The ''Meadowlark'' was a streamlined

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

operated by the

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two Worl ...

between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 ...

and

Cypress, Illinois Cypress is a village in Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 234 at the 2010 census. History Cypress was established in the late 1890s as a stop along the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, a Class I railroad. In 1984 ...

. It operated from 1946 to 1962. The ''Meadowlark'' was the C&EI's last train to

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois, also known as Little Egypt, is the southern third of Illinois, principally along and south of Interstate 64. Although part of a Midwestern United States, Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of th ...

History

The ''Meadowlark'' was one of two new streamliners introduced by the C&EI in late 1946, the other being the short-lived ''

Whippoorwill The eastern whip-poor-will (''Antrostomus vociferus'') is a medium-sized (22–27 cm; 8.7-10.6 ins.) bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less o ...

'' which served

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

. The C&EI billed the train as a "Chicago-liner" and promised "quieter, smoother, roomier lounge-car luxury." The new streamliner made the journey from Chicago to

in seven hours. The train departed Cypress at 5:15 AM, arriving at Chicago's Dearborn Station at 12:25 PM. Five hours later the train began the journey back to Cypress, arriving after midnight. Writing in 2006, railroad historian Joe Welsh called the ''Meadowlark'' "inviting" while noting that the destination of Cypress was "obscure." On the train's first anniversary the C&EI claimed total ridership of 150,000 passengers and that the train had "girdled the globe 10 times in her daily travels." In the early 1950s the ''Meadowlark'' continued south to Joppa, on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, but by the middle of the decade it was cut back to West Vienna, Illinois, north of Cypress. The C&EI discontinued the ''Meadowlark'' altogether on January 5, 1962, ending the railroad's service to

Equipment

Pullman-Standard delivered four cars for the original ''Meadowlark'': a baggage/mail/grill car (the ''Sparhawk Inn'') and three 60-seat coaches. In 1956 the C&EI replaced the streamlined equipment with a

Budd Rail Diesel Car The Budd Rail Diesel Car, RDC, Budd car or Buddliner is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adop ...

(RDC). In a 1957 company publication C&EI touted the "comfort and speed" of the RDC and touted its suitability for operation in "sparsely settled areas." While the language echoed earlier advertisements, the downgrade was obvious.

Notes

References

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External links

1953 timetable
{{CEI named trains Passenger trains of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Railway services introduced in 1946 Railway services discontinued in 1962