CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs today unveiled the railroad’s 17th heritage locomotive, which pays homage to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.
“Another great job by our ONE CSX team in Waycross, Georgia. Founded in 1877, C&EI Railroad connected Chicago with southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville, IN. In the 1960’s C&EI was purchased by both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Louisville & Nashville Railroads (L&N). The L&N piece, through Evansville, IN became part of CSX,” Hinrichs wrote on LinkedIn. “The Missouri Pacific piece became part of Union Pacific. Thanks again to everyone who helps bring these heritage units to life so we can celebrate our history and heritage while also showcasing that we are ONE CSX team moving forward. Enjoy. The back end of this engine is particularly interesting.”
The 1877 joins others in the railroad’s growing heritage fleet, which includes locomotives honoring the Georgia Railroad; Pittsburgh & Lake Erie; Family Lines; Pere Marquette; Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac; Baltimore & Ohio; Chessie System; Seaboard System; Conrail; Chesapeake & Ohio; Louisville & Nashville; Atlantic Coast Line; New York Central; Monon; Western Maryland; and Seaboard Coast Line.
All of the units have been painted at CSX’s shop in Waycross, Ga.
Keep them coming CSX! I for one like them all.
Still waiting on the New Haven heritage unit, as CSX runs over several ex- New Haven lines in SE Massachusetts.
Seriously, though, let’s call it well enuff and bring this to a halt. The major components of CSX are L&N, SAL, ACL, C&O, B&O, and NYC. Most of those have predecessors (C&EI into L&N etc. etc. etc). I think what we have now is getting lost in the weeds.
Into the age of diesels, there were dozens, maybe over a hundred, railroads with diesel liveries. Do all of them get heritage units? CSX absorbed Pan Am which was descended from B&M and other railroads. When does it stop?
The MILW also used the C&EI route when reaching their Latta Sub south of Terre Haute after they shut down their line from Harvey to Terre Haute. The Indiana RR picked up their rights when they took over the Latta Sub.
Now its their Chicago Subdivision.