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Chicago and Eastern Illinois Steam Locomotives

The classifications given by railroads to their steam locomotive fleets were as varied as the machines themselves with several different designations within a particular class! The Chicago and Eastern Illinois steam locomotives were likewise characterized by a wide range of classes ranging from B to O. In any event, the information here is most certainly not a complete, all-time listing of C&EI's steam fleet and also is merely meant to list the general types of steam locomotives operated by the railroad.

The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Midwest Class I system that operated almost entirely in Illinois connecting St. Louis and southern Missouri/Illinois with Chicago to the north. A well-managed property throughout much of its history (although it did slip into bankruptcy a few times) the C&EI’s traffic was heavily made up of coal (in southern Illinois) and interchange with the many other Class I systems it connected with (i.e., bridge traffic). While the railroad floated in and out of control by other larger systems, like the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (the Frisco), it was finally purchased by the Missouri Pacific in the early 1960s with the Louisville & Nashville Railway also acquiring ownership of its Evansville route. Today, virtually all of the C&EI’s former routes are still intact, most of which are operated by MoPac successor Union Pacific and L&N successor CSX Transportation.

Interestingly, for its rather small size the C&EI rostered some large steam locomotives including 2-10-2 Santa Fes and 2-8-2 Santa Fes. Today, unfortunately none of these locomotives, or any steamers operated by the C&EI survive preserved.

Class B

The C&EI's Class B included its fleet of 0-6-0 switchers.

Class C

The C&EI's Class C included its fleet of 0-8-0 switchers.

Class D

The C&EI's Class D included its fleet of 4-4-0 Americans.

Class E

The C&EI's Class E included its fleet of 4-4-2 Atlantics.

Class F

The C&EI's Class F included its fleet of 2-6-0 Moguls.

Class G

The C&EI's Class G included its fleet of 4-6-0 Ten-Wheelers.

Class H

The C&EI's Class H included its fleet of 2-8-0 Consolidations.

Class K

The C&EI's Class K included its fleet of 4-6-2 Pacifics.

Class M

The C&EI's Class M included its fleet of 4-8-0 Twelve-Wheelers.

Class N

The C&EI's Class N included its fleet of 2-8-2 Mikados.

Class O

The C&EI's Class O included its fleet of 2-10-2 Santa Fes.

For complete roster information regarding Chicago and Eastern Illinois steam locomotives please click here.

For more reading on the steam locomotive types operated by the C&EI consider Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive by author J. Parker Lamb. As the name implies the book details the earliest history of steam engine technology, even before it was used in railroad applications. His book later explores the development of steam locomotive technology in the United States from the 19th through the 20th centuries, covering not only the most popular steam locomotive designs but also the most successful manufactures to build them. The book has received excellent reviews and is a great resource on steam locomotives and a fine reference tool; you should find it very useful.

Also, consider the book American Steam Locomotives from author Brian Solomon. While this publication does not include quite as much technical data as Lamb's book, Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive, it is still a very good resource with lots of information and best of all, is loaded with photographs! If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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