The Litchfield and Madison Railway was a

Class I railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$ ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its nickname was the St. Louis Gateway Route. The railroad operated of track from its creation in 1900 until it was absorbed by the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

in 1958.

History

In 1889-1890, the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad began constructing a railroad line at Winston, Illinois, about a mile from

Litchfield, Illinois Litchfield is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,605 at the 2020 census. It is located in South Central Illinois, south of Springfield, Illinois, and part of the Metro East of St. Louis. History Litchfi ...

, with the intent of the line eventually reaching

Madison, Illinois Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,891 at the 2010 census. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States. ...

. At the same time, another railroad, called the St. Louis and Eastern, began building a line from Litchfield to

Glen Carbon, Illinois Glen Carbon is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis. The population was 13,842 at the 2020 census. History In 1801, Colonel Samuel Judy received a military grant for of land near the base of the bluffs, ...

, also with the goal of the line extending to Madison. Sometime in the 1890s, the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis struck an accord to lease some unbuilt right-of-way from the St. Louis and Eastern. Both lines eventually extended into Madison. The Litchfield and Madison was incorporated on March 1, 1900 by James Duncan to take over an isolated line of the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad between Litchfield and Madison. At that time, Duncan also took over the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis. In 1926, the L&M constructed a connection to the

Chicago and North Western The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

Benld, Illinois Benld is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,464 at the 2020 census, down from 1,556 in 2010 United States census, 2010. It is located in the Metro-East portion of the Greater St. Lo ...

. The railroad served as the entry to

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

for both the Chicago and North Western and 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 ...

. In addition, in the 1925-1926 time frame, the C&NW obtained trackage rights over the L&M from Benld to East St. Louis. At the same time, the L&M received minor reciprocal trackage rights over the C&NW. During its life, the L&M was known for being both a bridge railroad and also a hauler of coal. Most of the coal consisted of loads brought southbound to the St. Louis area from mines in the area. The railroad's physical plant included a depot and office at

Staunton, Illinois Staunton is the second largest city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 5,054. History Name origins A man named Stanton bought land in the area, and then decided to move on and gave the land to ...

. A timetable dated November 14, 1909 showed a daily round trip between Madison and C. B. & Q. Junction (south of Litchfield). And a timetable dated July 1925 listed five trains each way between Glen Carbon and Madison. These seem to be through trains of the

and

New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvan ...

utilizing the L&M trackage as a gateway to

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Apart from the C&NW, the L&M also connected with the Illinois Central, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in East St. Louis, the

Alton and Southern Railway The Alton and Southern Railway is a switching railroad in the Greater St. Louis area in Illinois. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. Overview The Alton and Southern ''Railroad'' was formed in 1910, and in 1913 it a ...

, the

Illinois Terminal Railroad The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks "ITC"), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from ...

, the Southern Railway, the

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is a Class III switching and terminal railroad that handles traffic in the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area. It is co-owned by five of the six Class I railroads that reach the city. Present ope ...

and the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

. The railroad was headquartered in

Edwardsville, Illinois Edwardsville is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Illinois, and is a suburb of St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri ...

Motive power

During the steam era, the L&M operated

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

steam locomotives (also known as Consolidations) and

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

steam locomotives (also known as Mikados or Mikes). In the early diesel era, the L&M operated one

Baldwin VO-1000 The Baldwin VO-1000 is a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works between January 1939 and December 1946. These units were powered by a naturally aspirated eight-cylinder diesel engine rated at , and rode on a ...

and three

ALCO RS-3 The ALCO RS-3 is a , B-B diesel-electric locomotive manufactured from May 1950 to August 1956 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and its subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). A total of 1,418 were produced: 1,265 for American railroads, ...

Merger into the Chicago and North Western

On August 1, 1957, lawyers for the Chicago and North Western filed paperwork to acquire the Litchfield and Madison outright. The

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

quickly granted the C&NW's application. The purchase price for the railroad was $8 million. The Litchfield and Madison was formally merged into the Chicago and North Western on January 2, 1958.

References

External links

Chicago & North Western Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield Madison Railway Railway companies established in 1900 Railway companies disestablished in 1958 Defunct Illinois railroads Former Class I railroads in the United States Predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company 1900 establishments in Illinois 1958 disestablishments in Illinois