The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad is part of the
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...
(IC), which is owned by the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(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, and Canada. It is named for CN subsidiary railroad Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The Association of American Railr ...
. 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 Al ...
in January 1854. By September 1854 the tracks ran to
Scales Mound, Illinois and on October 31, 1854, the Illinois Central made it to
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...
.
On June 12, 1855 the tracks were expanded to
East Dubuque, Illinois.
By December 1868 a drawbridge was built over the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
to Dubuque, Iowa.
The
Dubuque Rail Bridge 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.
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
Grand Trunk Corporation
The Grand Trunk Corporation is the subsidiary holding company for the Canadian National Railway's properties in the United States, and Canada. It is named for CN subsidiary railroad Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The Association of American Railr ...
.
Structure
The railroad was organized into eight subdivisions and other spurs. The subdivisions listed from east to west include the following:
*
Freeport Subdivision
* 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
1985 establishments in Illinois