Chicago & Illinois Midland Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Published: October 20, 2026
By: Adam Burns
The Chicago & Illinois Midland diesel fleet was small because the railroad was small, and it was all Electro-Motive. Six SW1200s and five SD9s replaced the steam in 1955. Two RS1325s, the only ones built, followed in 1960, then two SD18s and six SD38-2s. Three SW1500s and four SD20s were bought secondhand. The table counts 28 frames, each once. A renumber is the same locomotive.
SD9s 60, 50, and 52 at the engine house in Springfield, Illinois, on May 7, 1966. Roger Puta photo.
On this page: At a glance · Switchers · Road switchers · Roster
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Railroad | Chicago & Illinois Midland. Mark CIM. Company history |
| This table | All-time diesels, each frame once. A renumber is the same locomotive |
| Switchers | 9. Six SW1200s, new in 1955. Three SW1500s, acquired from the Southern Pacific |
| Road switchers | 19. Two RS1325s, five SD9s, two SD18s, six SD38-2s, and four SD20s |
| Total | 28 |
| The 1955 fleet | Eleven new units, the six SW1200s and the five SD9s, replaced 26 steam locomotives |
| Later Illinois & Midland power | Road switchers bought after the 1996 rename, including GP38-3s, are outside this 28 |
Switchers
The first diesels were a pair of SW1200s in early 1955. Numbers 18 and 19, builder numbers 20363 and 20375, came in April. Numbers 20–23, builder numbers 20678–20681, came in October. All six were sold. The list does not name the buyers. The switchers of 1955 are these six.
Three SW1500s came from the Southern Pacific. Number 40 was built in January 1970, number 42 in July 1972, and number 43 in October 1971. No builder numbers are printed for them. They went to the Illinois & Midland under the same numbers. The SW1200s and the SW1500s together are 9.
Road switchers
Electro-Motive loaned a pair of Milwaukee Road SD9s while the railroad was still steam. The company’s own five, numbers 50–54, builder numbers 20691–20695, were delivered in November 1955. The first of them arrived on November 17. Five days later, on November 22, the last steam-powered road train ran. The five SD9s were sold, and the list does not name the buyers. Number 51 is the engine leading the Petersburg freight below. Number 52 is the engine at the footboard.
SD9s led by 51, with another unit, on a northbound freight just outside Petersburg, Illinois, along Highway 97, circa 1956. American-Rails.com collection.
A crewman rides the footboard of SD9 52 at the Springfield engine house on May 7, 1966. The footboard has since been outlawed. Roger Puta photo.
Numbers 30 and 31 are the only RS1325s Electro-Motive built. They were completed in September 1960, builder numbers 25773 and 25774, order 4438, for coal trains and for switching. The short hood is low, and there is no steam generator. They went to the Illinois & Midland as 30 and 31. Both are preserved. Number 30 was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in January 2023, and number 31 went to the Monticello Railway Museum, a purchase announced on November 14, 2020. The RS1325 page has the rest of that story.
SD18 60, builder number 26668, came in December 1961. SD18 61, builder number 27392, came in June 1962. The serials are not one batch, so the table gives each engine its own row. Both went to the Illinois & Midland under the same numbers. Six SD38-2s, numbers 70–75, came in May 1974 on order 74605. They were sold to the Union Pacific.
The four SD20s were rebuilt from Southern Railway SD24s. The dates in the table are the years those engines were built as SD24s. Number 80 was Southern 6305, then Illinois Central Gulf 2020. Number 81 was Southern 6316, then Illinois Central Gulf 2022. Number 82 was Southern 6310, then Illinois Central Gulf 2013. Number 84 was Southern 6321, then Illinois Central Gulf 2024. All four went to the Illinois & Midland under the same numbers. The road switchers are 19.
Roster
The quantity column sums to 28. Builder numbers are in the Serial column. Where none is printed, the cell is an em dash.
Switchers
| Model | Numbers | Builder | Serial | Order | Built | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW1200 | 18, 19 | EMD | 20363, 20375 | — | April 1955 | 2 | Sold |
| SW1200 | 20–23 | EMD | 20678–20681 | — | October 1955 | 4 | Sold |
| SW1500 | 40 | EMD | — | — | January 1970 | 1 | Ex-Southern Pacific. To the Illinois & Midland 40 |
| SW1500 | 42 | EMD | — | — | July 1972 | 1 | Ex-Southern Pacific. To the Illinois & Midland 42 |
| SW1500 | 43 | EMD | — | — | October 1971 | 1 | Ex-Southern Pacific. To the Illinois & Midland 43 |
Road switchers
| Model | Numbers | Builder | Serial | Order | Built | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS1325 | 30, 31 | EMD | 25773, 25774 | 4438 | September 1960 | 2 | To the Illinois & Midland as 30 and 31. The only RS1325s built |
| SD9 | 50–54 | EMD | 20691–20695 | — | November 1955 | 5 | Sold |
| SD18 | 60 | EMD | 26668 | — | December 1961 | 1 | To the Illinois & Midland 60 |
| SD18 | 61 | EMD | 27392 | — | June 1962 | 1 | To the Illinois & Midland 61 |
| SD38-2 | 70–75 | EMD | 74605-1–74605-6 | 74605 | May 1974 | 6 | Sold to the Union Pacific |
| SD20 | 80 | EMD | 25654 | — | December 1959 | 1 | Ex-Illinois Central Gulf SD20 2020, nee Southern SD24 6305. To the Illinois & Midland 80 |
| SD20 | 81 | EMD | 25665 | — | January 1960 | 1 | Ex-Illinois Central Gulf SD20 2022, nee Southern SD24 6316. To the Illinois & Midland 81 |
| SD20 | 82 | EMD | 25659 | — | January 1960 | 1 | Ex-Illinois Central Gulf SD20 2013, nee Southern SD24 6310. To the Illinois & Midland 82 |
| SD20 | 84 | EMD | 25670 | — | February 1960 | 1 | Ex-Illinois Central Gulf SD20 2024, nee Southern SD24 6321. To the Illinois & Midland 84 |
Related reading on American-Rails.com
- Chicago & Illinois Midland · Steam roster
- RS1325 · Illinois & Midland · Southern Railway
- Diesel Locomotives · Fallen Flags
Sources
- The Diesel Shop, Chicago & Illinois Midland roster, https://www.thedieselshop.us/C&IM.HTML, new September 27, 2015, formatted by R. Craig. Road numbers, models, dates, builder numbers, and dispositions. The page names Extra 2200 South, September–October 1969, and Richard R. Wallin, The Chicago & Illinois Midland. The 28 counts each frame once. The three SW1500 rows that overlap on that page are published here as 40, 42, and 43. SD20 dates are the Southern SD24 dates printed there.
- The Diesel Shop, Illinois & Midland roster, https://www.thedieselshop.us/IM.HTML, updated April 14, 2026. RS1325s 30 and 31, serials 25773 and 25774, and SW1500s 40, 42, and 43 with the same three dates. GP38-3s acquired by the Illinois & Midland are outside this table.
- EMD RS1325 data sheet on this site, /rs1325.html. The only two built, Chicago & Illinois Midland 30 and 31, serials 25773 and 25774, order 4438, completed September 1960, low short hood, no steam generator. Number 30 to the Illinois Railway Museum in January 2023. Number 31 to the Monticello Railway Museum, announced November 14, 2020, from Larry’s Truck & Electric.
- George H. Drury, Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, revised edition. Milwaukee Road SD9s on loan, the 1954 decision, a pair of switchers in early 1955, the first SD9 on November 17, 1955, the last steam road train on November 22, and steam switchers through December 5. Trains, August 1955, is the source of the figure that those eleven diesels replaced 26 steam locomotives.
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