Whenever anyone says "Illinois Midland", most people think of the Chicago & Illinois Midland, now known as the Illinois & Midland. But there was an Illinois Midland Ry. which was in Illinois, but not in the midland. It was not too far out of the Chicago area and ran between Newark (pronounced Nurk) and a CB&Q connection at Millington for a distance of 1.9 miles. It was built in 1917.

My first encounter with the IM was in 1956 when they were still running steam. The 4 spot was built by Vulcan in 1924, #3422. In July,1959 they acquired CB&Q 9120 which was a 65 Ton Whitcomb built March, 1932, #50007. It was originally 112, but was renumbered in 1933. I got to see it in 1962 on a trip back to Milwaukee from Peoria. It didn't last as long as the 4 spot, as a visit in 1964 found the unnumbered rebuilt Plymouth doing the honors. I would imagine that the 9120 was just too much for this little road. The whole purpose of this line was to haul cars to and from the grain elevator at Newark.

I lost track of the IM after I moved to Texas in 1965. I would be interested in knowing when it quit and what became of the locomotives. At no time was there more than one locomotive on the line. I only wish I had taken a picture of their other piece of equipment, a Ford Model A truck on steel wheels.

AMDG

5/18/2002

Memorial of Saint John I

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