IOWA INTERSTATE RAILROAD
HOW GREAT IS IT BEING FROM IOWA?
Not exactly your average "Chicagoland Railroad"
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.The Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd. (Reporting mark IAIS) is a class 2 railroad operating 664 miles of track between Chicago, IL and Council Bluffs, IA, making it the third largest class 2 railroad system in the United States, (Behind PAR and ARR). The main yard for IAIS in Chicago is Burr Oak Yard in Blue Island, IL, from which the BICB (Daily Blue Island-Council Bluffs train) originates and where the CBBI (Daily Council Bluffs-Blue Island train) terminates. Other road freights to and from here include the BISI and SIBI (Blue Island-Silvis, IL and vise-versa) and an occasional XBICB or XCBBI (extra road freights). The BICB departs Burr Oak around 7 p.m., and the CBBI arriving around midnight, each night. While railfanning in Chicagoland, your best chance to see the Iowa is between 7-10 p.m. (BICB) at any station on the Metra Rock Island District, including Blue Island, Midloathian, Orland Park, Tinley Park (both 80th Ave and the city's station), New Lenox and Joliet.
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WHAT WE STAND FOR (our history)
from the ashes of one, Arose another... |
In 1980, perhaps one of the most well-know railroads, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Best know as the Rock Island, or the Reporting mark CRIP) declared bankruptcy. The newly formed Chessie System purchased most of the now abandoned trackage. In 1984, the newly formed Iowa Interstate Railroad emerged after buying a chunk of the ex-Rock Island in Iowa. They began with second hand power from Illinois Central, while today the fleet has vastly improved now consisting of 17 GE Evolution Series "ES44AC" Locomotives, 22 EMD General Purpose Series "GP38-2" locomotives, and 4 EMD "SD38-2" series locomotives. After the purchase of the old Rock mainline in 1984, the Iowa Interstate began expanding further and further east, past Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Rock Island before encountering a problem. The Chessie System owned a section of the Rock between Blue Island and Bureau, IL where it split off south to Peoria. The railroad expanded out to Bureau, hoping to obtain trackage rights to Chicago and Peoria. Instead, Chessie refused but offered for them an interchange at Bureau. Soon after, Chessie System was absorbed into the CSXT (Chessie Seaboard system) allowing tightly controlled areas to certain vulnerability. The Norfolk and Western Railway Co. bought the Peoria line from CSXT, shattering IAIS's plans. Although the plan to purchase the CRIP didn't work, they later received trackage rights. Even though they had acquired a route to Peoria, CSXT was still in control of the line to Chicago. With shipments improving, Iowa Interstate attempted every way possible to receive trackage rights to Chicago, the hard work paid off and trackage rights were acquired, although heavy restrictions were put in place. CSXT, called the subdivision "The New Rock" and had given them rights on the line from Bureau to Joliet, where the trackage became RTA property, CSX Transportation also owned a portion of the Peoria line from Bureau to Henry, IL to reach industrial area's there, which the Iowa also acquired rights for. In 2006, CSXT terminated all operations on the New Rock between LaSalle and Henry, IL, leasing it to IAIS to operate and maintain themselves.
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