Early Railroad History in Madison County
Miscellaneous Railroad Articles
The Alton & Sangamon (Chicago & Alton) Railroad
The first railroad built in Madison County was the Chicago & Alton
Railroad, which was first known as the Alton & Sangamon or Alton and
Springfield Railroad. It was chartered in 1847, and completed to
Springfield in 1852. Its projector was Captain Benjamin Godfrey of
Godfrey, and he was the moving spirit in the enterprise until its
completion to the State capital. Captain Godfrey lived in a railroad
car and followed the work as it progressed, and mortgaged all his
property to ensure its success. Alton businessmen such as Cyrus
Edwards, Simeon Ryder, S. Griggs, and Robert Ferguson were also
leading the way to ensure the railroad was constructed. Construction
began in February 1850, and was completed from Alton to Springfield
in 1852.
The work of the railroad was a large undertaking. It involved
building a culvert through the Piasa Valley, from the Mississippi
River to as far north of Eighth Street in Alton, and the filling in
of a large tract of lowland adjacent, and the cutting of a roadway
through the hills north of town to the Summit, two miles from the
river, in order to secure a practicable grade. Originally, the line
into Alton ran south down Piasa Street, and ended at the depot
between Third and Fourth Street. Tracks were not allowed south of
the north side of Third Street at that time. The first train from
into Alton from Springfield pulled into town on September 9, 1852.
By 1854, the railroad was extended to Bloomington as the Chicago and
Mississippi Railroad, and in 1855, the line was extended to Joliet.
The Upper Alton division of the Chicago & Alton Railroad was
constructed in 1881, to avoid the heavy grade coming out of Alton.
It was seven miles long, and was known as the “Cut Off,” and saved
two and a half miles distance.
Click here to read
newspaper clippings regarding the Chicago & Alton Railroad, from
it's planning stages in 1838 to the early 1900s.
The Terre Haute & Alton
The second railroad built in Madison County was the Terre Haute &
Alton, later part of the Big Four Railroad (Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Chicago & St. Louis Railroad). It was incorporated in 1851, and
pushed forward rapidly to a connection with Indiana. Its principal
promoter was Captain Simeon Ryder of Alton, who was president of the
railroad both prior to and after 1854. In 1856, it was extended from
Alton to East St. Louis (Illinoistown).
Construction began on the Terre Haute in 1852. On March 1, 1856, the
main line from Terre Haute, Indiana to Alton, Illinois was
completed. In consolidation with the Belleville and Illinoistown
Railroad in 1856, the name was changed to the Terre Haute, Alton &
St. Louis Railroad. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861,
additional equipment, locomotives, and cars meant increased shop
space, machinery, and a larger workforce were needed. In February
1865, the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad was
incorporated, and proposed as the new western connection, joining
the Highland & St. Louis and the Alton line. In March 1865, the
Indiana legislature changed the name of the railroad to Terre Haute
& Indianapolis Railroad. In July 1868, the track was laid as far as
Highland, and in July of that year train service was inaugurated
between Highland and East St. Louis. In 1905, the railroad
consolidated with the St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute, Terre Haute
& Logansport, Logansport & Toledo, and the Indianapolis & Vincennes,
to form the Vandalia Railroad Company. This line had a course of
twenty-four miles through Madison County in 1912. It was then linked
to the Pennsylvania System.
Click
here to read the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad newspaper clippings.
The Big Four
Railroad (Cleveland, Cicinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad)
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (also known
as the Big Four) had its primary routes in Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, and Ohio. The railroad was formed on June 30, 1889, by the
merger of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St.
Louis and Chicago Railway, and the Indianapolis and St. Louis
Railway. The following year, the company gained control of the
former Indiana, Bloomington, and Western Railway. In 1906, the Big
Four was acquired by the New York Central Railroad, which operated
it as a separate entity until around 1930. The Big Four's lines were
later incorporated into Penn Central in 1968, with the merger of New
York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Big Four Railroad was headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in
what was known as the Big Four Building. In 1996, this multi-story
structure became a Hampton Inn hotel.
Click here to read the Big Four
Railroad newspaper clippings.
The Wabash Railroad
The Wabash, in 1912, had a course of about thirty-four miles in
Madison County, extending from the southwest corner to a point ten
miles west of the northeast corner. It was originally, in Madison
County, called the Decatur & East St. Louis Railroad, which was
completed to East St. Louis in 1871, and became part of the Wabash,
St. Louis & Pacific System.
Click here to
read Wabash Railroad newspaper clippings.
The Rock Island Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
The Rock Island Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad operated eight miles of track in Madison County in 1912,
its line lying in Foster and Wood River Townships. It terminated in
1912 at East Alton, its trains from that point running into East St.
Louis over the Big Four tracks. The road was built in 1869-70 by the
farmers and merchants along the line, together with bonuses from the
towns enroute, and was known as the Rockford, Rock Island & St.
Louis Railroad. After numerous changes, it passed into the hands of
the Burlington in 1876, under a perpetual lease.
The St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago Railroad
The St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago Railroad extended from Godfrey
to Bloomington, Illinois, and in 1912 had about six miles of track
in the county, extending from Godfrey to the Jersey County line. It
was acquired under lease by the Chicago & Alton prior to 1870, and
was operated as a part of its Jacksonville and Kansas City branches.
The Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad
The Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad, known as the “Clover Leaf”
and allied with the Alton system, was built as a narrow-gauge
railroad, and was subsequently changed to standard gauge. It had
thirty-seven miles of railroad in Madison County in 1912. Work was
commenced on the line in Madison County in 1881.
The Alton & St. Louis Railroad
The Alton & St. Louis Railroad was built in 1864 by John J. Mitchell
of Alton, under agreement with the Chicago & Alton to merge its
franchise with that road on its completion to St. Louis, which was
done. The Chicago & Alton had about thirty miles of main track in
Madison County, with many miles of sidings.
The Illinois Terminal Railroad and The Madison County Railroad
The Illinois Terminal Railroad, 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 1896 to 1956.
The Illinois Terminal operated from Alton to Edwardsville, with
branches and extensions, and was the most important road in the
county in regard to local development. The nucleus of this railroad
was the Madison County Railroad, which extended originally from
Edwardsville west to the Mississippi River, where it formed a
connection with the Alton and St. Louis packets. Construction began
on the Madison County Railroad in 1867, and was
built by Tunstall & Holmes of St. Louis, who had purchased the
steamers of the Alton-St. Louis line from the Chicago & Alton Road,
when that company extended its line from Alton to St. Louis. Leading
citizens of Edwardsville were the promoters of the new line. Judge
Joseph Gillespie, Judge David Gillespie, and Captain J. F. Lusk were
prominent pioneers of this road. The original intention was to build
to Alton, and the Ohio & Mississippi Road also intended to form a
connection with the road to Alton, but rival and antagonistic
railroad influences prevented the consummation of the original plan,
and the road was only built to the river. Captain J. True Dodge
represented Tunstall & Holmes, contractors, in the building of the
road. The civil engineers were Harry C. Swift and T. M. Long, and
the first engine, at the suggestion of Captain Dodge, was named
“Harry C. Swift.” The German Savings Bank of St. Louis had a
mortgage on the road, and eventually foreclosed it and the property
was purchased at the sale by Jay Gould, who owned it for sixteen
years, when it passed into the control of the Wabash, and was
operated by that company until leased by the Illinois Terminal in
1899. This company was incorporated in 1895, for the purpose of
serving industries located in the city of Alton, and developing the
manufacturing resources of Alton and county. Immediately after
incorporation, the work of construction was begun, and the road
completed from Henry Street to the eastern city limits by the
following February. It was the intention at the time to build the
road to Edwardsville Crossing (near Hartford), and there make
connection with the Edwardsville branch of the Wabash, which would
give the latter company entrance to Alton. It was also designed to
make connection with the joint levee tracks in Alton, but delays and
antagonisms developed, and it was not until 1900 that by joint
arrangement with the Alton Bridge Company, the railroad was able to
extend to the Union Station in Alton and the levee tracks. In the
Spring of 1899, a formal agreement had been entered into with the
Wabash Railroad, whereby they leased to the Illinois Terminal for a
term of years that portion of their track from Edwardsville Crossing
to Edwardsville. A connection was then constructed from the eastern
city limits to Edwardsville Crossing, and the road was put in
operation from Henry Street in Alton to Edwardsville, in November
1899.
In 1904, a line was constructed from Cotter’s Station to LeClaire,
adjacent to Edwardsville, in order to secure a direct connection
with the Toledo, St. Louis & Western and the Litchfield & Madison
Railroads. In August 1910, a trackage arrangement was made with the
St. Louis & Illinois Belt Railroad, whereby the Illinois Terminal
Railroad obtained the right to operate trains over that portion of
the St. Louis & Illinois Belt Railroad, between LeClaire and Formosa
Junction, thereby securing a connection with the St. Louis, Troy &
Eastern at Troy Junction, and the Vandalia Railroad at Formosa
Junction, and giving it twenty-five miles of track in Madison
County.
The Illinois Terminal Railroad was largely dependent upon its
ability to secure the location of manufacturing plants along and
adjacent to its line. A vigorous campaign for the location of
industries was commenced in 1907, which resulted in several large
factories being located in the vicinity of Alton, and more or less
of an industrial development in and around Edwardsville. The
Illinois Terminal Railroad maintained extensive yards, terminals,
shops, and roundhouses just east of Alton, which were made necessary
by the rapidly increasing traffic with the development of the
industrial district. The general offices of the Illinois Terminal
were located in Alton. The officers of the Illinois Terminal in 1912
were George M. Levis, president; H. H. Ferguson, vice-president; L.
A. Schlafly, treasurer; H. S. Baker, secretary; George M. Levis, H.
H. Ferguson, L. A. Schlafly, H. S. Baker, and James Duncan,
directors.
The primary money-making role of the Illinois Terminal was a freight
interchange link to major steam railroads at its terminal ends.
Interurban passenger service slowly was reduced, ending in 1956. In
1956, the Illinois Terminal was absorbed by a consortium of
connecting railroads.
Click
here to read Madison County Railroad newspaper clippings.
The Litchfield & Madison Railroad
The Litchfield & Madison Railroad was forty-four miles long. It
extended from Litchfield, Montgomery County, to Madison, Madison
County. All but about twelve miles on the road were in Madison
County. Through Olive and Omphghent Township, it paralleled the
Wabash. It was originally a part of the Jacksonville & Southeastern
lines, but when that system disintegrated, it was purchased and
became an independent line. It traversed a rich territory, and was
known as a “coal road” from the large quantities of coal that it
transported from the mines to the markets. It was an important
factor in developing the resources of Madison County. James Duncan
of Alton was its president and director, and C. A. Caldwell of Alton
was also a director.
The St. Louis, Troy & Eastern Railroad
The St. Louis, Troy & Eastern Railroad was another important local
road and a heavy coal carrier. In 1912, it had about twenty-five
miles in Madison County. The Granite City & Madison Belt Line and
the Madison, Illinois & St. Louis Railway were local connecting
lines, each a fraction less than two miles in length. The Granite
City & East St. Louis Company, and the Granite City & Mississippi
were likewise short terminal or connecting lines.
The Alton Terminal Railroad
The Alton Terminal Railroad was a short line within the Alton city
limits. It was operated by the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway
Company of Illinois.
The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad (Bluff Line
Railroad)
The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad, locally called the Bluff
Line, ran northwest from Granite City through Madison County, a
distance of about twenty-six miles, through Nameoki, Chouteau, Wood
River, Alton, and Godfrey Townships.
Click here to
read more about this railroad.
The Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad extended about thirty-five miles
through Madison County in a northeasterly direction.
The Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad (Frisco Line)
The Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, the “Frisco Line,” ran
through Madison County paralleling the Big Four “Cut Off,”
thirty-three miles.
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From the Native American trails in 1812, to hundreds of miles of
steam and electric railroad in 1912, no other county in the State,
except Cook, was traversed by so many trunk-line railroads radiating
to all parts of the country.
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MISCELLANEOUS RAILROAD ARTICLES
PASSENGER TRAINS IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 6, 1894
The actual number of passenger trains that arrive in or depart from
Alton is sixty-six trains per day. Chicago, which it was a city of
150,000 inhabitants, boasted of having sixty trains a day. Alton
probably has as fine railroad facilities as any town in Illinois,
outside of Chicago. The number given above is the actual number of
trains that either pass through the city, start from here, or arrive
at Alton as a terminus. It does not include the duplicates which
appear in the time cards. Twenty-two trains leave the city before 9
o’clock a.m.
SOURCES:
Centennial History of Madison County and Its People, 1812-1912, by
W. T. Norton.
The Alton Telegraph