NYC 1696, an EMD F7A, on the old Peoria and Eastern Railway, Bloomington, IL in April 1965.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
PEORIA AND EASTERN RAILWAY
The Peoria and Eastern Railway was incorporated on February 21, 1890, for the purpose of constructing or acquiring a railway between Pekin, Illinois, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The following day, the company acquired such a railroad from Charles H. Coster and Samuel Spencer, who had purchased the railroad in a foreclosure sale of the Ohio, Indiana and Western Railway, which had become insolvent the previous year. On the same day, the company entered into an agreement with the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, surrendering operation and control of the railroad to that company, also known as the "Big Four".
Peoria and Eastern Railway GP7 5671 with 2 different logos, Urbana, IL in January 1972.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Peoria and Eastern Railway (red) and New York Central system (orange) as of 1918.
(Wikimedia maps | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors)
Peoria and Eastern Railway "Road to the Future" Caboose 29417, Urbana, IL in January 1972.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
New York Central
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. Penn Central declared bankruptcy in 1970, and in 1976 many of Big Four's lines were included in the government-sponsored Conrail. Conrail was privatized in 1987 and in 1997 was jointly acquired by CSX and Norfolk Southern.
NYC 6066, 5608, and 5700 (GP9, GP7, and GP7) Urbana, IL on the Peoria and Eastern, in July 1964.
(Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Share of the Peoria and Eastern Railway from the 1890s, unissued.
(Unbekannte Autoren und Grafiker; Scan vom EDHAC e.V., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
