Land O'Corn
|
The Land O'Corn after receiving conventional lightweight equipment. | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First service | October 26, 1941 | ||||
| Last service | August 5, 1967 | ||||
| Former operator(s) | Illinois Central Railroad | ||||
| |||||
The Land O'Corn was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and Waterloo, Iowa, from 1941 until 1967. It featured a wide range of equipment over its existence, including self-propelled Motorailers and steam locomotives, before finally adopting conventional diesel locomotives and lightweight cars. The Illinois Central discontinued the Land O'Corn in 1967; Amtrak later operated the Black Hawk over part of its route.
History
Initially the Illinois Central used self-propelled "Motorailers" manufactured by the American Car and Foundry Company. The Motorailer was a two-unit diesel multiple unit with a top speed of 83 miles per hour (134 km/h). Both units were powered; the driving car had two engines and the trailer one. Each engine was rated at 225 horsepower (168 kW).[1][2]:95 The lead car seated 70 while the rear car seated 39 for a total capacity of 109. The rear car included a coffee shop/cafe with limited seating. Unusually, the engineer sat in the open at the front of the driving car.[3]:49 Each car was 75 feet (23 m) long.[4]
The Motorailer-equipped Land O'Corn made its first run between Chicago and Waterloo on October 26, 1941.[2]:95 In February 1942 a collision with a beer truck wrecked the Motorailer and killed the engineer. Material shortages caused by World War II prevented ACF from building a replacement so the Illinois Central began operating regular steam-pulled coaches over the schedule.[3]:48[5]:623 The Illinois Central re-equipped the Land O'Corn with diesel-pulled lightweight equipment on February 12, 1947, although steam engines continued to substitute well into the 1950s.[3]:64 The train's new consist was four 56-seat lightweight coaches built by Pullman-Standard (part of a larger order which requipped the City of New Orleans and Green Diamond) and a heavyweight cafe/lounge.[6]:99 An EMD E7 headed up the train.[4]
The Land O'Corn made the Waterloo–Chicago run in 5.5 hours (lengthening to 6-6.5 hours by the mid-1960s), departing Waterloo in the morning and returning in the evening. A standard consist in the diesel era was three coaches and a cafe.[7]:121 The Land O'Corn continued operating into the 1960s as the counterpart to the overnight Hawkeye, which continued west to Sioux City, Iowa.[8]:11 The Illinois Central discontinued the Land O'Corn on August 5, 1967.[2]:98
Amtrak revived service over part of the Land O'Corn's route 1974–1981 when it operated a train between Chicago and Dubuque, Iowa. Amtrak proposed naming this train the Land O'Corn, but Illinois (which funded the service) preferred a more Illinois-centric name, so Amtrak named it the Black Hawk.[9]:245
References
- ↑ "The Latest in Streamliners". Popular Mechanics. 77 (6): 78–79. June 1942. ISSN 0032-4558.
- 1 2 3 Downey, Clifford J. (2007). Chicago and the Illinois Central Railroad. Images of rail. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738550744. OCLC 169870743.
- 1 2 3 Schafer, Mike; Brian Landis (2010). Rockford Area Railroads. Images of Rail. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-8390-7. OCLC 644650776.
- 1 2 Heimburger, Don (May 1971). "A bus on steel wheels". Trains. Kalmbach Publishing: 26–28.
- ↑ White, John H. (1985) [1978]. The American Railroad Passenger Car. 2. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801827477.
- ↑ Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. New York: Wayner Publications. OCLC 8848690.
- ↑ Cox, Jim (2011). Rails Across Dixie: A History of Passenger Trains in the American South. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9780786445288. OCLC 609716000.
- ↑ Glischinski, Steve (2007). Regional Railroads of the Midwest. Saint Paul, MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760323519. OCLC 68786766.
- ↑ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X.