen through Little Rock to Pulaski. Today the Arkansas Midland uses 7 miles of the Choctaw from North Little Rock east to Galloway. Union Pacific also operates 7 miles, from near the south end of the
Arkansas River Bridge through Biddle Yard to Pulaski.
The Little Rock and Western Railway took the next 44 miles from Pulaski to Perry, while Continental Can got the 35 miles from there to Danville, AR. These 79 miles are now run by the LR&W.
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad acquired 218 miles across Oklahoma. MKT itself operated the line from the KCS crossing in Howe to Council, while subsidiary Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas assumed the Council to El Reno section.
All 218 miles went to Union Pacific when they merged the MKT during 1988.
The Arkansas Oklahoma Railroad now operates most of this trackage.
Their eastern segment runs 70 miles from Howe to McAlester. The other segment runs 40 miles from Shawnee to Oklahoma City. Union Pacific continues to use
the 25 miles from Oklahoma City to El Reno.
To the west of the mainline between Kansas and the Gulf, the State of Oklahoma purchased the Choctaw Route as it headed towards Amarillo. The North Central Oklahoma Railroad began operating part of this segment at first. During 1985 the
AT&L Railroad started up, running 31 miles from El Reno to Bridgeport, with a branch 17 miles long from Geary north to Watonga. This branch continued another 21 miles to Okeene, where BN acquired a section of line.
Twenty miles to the west of Bridgeport is Weatherford, from where Farmrail runs 78 miles to Erick, OK.
BN's Fort Worth and Denver leased 13 miles, running from Amarillo west to Bushland. Track Tech took over during 1996, and put the line up for abandonment in 1997.

The mainline and the short branchlines added up to 946 miles when the Rock shut down. Still in operation are 423 miles, 45% of the 1980 total.
An additional 139 miles of line saw use after March 1980.   

Arkansas Oklahoma Railroad     i 110 miles
Union Pacific Railroad                 101 miles
Little Rock and Western Railway   79 miles
Farmrail                                     78 miles
AT&L Railroad                       i      48 miles
Arkansas Midland Railroad             7 miles

[nanaimo73]

The Little Rock

The Little Rock was created as an internal shortline on August 31, 1977. It was hoped that local management, given the freedom to make decisions, could match the advantages of shortlines. This included control over train scheduling, car supply,
freight rates and divisions, and labor relations. Assigned to the entity were 23 locomotives and sufficient rolling stock. Trackage ran from Biddle Yard, on the south side of Little Rock, to Eunice, LA, 332 miles. Branches in southern Arkansas added another 140 miles, and there was the 16 mile subsidiary Warren and Ouachita Valley Railroad. One early decision made was to abandon the line south of Alexandria, LA.

Southern Pacific's St. Louis Southwestern gave the Memphis-Little Rock-Eunice route a good look during 1979 and 1980, planning on a shortcut between southern Louisiana and Memphis. A complete rebuilding would have taken place, perhaps including CTC.

Missouri Pacific purchased the first 5 miles of north end, from Brittain to
Hot Springs Junction, still in use by Union Pacific. MP also picked up the 23 mile
Hot Springs line from Malvern they had trackage rights on, along with an adjoining (and now abandoned) 13 mile line linking Haskell with Butterfield.
The Arkansas Midland has been operating 19 miles of the Malvern to Hot Springs line since 1992.
The Fordyce and Princeton also has a former Rock Island line in southern Arkansas. This reaches 54 miles from Fordyce to Withrow Jct, and another 5 miles of trackage rights to Crossett.
The next section to retain service reached 56 miles from El Dorado, AR, to Ruston, LA. The first operator was the South Central Arkansas Railroad. The East Camden and Highland took over the 26 miles from El Dorado to Lille, LA, in 1983, and the
Ouachita Railroad has been running it since 1990.
The southern end of the Little Rock was picked up by the Central Louisiana and Gulf,
26 miles from Hodge to Winnfield, and 46 miles of trackage rights from Winnfield to Alexandria, rights the CRI&P had held over Kansas City Southern. The CL&G was acquired by MidSouth Rail during 1987, and was renamed MidLouisiana Rail. 
Kansas City Southern now operates the Hodge-Winnfield line.

Other lines remain in use that the Rock Island ran over through trackage rights.
In Arkansas, this includes 30 miles of Union Pacific (ex SSW) between 
Fordyce and Camden.
The 5 mile line between Withrow Jct and Crossett, which had been part of the Ashley, Drew and Northern, is now owned by the Fordyce and Princeton.
And in Louisiana, the 46 mile KCS line between Winnfield and Alexandria is now operated by the Louisiana Southern.
The Rock Island traveled south from Alexandria to Eunice until 1977. Part of this route used 12 miles of the Missouri Pacific from Alexandria to Lamourie. 
Union Pacific now owns this segment.

The Little Rock consisted of 353 route miles when it shut down at the end of March 1980. Still in use are 130 miles (37%), while another 80 miles did see use by other carriers before being abandoned after 1980. There are also 93 miles still active on which the CRI&P had trackage rights on.

Fordyce and Princeton Railroad   54 miles
Kansas City Southern         i        26 miles
Ouachita Railroad                       26 miles
Arkansas Midland Railroad    i      19 miles
Union Pacific Railroad            m     5 miles  

[nanaimo73]

Locomotives
The following is a list of the Rock Island's motive power during early 1980, with links to photographs of the locomotives. Quite a few of these engines remain in use today, and links are also provided to their present identities.

RI Slug 53-55  3 units
RI  53       RI  54       RI  55

EMD F40PH-2 100-115  16 units
These locomotives were purchased by the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority during 1977 to handle the Rock Island's commuter trains. All are still in service with Metra.
RTA100 now Metra100   RTA101 now Metra101    RTA102 now Metra102
RTA103 now Metra103    RTA104 now Metra104    RTA105 now Metra105
RTA106 now Metra106    RTA 107 now Metra107    RTA108 now Metra108
RTA109 now Metra109    RTA110 now Metra110    RTA111 now Metra111
RTA112 now Metra112    RTA113 now Metra113    RTA114 now Metra114
RTA115 now Metra115

GE U33B 190-199  10 units
RI  190      RI  191      RI  192      RI 193      RI 194      RI 195
RI 196      RI  197      RI 198      RI 199

GE U25B 202-238  30 units
202 to 224 went to Chrome Crankshaft, while 225 to 238 went to Maine Central, keeping the same numbers.
RI 202      RI 204      RI 205      RI  206      RI 209       RI 211
RI 213      RI 214      RI 215      RI 216      RI 217       RI  218
RI 219      RI  220      RI 223      RI 224      RI 225       RI 226
RI 227      RI 228      RI 229      RI 230      RI 231       RI 232
RI 233      RI 234      RI 235      RI  236      RI 237       RI 238   

GE U28B 240-281  42 units
240 to 261 went to Chrome Crankshaft, with 7 units going to Transkentucky Transportation, as 242-261. 262 to 281 were owned by Union Pacific, and were renumbered 500 to 519. 
RI  240                      RI 241                     RI 242 now TTI 242
RI 243                      RI 244                     RI 245
RI 246                      RI 247                     RI 248 
RI 249                      RI 250                     RI 251
RI 252                      RI 253                     RI 254 
RI 255                      RI 256                     RI 257
RI 258                      RI 259                     RI 260
RI 261 now TTI 261    RI 262                      RI 263
RI 264      RI 265       RI 266      RI 267      RI 268      RI 269
RI 270      RI 271       RI  272      RI  273      RI 274      RI 275
RI  276      RI 277       RI 278      RI 279      RI 280      RI  281

RI Slug 282-284  3 units
RI 282       RI 283       RI 284  

GE U33B 285-299  15 units
RI  285      RI  286      RI 287      RI 288      RI  289      RI 290
RI 291      RI  292      RI 293      RI 294      RI  295      RI  296
RI 297      RI 298      RI 299   

EMD GP35 300-333   32 units 
RI 300       RI 301      RI  302      RI 303      RI  304      RI 305
RI 307       RI 308      RI 309      RI 311      RI 312      RI 313
RI  314       RI 315      RI  316      RI 317      RI  318      RI 319
RI 320        RI 321       RI 322      RI 323      RI  324      RI 325
RI 326        RI 327       RI 328      RI 329      RI 330      RI 331
RI 332      RI  333

EMD GP40  340-396  47 units
340-373 were financed by Union Pacific and became UP 600-630. 
RI  340 now NCRC 4204      RI 341                              RI 342
RI  343 now QGRY 3800      RI 344 now MNCR4186       RI  345
RI 346 now NJT  4140       RI 347                              RI 348 now DME4003
RI  349                            RI 350 now MNCR4184       RI  351    Fepasa 2353
RI 352 now MNCR4185     RI 353                               RI 354 now NJT 4144
RI  355 now MNCR4187     RI 356                               RI 357
RI 358                            RI 359                               RI 361 now NJT 4143
RI 362                            RI 363                               RI  364 now DME4004
RI 365                            RI  366                               RI 367
RI  368 now MNCR4189     RI  369                               RI 371
RI 372 now MNCR4188     RI 373                               RI 382
RI 383                            RI 384 now NJT 4138           RI 385
RI 386                            RI  387                               RI 388
RI  389 now NJT 4139        RI  390                              RI  391
RI 392                            RI 393                               RI 394
RI 395                            RI 396  

Alco C415  415-424  10 units
420-425 were financed by Union Pacific and were returned to UP and put up for sale.
RI 415       RI 416      RI 417      RI 418      RI 419       RI 420
RI 421 now PLM 421                  RI 422      RI 423      RI 424  

EMD GP7 435-440  5 units 
RI  435      RI 437       RI 438       RI 439       RI 440

EMD SW1  530-546  10 units 
RI 530       RI  533      RI  535      RI 537      RI  540      RI 541
RI 542       RI 543      RI  545      RI 546  

EMD SW900  550-563  13 units
550 is now CORX 988 
RI  550      RI  551       RI  552       RI  553      RI  554     RI  555
RI  556      RI  557       RI  558       RI  559      RI  561     RI  562
RI  563 

EMD NW2  765-774  10 units
RI 771 is now  GVSR 771
RI 765      RI  766       RI 767       RI 768      RI 769      RI 770
RI 771      RI 772       RI 773       RI 774 

EMD SW9  775-779  5 units 
RI 775      RI  776       RI 777       RI  778      RI 779      

EMD SW900  780     1 unit 
RI  780

EMD NW2  795-797  3 units 
RI 795                           RI 796                          RI 797 

EMD SW8  811-840  30 units 
RI 811                           RI  812                           RI  813
RI  814                           RI  815                           RI 816
RI  817                           RI 818                           RI  819
RI  820                           RI 821                           RI  822
RI  823                           RI 824                           RI  825
RI  826                           RI 827                           RI  828
RI 829                           RI 830                           RI  831 now CORX 990
RI 832 now CORX 989      RI  833                          RI  834
RI  835                           RI 836                           RI  837
RI  838                           RI 839 now CORX 991     RI 840 

EMD SW900  900-915  15 units 
RI  900                           RI  902                           RI  903
RI  904 now L&C 92         RI  905                           RI  906
RI  907                           RI 908                           RI  909
RI  910                           RI  911 now GMTX 503     RI  912
RI  913                           RI  914                           RI 915 now P&T 915 

EMD SW1200  920-936  17 units
RI 926 is now OLB 47, with a Cat engine. 
RI  920     RI  921     RI  922     RI 923     RI 924     RI 925
RI 926     RI  927     RI 928     RI 929     RI 930     RI 931
RI  932     RI 933     RI  934     RI 935     RI 936 

EMD SW1500  940-949  10 units 
RI 940                           RI  941 now FP 1504        RI  942 now? NREX942
RI 943 now HLCX1515     RI 944                           RI  945 now HLCX1516
RI  946                           RI  947                           RI  948
RI  949 now HLCX1518

EMD GP7  1201-1267  4 units
RI 1201       RI 1226       RI 1252       RI 1267 

EMD GP9  1321-1332  6 units
RI 1321     RI 1325     RI 1326     RI 1327     RI 1331     RI 1332

EMD GP18  1333-1353  21 units
RI 1333 now CALA 100     RI 1334                         RI  1335
RI 1336                          RI 1337 now FWC1337    RI  1338 now TWRY1338
RI 1339                                RI 1340                         RI 1341 now NEGS  503
RI 1342 now TWRY1342   RI 1343 now CCT1790     RI 1344
RI 1345 now GC  3602      RI 1346 now  CRL 15       RI  1347 now TWRY1347
RI  1348 now  IMCX 36      RI  1349                         RI  1350
RI  1351                          RI 1352                         RI 1353 now  FCEN 59

EMD GP40  3000-3006  7 units
After upgrading to dash 2 standards, these became GO Transit 720-726. They were traded in and were then EMDL 200-206, and then LLPX 3203-3211.
RI 3000 now PNWR3004    RI 3001 now PNWR3007    RI 3002 now PNWR3006
RI  3003 now  LLPX 3207     RI 3004 now PNWR3003    RI 3005 now PNWR3005
RI  3006 now  LLPX 3206

EMD GP38-2  4300-4351  52 units
The leases on 4300-4351 were assumed by Missouri Pacific and they were renumbered MP 2238-2289, and then they became Union Pacific 738-789. These locomotives are now coming off leases, and going into the GMTX lease fleet.
RI  4300  GMTX2110         RI 4301  GMTX 2111        RI 4302   GMTX2112
RI 4303  GMTX2113         RI 4304  GMTX2114        RI 4305   GMTX 2115
RI 4306  GMTX 2116         RI  4307k GMTX 2117        RI 4308   GMTX2118
RI  4309  GMTX2119         RI 4310  GMTX2120        RI 4311 i  GMTX2121
RI 4312  GMTX 2122         RI  4313  GMTX 2123        RI 4314  i GMTX2124
RI 4315  GMTX2125         RI  4316  GMTX2126        RI 4317   GMTX 2127
RI 4318  GMTX2128         RI 4319  GMTX2129        RI  4320   GMTX2130
RI 4321  GMTX2131         RI 4322  GMTX 3132        RI 4323   iGMTX 2161
RI  4324  GMTX2133         RI 4325 i GMTX 2134        RI 4326  i GMTX 2135
RI 4327  GMTX 2136         RI 4328 i GMTX 2137        RI  4329 i  GMTX2138
RI 4330  GMTX 2139         RI  4331 i GMTX2140   i    RI  4332    GMTX2141
RI 4333  GMTX2142         RI 4334 i GMTX 2143        RI 4335    GMTX 2144
RI 4336  GMTX 2145         RI  4337  iGMTX 2146        RI  4338    GMTX 2147
RI 4339  GMTX 2148         RI 4340  iGMTX 2149        RI  4341    GMTX 2150
RI 4342  GMTX2151         RI  4343   GMTX2152   i    RI 4344    GMTX2153
RI  4345  GMTX2154         RI 4346   GMTX 2155        RI  4347    GMTX 2156
RI 4348  GMTX2157         RI 4349   GMTX2158    i   RI  4350    GMTX2159
RI 4351  GMTX2160

EMD GP38-2  4352-4355  4 units
These 4 locomotives were owned, not leased, by the CRI&P, and were purchased by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie, as 2057-2060. From there they went to the Huron and Eastern. The HESR numbered them 201-203, and now they are 3865-3868.
RI  4352 now HESR 3865              RI 4353 now HESR 3866
RI 4354 now HESR 3867              RI 4355 now HESR 3868

EMD GP38-2  4368-4379  12 units
These were the last units acquired by the Rock, and their leases were assumed by Grand Trunk Western, becoming 5850-5861.
RI 4368 now GTW 5850     RI 4369 now GTW 5851     RI 4370 now GTW 5852
RI 4371 now GTW 5853     RI 4372 now GTW 5854     RI 4373 now GTW 5855
RI  4374 now GTW 5856     RI 4375 now GTW 5857     RI 4376 now GTW 5858
RI  4377 now GTW 5859     RI 4378 now GTW 5860     RI 4379 now GTW 5861

EMD GP38-2  XXXX-XXXX  35 units
The Rock Island ordered these during 1979, however they went to the Chicago and North Western instead, as 4600-4634.

EMD GP18M  4421-4423  3 units
These three went to the Copper Basin Railway in Arizona.
RI 4421 now CBRY 201     RI 4422 now CBRY 203      RI 4423 now CBRY 202

EMD GP7  4424    1 unit
Chrome Crankshaft picked up this unit, which became CR&IC 97.
RI 4424 now IAIS 400

EMD GP7  4425-4478  54 units
These became Chicago and North Western 4100 to 4153.
RI 4425                          RI 4426                          RI 4427 now DAIR  25
RI  4428                          RI 4429                          RI  4430 now DBGX4105
RI 4431                          RI 4432                          RI  4433
RI 4434                          RI 4435                          RI 4436
RI  4437                          RI  4438                          RI 4439
RI 4440                          RI 4441                          RI  4442
RI 4443                          RI  4444                          RI  4445
RI 4446                          RI 4447                          RI 4448
RI  4449                          RI  4450 now ECRX4125     RI 4451
RI  4452                          RI  4453 now AKDN 4128    RI 4454
RI 4455                          RI  4456                          RI 4457
RI  4458                          RI 4459                          RI 4460
RI  4461                          RI 4462                          RI 4463
RI  4464                          RI 4465                          RI  4466
RI  4467                          RI 4468                          RI  4469
RI  4470                          RI  4471 now BMC 4146    RI 4472
RI  4473                          RI  4474 now NRI  49        RI 4475
RI  4476                          RI  4477                          RI  4478

EMD GP9  4479-4493  15 units
4479-4488 became C&NW 4550 to 4559, while WSOR got 4490, 4492 and 4493.
4484 is now SRY 128 
RI  4479     RI 4480     RI 4481     RI  4482     RI 4483     RI 4484
RI  4485     RI  4486     RI  4487     RI  4488     RI 4489     RI  4490
RI 4491     RI 4492     RI 4493 

[nanaimo73]

EMD GP7  4500-4555  56 units
Chicago and North Western picked up these Geeps, and numbered them 4154 to 4209.     
RI 4500                          RI  4501                          RI 4502 now RSSX4156
RI  4503                          RI 4504                          RI 4505
RI 4506                          RI 4507                          RI 4508
RI 4509                          RI  4510 now HOS 467 ?    RI 4511
RI 4512                          RI  4513                          RI  4514
RI  4515                          RI 4516                          RI 4517
RI 4518                          RI 4519                          RI 4520 now NBER4174
RI 4521                          RI 4522                          RI  4523
RI  4524 now AKDN4178     RI  4525                          RI  4526 now RSSX4180
RI  4527                          RI  4528 now DAIR 25       RI  4529
RI 4530                          RI  4531                          RI  4532
RI 4533                          RI 4534                          RI  4535
RI  4536                          RI  4537 now NKCR4191     RI  4538
RI  4539                          RI  4540                          RI 4541
RI  4542                          RI  4543                          RI  4544 now BRAN4198
RI 4545 now  DAIR  26       RI 4546                          RI  4547
RI  4548 now DBGX4202   RI  4549                          RI  4550
RI  4551                          RI 4552                          RI  4553
RI  4554                          RI  4555

GE U30C  4582-4599  18 units
RI 4582     RI 4583     RI 4584     RI  4585     RI 4586     RI  4587
RI  4588     RI 4589     RI 4590     RI  4591     RI 4592     RI 4593
RI 4594     RI 4595     RI 4596     RI  4597     RI  4598     RI 4599

EMD GP40  4700-4719  20 units
This group was financed by Union Pacific, and became 631-648.
RI  4700 now DME4005      RI 4701 now MNA4013      RI 4702 
RI 4703                           RI 4704                           RI 4705 now MNA4014
RI  4706 now  UP 1033       RI 4707                           RI  4708 
RI  4709 now MNA4015      RI 4710                           RI  4711 now MNA4012
RI 4712 now DME4002      RI  4713                           RI 4714  now MNA4044
RI  4715 now  NJT4141      RI 4716                           RI 4717
RI 4718                           RI 4719 

EMD SD40-2  4790-4799  10 units
Illinois Central Gulf purchased these, and they became 6040-6049. They moved on to EMD Leasing, with the same numbers.
RI 4790 now  NSMX 655     RI 4791 now   NSMX 656     RI 4792 now WSOR4006
RI 4793 now WSOR4005    RI  4794 now OCHR4023     RI 4795 now WSOR4002
RI 4796 now WSOR4003    RI  4797 now  WSOR4004    RI 4798 now  NSMX 657
RI 4799 now WSOR4001

EMD SW1  4800-4804  4 units 
RI 4800         RI 4801 now Metra 1        RI 4802       RI 4804 now Metra 2

EMD NW2  4900-4909  10 units
RI 4900          RI 4901           RI  4902          RI 4903          RI 4904
RI 4905          RI  4906          RI 4907          RI 4908             RI 4909 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sources
http://faculty.simpson.edu/RITS/www/
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=CRIP
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ri/ri.html
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/indexri.htm
http://www.photosbystevenjbrown.com/archive/cri&p/therock.html
http://www.locophotos.com/
http://utahrails.net/up/up-diesel-index.php
http://www.thedieselshop.us/CRIP.HTML
http://www.trainweb.org/emdloco/ri.htm
http://www.trainweb.org/vermande/c/crip.html          

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dale's Trackside Guides

#1-Mississippi River Crossings
This is a study of the Railroad crossings over the Mississippi River.

#2-Amtrak's Current Routes
A detailed accounting of which railroad owns every mile of track used by Amtrak.

#3-Class 1 Railroads in the 1950s 
A summary of the 127 class 1 railroads in 1950.

#4-The Milwaukee Road Mainline
Points of interest on the CMSP&P mainline from Chicago to Seattle and Portland.

#5-Montana Rail Link, I&MRL and IC&E Rosters 

#6-GP30 Ownership
A simple rundown of the dozens of owners of GP30 locomotives.

#7-Amtrak's Original Routes
A look at the routes used by Amtrak on May 1st, 1971.

#8-Continental Divide Crossings
A summary of the railroad crossings of the Continental Divide in North America

#9-Iowa's Counties
A listing of the railroads operating in Iowa's 99 Counties today and in
1985 and 1930.

#10-America's Regional Railroads
A look at the 62 current and former Regional Railroads in the United States

#11-AC Ownership
Owners of locomotives with AC traction motors

#12-Ohio's Counties
A listing of the railroads operating in Ohio's 88 Counties today and in
1985 and 1930.

#13-1980
A look at the events that took place during 1980 affecting America's railroads.

#14-Pieces of the Rock
Surviving rail lines and locomotives of the Rock Island Railroad.

#15-Amtrak's Abandoned Routes
A State by State list of routes previously used by Amtrak.

#16-Missouri River Crossings
A study of the Railroad crossings over the Missouri River.

Dale's Nexus

[blhanel]

Let me know on the first two if you need a picture of anything in my area, Dale- I'll go get it for you!

[nanaimo73]

Thanks Brian. I think I'm okay for now.

BTW, if you are thinking of picking up the 10-1986 Twin Cities issue of Trains, you might like the 3-1983 Rock Island issue as well.

[billbtrain]

Parts of the line from Cedar Rapids to Ely are bike trails.From the Cedar River bridge to just south of Hwy 30 is a paved trail more or less on the Rock's roadbed.Then another portion from 76th Blvd Dr E to Wright Brothers Blvd E,running parallel to Ely Rd is an unpaved narrow trail thru mostly woods.That section climbs a grade(trust me I know as my son and I rode our bikes on it ).There is work going on to connect the two trails started last summer.Be nice to ride that.

Haven't heard from you,Brian,in a while.Cold enough for you?Should I turn the A/C on?

Have a good one.

Bill B

[blhanel]

We're doing our best to stay warm over here in Bowman Woods, Bill.  One of these days I'll have to take a day off from Rockwell Collins and hit Menards nice and early in the morning.  The weather's going to have to warm up considerably, though, to give me a good excuse!

[jeffhergert]

 RI 4424 spent some time as Crandic 97 for awhile.  It is now on home rails, with parts from other engines after a wreck rebuild as Iowa Interstate 400.

Jeff 

[nanaimo73]

Thanks Jeff,

It's too bad IAIS does not have a few more former Rock Island locomotives, I really like their paint scheme.