| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Illinois Central Railroad | |
|---|---|
| IC corporate logo | |
| Reporting marks | IC |
| Locale | central United States |
| Years of operation | – 1998 |
| Track gauge | 4' 8.5" |
| Headquarters | |
The Illinois Central ( AAR reporting marks IC) was a railroad carrier in the central United States, with its primary routes from Chicago to New Orleans and Sioux Falls.
The IC was one of the older Class 1 railroads in the US. In the 1960s the railroad merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. The railroad has since dropped the "Gulf" from its name and is again known as the Illinois Central Railroad.
In 1998 the IC was purchased by Canadian National Railroad (CN). As time passes, the IC identity is slowly fading through CN's maintenance and repainting programs, although some CN locomotives retain the IC reporting marks on their cabs.
The name of the railroad was popularized in the song " City of New Orleans" written and performed by Steve Goodman and covered by Arlo Guthrie among others.
| Current (operating) Class 1 railroads of the United States |
| AMTK, BNSF, CN, CP, CSXT, KCS, NS, UP |
| Historic ( fallen flag) Class 1 railroads of the United States |
| ACL, AGS , ATSF, B&LE, B&M, B&O, BAR , BN, C&O, CB&Q, CG , CGW, CNTP , CNW, CR, CRIP, CV, D&H , DMIR , DRGW, EJE , FEC, GN, GTW, IC, ICG, MEC , MILW, MKT, MP, NYC, NKP, N&W, P&LE , PM, PRR, SAL, SBD, SCL, SOO, SOU, SP, SSW , T&P , VGN, WAB, WP |