Chicago Area Shortline Railroads
Historical Shortline Railroads of Chicagoland
A
Aurora Elgin & Fox River - Became part of RELIC
(Fox Valley trolley museum)
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B
Bridgeport & South Chicago- absorbed by
Chicago Terminal Transfer
Buckeye East Chicago Shut down 9/17/17
Buckeye Hammond shut down 9/17/17
Burlington South Chicago Terminal - Purchased by
Chicago & Western Indiana
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C
C & C Railroad Ended 3-12-2021
Calumet Hammond & Southeastern -Absorbed by Chicago Short Line
Calumet Transload & Railroad Sold 12/31/2012
to KM Railways
Central Illinois Railway Quit: 8/9/2010
Calumet Western - Purchased by Chicago Rail Link
Central Wisconsin - Operations taken over by Wisconsin & Calumet
Chicago & Calumet River - industrial line - abandoned
Chicago & Calumet Terminal - Merged into Chicago Terminal Transfer
Chicago & Illinois Western - Merged into Illinois
Central
Chicago & Indiana - Went out of business
Chicago & Waldheim operated before 1880
Chicago & West Ridge - track taken over by C&NW
Chicago & Western - (1880-1885)
Chicago & Western Indiana - Purchased
by Missouri Pacific
Chicago Attica & Southern - Abandoned
Chicago Aurora & Elgin electric line - Abandoned
Chicago Central - Purchased by Chicago Terminal Transfer
Chicago Hammond & Western - Merged into Chicago Junction
Chicago Heights Switching corporation dissolved
Chicago Junction - Purchased by Chicago River & Indiana
Chicago Lake Shore & Eastern - absorbed by Elgin Joliet & Eastern
Chicago Madison & Northern - Merged into Illinois Central
Chicago Madison & Northern - Operations taken over by Wisconsin
& Southern
Chicago Millington & Western (1870-1879) Narrow gauge (3 foot)
Chicago Missouri & Western - Regional Line - Bankrupt - sold to Southern
Pacific and Gateway Western
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee
- electric line - abandoned
Chicago Palatine & Wauconda - abandoned
Chicago Produce Terminal
Chicago River & Indiana - Merged into Conrail
Chicago Short Line - Purchased by South Chicago & Indiana Harbor
Chicago Terminal All operations terminated
Chicago Terminal Transfer - Purchased by Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal
Chicago Tunnel - Narrow gauge (2 foot) - abandoned
Chicago Union Station - Purchased by Amtrak
Chicago West Pullman & Southern - Merged into i>Chicago Rail Link
Comrail International Industrial Line
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D
Dot Rail Services - sold to Rail Services Group
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E
East Chicago Belt - became Indiana
Harbor Belt
Elgin Joliet & Eastern Merged into Wisconsin
Central by CN
Elgin Joliet & Western - Owned by Elgin
Joliet & Eastern
Elkhorn & Walworth - Operations taken over by Wisconsin &
Calumet
Erie Western - Operations taken over by Chicago & Indiana
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F
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G
Gateway Western - Regional Line - Purchased by Kansas City Southern
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H
Hammond Belt Line - (1910-1929) abandoned
Hanover - Abandon - Outlying
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I
I & M Rail Link - Regional Line - Purchased by Iowa Chicago &
Eastern
Illinois Midland - abandoned
Illinois Northern - absorbed by AT&SF (BNSF)
Illinois Railnet - sold to Illinois Railways
Indian Hill & Iron Range - industrial line - abandoned
Indiana Interstate
Indiana Harbor Connecting RR - Merged into Indiana Harbor Belt R
Iowa Chicago & Eastern Purchased by Canadian
Pacific
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J
Joliet Junction Operations discontinued 1997 -
became a bike trail
Joliet Union Depot
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K
L
LaGrange Connecting RR - merged into Indiana Harbor Belt
Landisville Contact terminated to do switching services
La Salle & Bureau County - Name changed to Chicago Rail Link
Lyons Belt Line Closed
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M
Madison Terminal Closed
Mannhein Armitage Never operational see Chessie
Logistics
Midlothian & Blue Island - abandoned
Morris Terminal Rwy - Owned / absorbed by CRI&P
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N
New Jersery Indiana & Illinois - Merged into Norfolk & Western -
Outlying
North American Industrial Rwy
North Chicago Switch Rwy
North Shore & Western - electric line - abandoned
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O
P
Palatine Lake Zurich & Wauconda - Reorganize as Chicago Palatine
& Wauconda
Plymouth Short Line
Pullman - Purchased by Chicago Rock Island &Pacific
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Q
R
Rail Services Group- Owned Central
Illinois Rwy, Quit: 8/9/2010
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S
SPCSL Corporation - Paper Road - owned by Southern Pacific- Merged into
Union Pacific
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T
Terminal merged into Indiana
Harbor Belt
Tippecanoe
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U
Union Stock Yards & Transit - Part of Chicago Junction
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V
W
Wisconsin & Calumet - Purchased by Wisconsin & Southern
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X
Y
Z
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Updated 1/1/2022