The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad (Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad) is part of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

(IC), which is owned by the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CN) through the

Grand Trunk Corporation The Grand Trunk Corporation is the subsidiary holding company for the Canadian National Railway's properties in the United States. It is named for CN subsidiary railroad Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The Association of American Railroads has cons ...

. Operationally, the Chicago Central & Pacific is designated as the Iowa Zone of CN's Southern Region.

History

The Iowa Division of the original Illinois Central Railroad began its service to

Warren, Illinois Warren is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2020 census, down from 1,428 at the 2010 census. Warren was named after Warren Burnett, the first male child born at the site. History Captain Ale ...

in January 1854. By September 1854 the tracks ran to

Scales Mound, Illinois Scales Mound is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 436 at the 2020 census. History The original town of Scales Mound was located at the base of an erosional remnant similar to Charles Mound, about a mile s ...

and on October 31, 1854, the Illinois Central made it to

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...

. On June 12, 1855 the tracks were expanded to

East Dubuque, Illinois East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2020 census, down from 1,704 in 2010. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. The ...

. By December 1868 a draw-bridge was built over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

to Dubuque, Iowa. The

Dubuque Rail Bridge The Dubuque Rail Bridge carries a single rail line across the Mississippi River between Dubuque, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois, near river mile 580. It is currently operated by Canadian National Railway as a result of their 1999 purchase of Il ...

was rebuilt in the 1890s. With entrepreneur Jack Haley as president and CEO, the Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad was formed by a spin-off from the by-then-named

Illinois Central Gulf The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

. Distinct operations began on December 24, 1985. The IC repurchased the railroad in 1996 and operated it as a subsidiary until the IC itself was purchased by CN three years later. The operation continues as a subsidiary of the

Structure

The railroad was organized into eight subdivisions and other spurs. The subdivisions listed from east to west include the following: *

Freeport Subdivision The Freeport Subdivision is a railroad line in Illinois which runs from 16th Street in downtown Chicago to Freeport, Illinois. It is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN). the line is almost exclusively freight-only, with only a ...

* Dubuque Subdivision * Cedar Rapids Subdivision * Osage Subdivision * Waterloo Subdivision * Omaha Subdivision * Cherokee Subdivision * Ida Grove Subdivision

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Central Pacific Railroad Railway companies established in 1985 Illinois railroads Iowa railroads Nebraska railroads Predecessors of the Illinois Central Railroad Canadian National Railway subsidiaries Spin-offs of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Companies operating former Illinois Central Railroad lines Companies operating former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad lines Companies operating former Chicago and North Western Transportation Company lines 1985 establishments in Illinois