Illinois Central GP40R 3110 in charge of the Northbound Peoria Local is crossing over the Springfield District at Mt. Pulaski, Illinois on Wednesday Jan 16, 2008. STEVE SMEDLEY PHOTO

An Iowa Interstate grain empty from Peoria heads west past the former Rock Island lines depot in Tiskilwa, Illinois with a former GBW Alco C420 leading.

A former Santa Fe F45 purchased by the Wisconsin Central leads an loaded taconite train past the abandoned Chenoa depot on Southern Pacific's Joliet Sub.

Chicago & NorthWestern Railway 5099 East, the last CNW GP50 built, leads a set of four GP50's on a long stack train at Winfield, Illinois on Christmas Day 1985.

Grand Trunk SD40's handle a long stack train through the Broadway crossing in Blue Island. STEVE SMEDLEY PHOTO

Peoria & Pekin Union Railway rarely used diesels in multiple, unless of course a long train called for it. Here the 605 and 603 are pulling a long empty coal hopper train back to the Chicago & Nor... (more)

Union Pacific Railroad southbound freight M BNAS (Bloomington - Alton Southern) runs over the ex-GM&O at Ridgely Tower in Springfield, Illinois. The tower operator is outside to give the train a ... (more)

A Norfolk Southern Railway loaded auto train using a Union Pacific C40-8 rolls beneath the abandoned Chicago & North Western Railway ''SI'' (Southern Illinois) line at Curran, Illinois on its way ... (more)

Illinois & Midland SD18 number 61 arrives Springfield, Illinois on Saturday afternoon, December 30th, 2007 after a run from Pekin, Illinois. I&M 61 and sister unit 60 are equipped with dual contr... (more)

The CNIC's Peoria Local makes a rare early morning run south, after the previous days crew died on the hours of service. A BNSF unit has been borrowed off a coal train being unloaded in Decatur. T... (more)

The CNIC's Peoria Local makes a rare early morning run south, after the previous days crew died on the hours of service. A BNSF unit has been borrowed off a coal train being unloaded in Decatur. T... (more)

An unpatched and a little worse for the wear Southern Pacific SD45 R leads three other UP six axles and a short MBNAS south out of Bloomington, Illinois on Thursday November 29, 2007. STEVE SMEDL... (more)

Illinois Central 3140 is another one of a kind locomotive on the current CNIC roster. The engine is former Chicago & North Western Railway GP50 # 5051, derated to 3000 hsp while retaining its GP50... (more)

Amtrak train 303, the Ann Rutledge, gets a highball from the conductor of train 22, The Texas Eagle, as they perform a Market Street meet in Bloomington Tuesday morning. STEVE SMEDLEY PHOTO

Union Pacific's South Local, with a 25 year old former Rio Grande GP40 on the point, blasts away from its work on the Havana District and Lincoln, Illinois. STEVE SMEDLEY PHOTO