The Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railway
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Red text indicates information added: 09/07/2006
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In 1857, a charter was granted for a Grayville, IL to Mattoon railroad, the Grayville and Mattoon Railroad (G&M), and was incorporated in 1876. There was also an Indiana charter for an Indiana road (From Grayville to Mount Vernon (originally "McFadden's Landing", IN) under the name of Mt. Vernon and Grayville Railroad (MtV&G). Up to 1876 nothing was accomplished on these lines.
On February 21st, the Pekin, Lincoln and Decatur Railroad (PL&D) was chartered, being "Vested with all the rights and privileges heretofore granted the Pekin, Canton and McComb Railroad (PC&M) and the Mississippi and Wabash Railroad (M&W)". The first Board of Directors meeting was required to be held in Delavan Illinois within 30 days.
1864 The PL&D is organized.
1869 On March 10th, a charter was granted for the Danville, Olney and Ohio River Railroad (DOOR) as a narrow gauge line.
On March 13th, the Harrisburg and Great Northern Railroad (H&GN) chartered.
On March 26th, the Decatur, Sullivan and Mattoon Railroad (DS&M) was chartered to build a line between Hervey City and Mattoon.
In October, the PL&D put an 18 mile stretch between Pekin and Delavan was into operation. This was with Colonel Robert B. Latham as President of the line.
In November, the DOOR buys and merges the H&GN.
1871 By July 4th the PL&D had completed its line to Lincoln.
On October 9th, the PL&D reached North Jct (Decatur).
Also around this time the PL&D was leased to the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway (TW&W).
By November, at least one-half a mile of grading had
been completed north of
Ste. Marie, the first work on the
DOOR. 1872
The DS&M completed its line from Mattoon to Hervey City.
The Paris and Decatur Railroad (P&D) and the DS&M jointly built the line between Decatur Jct and Hervey City. From at least 1877(probably from the beginning), this segment was jointly owned by both roads, but the Paris and Decatur road controlled the movement over the line.
1874 In January, the C&IS went into receivership.
The P&D operates the former DS&M from Hervey City to Mattoon. Perhaps as early as 1873.
1873 The P&D operation of the former DS&M is cut back to Dalton City.
1876
The Mattoon to Grayville portion of the C&IS was sold to the construction contractors who had partially graded the roadbed. In September, part of the line between Olney and Newton was laid.
1877 In 1877, a portion of the G&M was built from Mattoon to Newton and Olney to Parkersburg.
The Decatur to Mattoon portion of the C&IS was sold under foreclosure and became the Decatur, Mattoon and Southern Railroad (DM&S).
1878 The first DOOR locomotive, a Baldwin, arrived.
By April the DOOR was completed between Kansas and Westfield.
The
Kansas to
Westfield portion
of the
DOOR was put into service in June.
The PL&D then negotiates trackage rights to Peoria over the Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville Railroad (PP&J).
The
principle commodity carried by the
PL&D at this time is
corn. 1879 The DM&S was put in the hands of trustees, but PL&D had acquired a controlling interest.
On November 17th, the PL&D and the DM&S were consolidated as the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Railway (PD&E). Note that the date of this consolidation seems to be different with each source. This varies from 1879 to 1880.
1880
On July 2nd, the PD&E buys the G&M.
The PD&E purchased the G&M under foreclosure. Some sources say November of 1879.
A line in
Indiana under the name of the Evansville and Peoria Railroad (E&P)
was chartered to take over the remaining portion of the
C&IS.
On April 20th, 1880, the first standard gauge locomotive arrives on the DOOR.
On August 24th, The E&P was consolidated with the PD&E, after which the southern terminal was changed from Mount Vernon to Evansville.
On September 28th, the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway (P&PU) is incorporated.
On November 1st, the P&PU purchases the PP&J.
1881 On February 1st, the P&PU begins operation of the former PP&J.
The
PD&E was pushed from Parkersburg
to Grayville by April, and then to Evansville by
June 1st.
By July 16th, 1881, the DOOR had been standard gauged.
The people of New Harmony, IN voted to pay the PD&E to build a branch line from Stewartsville to their town. This was put into service by December of 1881.
1882 The DOOR completed it's line from Westfield to Olney.
The DOOR was changed to standard gauge.
1883 On January 1st, the P&PU purchases the P&S.
The DOOR completed its line from Kansas to Sidell.
The DOOR went into the hands of a receiver.
1886 The DOOR was foreclosed upon in February.
In May, the DOOR was reorganized as the Chicago and Ohio River Railroad (C&OR).
In April, the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad (E&TH) gained control of the PD&E. Daniel J. Mackey was elected President of the company and the general offices were moved to Evansville.
The C&OR was acquired by the PD&E, which renamed it its Chicago Division.
The duplicate line of the former C&OR between West Liberty and Olney was removed.
1894 The PD&E was put into receivership on January 10th, 1894.
1898 In December, the PD&E sold its Chicago Division, the line from West Liberty to Sidell, along with trackage rights from West Liberty to Olney to the Indianapolis, Decatur and Western Railway (ID&W). The ID&W was a totally owned subsidiary of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway (CH&D). Interestingly, once in Olney, the last few blocks (to Butler) were on its own rail on Camp Street.
1899 On February 1st, the ID&W took possession and began operating the former Chicago Division of the PD&E.
On February 6th, the PD&E was put up for auction and the Illinois Central Railroad (IC) won the bid.
On August 1st, the IC took over operation of the M&E.
In September, the IC took over operation of the PD&M.
1901 In July, the IC leased both the PD&M and the M&E.
In October, the IC took official ownership of the M&E.
1902 The ID&W was consolidated with the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Indianapolis Railroad (CH&I) forming the Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railway (CI&W) which was a totally owned by the CH&D.
1905 The CH&D enters receivership on December 20th, 1905.
In April, the IC took official ownership of the PD&M.
1909 The CH&D comes out of receivership.
On July 2nd, the CH&D enters receivership again.
In 1914 a subway (trench) was completed through part of Mattoon for the IC's line to Chicago. Interestingly, this duplicated physically what had been done on the corporate level in 1900. This made it impossible to go straight through Mattoon on the old PD&E.
1915 The CI&W is sold on October 13th (beginning operation on December 1st), with the name being changed from railway to railroad.
On December 1st, the Sidell and Olney Railroad (S&O) was formed separately, being wholly owned by the CI&W.
1919 On April 15th, the S&O is auctioned off.
On April 18th the Westfield Railroad (WRR) was formed between Casey and Kansas.
Also in April, the Westfield Motor Railway Company (WMRC) is formed to operate the WRR which it began on June 2nd.
The WMRC was poorly run, and stopped operating the track of the WRR.
The Kansas and Sidell Railroad (K&S) was formed to take over the operation between those cities.
On June 19th, the Yale Short Line (YSL) was formed to operate between Yale and Casey.
1925 The WRR didn't have much more success running its line than the WMRC had, and it folded in August.
1926 On January 2nd, the owners of the K&S formed the Casey and Kansas Railroad (C&K) to operate the defunct WRR that they had acquired.
1928 The K&S begins operating the YSL.
The YSL was leased by the K&S.
1937 In July and August, the tracks of the C&K were removed.
1938 In November, the YSL, which operated the portion of the line between Yale and Casey, was abandoned and the tracks taken up.
On December 6th, the C&K was formally dissolved.
1939 March 15th, the passenger trains made their last run on the IC's former PD&E lines.
By March, even the mixed trains were taken off of the IC's former PD&E lines.
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) bough the line of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI) from Evansville to Chicago. Much of the traffic on the old PD&E from Evansville to Mattoon was L&N traffic bound for Chicago. This dried up a significant portion of the traffic on this segment of the old PD&E, and would soon signal disaster for that part of the line.
IC merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad becoming the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad (ICG).
1976 By October 18th, the New Harmony branch was taken up.
In the early 1980's, ICG petitioned to abandon the segment from Mattoon to Evansville.
1982 Late in the year, the Lerna to Newton segment was pulled up, and the Mattoon to Lerna segment was sold to the grain elevator at Jones'.
1986 In March, the segment from Browns to Evansville was sold to the Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation (IHRC).
1988 On February 29th, the ICG changed its name to Illinois Central Railroad (IC).
On August 22, the Indiana Railroad (IRR) purchased the Newton to Browns segment and turned it over to IHRC to operate.
1994 The IHRC declared bankruptcy.
1996 Owensville Terminal Company (OTC) financed the Evansville Terminal Company (ETC) to purchase the line from Browns to Evansville from the trustee of the IHRC.
On May 3rd, IHRC received approval to abandon the line from Newton to Browns.
On September 12th, ETC embargoed rail service from Browns to Poseyville.
1997 On August 1st, 1997, OTC takes over the Browns to Poseyville portion of the ETC with plans to abandon it.
1998 On February 23rd, the Surface Transportation Board decided that OTC can remove the rails between Browns and Poseyville, but can not abandon it.
1999 Most of the line from Browns to Poseyville was sold for scrap.
On July 1st, the IC was merged into the Canadian National Railway (CN).
On April 1st, the Indiana Southwestern Railway Company (ISW), a Pioneer Railcorp operation, took over a portion of ETC's line from Harwood Yard to Poseyville.
2002 In the
Summer or Spring, the Newby to Lerna segment was torn up. 2004
2005 On the night of January 12th/13th, one of the spans of the bridge over the Wabash River was washed away by record floods.
On September 9th, Surface Transportation Board gave the Browns, Grayville and Poseyville Railway (BG&P) permission to acquire OTC's line from Browns and Poseyville, relay the track, and operate it.
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