Illinois Terminal Diesel Roster

Published: October 24, 2026

The Illinois Terminal’s diesels replaced the steeple-cabs, the Class D freight motors, and a small steam fleet that had worked the belt lines. Twelve Alco S-2s and six RS-1s came first, in 1948 and 1950. Electro-Motive switchers and six GP7s followed. The largest power arrived late: six SD39s in 1969, seven SW1500s in 1970, and four GP38-2s in 1977. A renumbering in 1967 and 1968 put the road numbers in line with horsepower, and most of the new locomotives were numbered that way from the start.

Illinois Terminal SD39s at Springfield, Illinois, on June 8, 1969

SD39s at Springfield, Illinois, on June 8, 1969. The six locomotives, 2301–2306, were a year old. Dick Wallin photo. Warren Calloway collection.

On this page: At a glance · Alcos · Switchers · Road locomotives · Roster

At a glance

Item	Detail
All-time diesels	62 frames, each once
Built new	S-2s, RS-1s, one SW8, twelve SW1200s, six GP7s, seven SW1500s, four GP38-2s, six SD39s
Bought secondhand	Two SW7s, two F7Bs, GP7u 1750, GP9 3419, two GP20s
1981 year count	40. A count for that year, not this list
Norfolk & Western	41 units, purchased September 1, 1981. The N&W diesel roster carries them
Company history	Illinois Terminal

Alcos

The first diesels were Alco S-2s 700–705 in 1948 and 706–711 in 1950, twelve switchers of 1,000 horsepower. In the 1967–68 renumbering they became 1001–1012. None of them reached the Norfolk & Western. Most were traded back to Electro-Motive or sold through Birmingham Rail & Locomotive in 1969 and 1970. No. 701 became Weirton Steel 223. No. 705 became Weirton Steel 225, and 707 became Weirton Steel 226. No. 704 went to Universal Atlas Cement at Hudson, New York, and in 1982 to the Morristown & Erie. No. 709 became Washington Western 476 at Franklinton, Louisiana, and was sold to RELCO in January 1981. No. 711 went to Duval Sierrita at Sahuarita, Arizona.

Six RS-1s came with them. 751 and 752 of 1948 became 1051 and 1052. 753, originally numbered 750, became 1053. 754–756 of 1950 became 1054–1056. No. 751 went to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio as 1051 in November 1969, later Illinois Central Gulf 1261, and was sold in 1976 to Lone Star Industries at Eagle Lake, Texas. No. 752 went to C&K Coal at Rimersburg, Pennsylvania. No. 753 went to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio in March 1970, became Illinois Central Gulf 1263, and then Green Mountain 400. No. 754 became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 1054 and later Texas & Northern 43. No. 755 became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 1055 and was sold in 1976 to H. O. Forgey at Jackson, Tennessee. No. 756 became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 1052 and then Green Mountain 401.

Switchers

Electro-Motive SW8 725 was built in 1950 as Electro-Motive 800. The Illinois Terminal renumbered it 801, and the Norfolk & Western carried it as 2115. Twelve SW1200s, 775–786, came in 1955 and became 1201–1212, the numbers the Norfolk & Western kept. No. 778, N&W 1204, worked for Archer-Daniels-Midland at Peoria from June 1981 and moved to the Decatur plant in 1987. No. 776 went to Southern Aggregates at Postell, Georgia, in June 1987. No. 780 went to Atlantic Steel in Atlanta in 1987. No. 782 went to Rail Link at Petersburg, Virginia, in 1987, and 786 went to Brenco Bearings at Petersburg in May 1987. No. 785 was sold for scrap in May 1984.

Two SW7s arrived in April 1979 through Chrome Crankshaft and kept numbers that already matched their horsepower. 1220 had been Union Pacific 1809, the first locomotive to carry that number. 1221 had been Chesapeake & Ohio 5228. The Norfolk & Western kept both numbers. George Silcott took the pair in August 1986 and sold them to Cahokia Terminal that October. Seven SW1500s, 1509–1515, were built in 1970 and became N&W 2290–2296. No. 1514, N&W 2295, went to the Manufacturers Railway as 257 in 1985.

Illinois Terminal GP7s 1600, 1602, and 1605 with an SW1200 at Springfield, Illinois, in August 1962

GP7s 1600, 1602, and 1605, with an SW1200, at Springfield, Illinois, in August 1962. Rick Burn photo.

Road locomotives

Six GP7s, 1600–1605, came in 1953 on two serial blocks and were renumbered 1501–1506. The Norfolk & Western carried them as 3401–3406. No. 1605, N&W 3406, went to the Illinois Railway Museum at Union in November 1984. No. 1603 was wrecked in 1982 and retired in March 1983. Nos. 1602 and 1604 were retired on April 9, 1984, and sold for scrap to Pielet.

Two covered-wagon boosters were the odd acquisition. F7B 1507, built in 1949, and 1508, built in 1950, came from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac in 1966 through PECO. They had been RF&P 1557 and 1559. Both were traded to Electro-Motive in May 1969.

Three secondhand road units filled gaps the new orders left open. GP7u 1750 was built in 1952 as Wabash 475, later Norfolk & Western 3475 and then a Precision National locomotive. It came to the Illinois Terminal in June 1976 and went back to Precision National in 1981, before the purchase, so it is not in the 41. GP9 3419, serial 19480, was built in 1954 as Texas & New Orleans 284. It came from Precision National in 1974 and returned there on March 5, 1982. The Norfolk & Western roster lists it as a GP9m. Two GP20s, 2008 and 2009, came from Precision National in 1980. No. 2008 had been Union Pacific 712 (482). No. 2009 had been Union Pacific 710 (480). The Norfolk & Western kept the numbers and lists the pair as GP20m.

Illinois Terminal GP20 2008 at Springfield, Illinois, on September 1, 1981

GP20 2008 at Springfield, Illinois, on September 1, 1981. Warren Calloway photo.

The six-motor locomotives were the SD39s 2301–2306 of 1969, Norfolk & Western 2961–2966. Nos. 2301–2303 went to the Boston & Maine as 690–692 in August 1985. No. 2304 went to K. Gibbs in September 1984 and in April 1985 became Santa Fe slug 140, the second to carry that number. Nos. 2305 and 2306 went to K. Gibbs in August 1984 and then to Morrison-Knudsen. No. 2306 later ran for Guilford as Maine Central 693. The four GP38-2s, 2001–2004, came in 1977 on order 766065, without dynamic brakes. The Norfolk & Western numbered them 4160–4163.

Roster

Original numbers are in the first column. The 1967–68 numbers, where the railroad assigned them, are in the notes. Serial 754 was not read clearly and is left blank. Order numbers are blank except the GP38-2 order, which is carried in the serial itself.

Road no.	Qty	Model	Builder	Built	Serial	Order	Hp	Notes
700–703	4	S-2	Alco	1948	75654–75657	—	1,000	Later 1001–1004. 700 to EMD, Feb. 1970. 701 became Weirton Steel 223. 702 and 703 to EMD, May 1969
704–705	2	S-2	Alco	1948	75672–75673	—	1,000	Later 1005–1006. 704 to Universal Atlas Cement, then Morristown & Erie. 705 became Weirton Steel 225
706–711	6	S-2	Alco	1950	77050–77055	—	1,000	Later 1007–1012. 707 became Weirton Steel 226. 709 became Washington Western 476. 711 to Duval Sierrita
751–752	2	RS-1	Alco	1948	75840–75841	—	1,000	Later 1051–1052. 751 to GM&O 1051, Nov. 1969. 752 to C&K Coal
753	1	RS-1	Alco	1948	73839	—	1,000	Originally 750. Later 1053. To GM&O, March 1970, then ICG 1263. Green Mountain 400
754	1	RS-1	Alco	1950	—	—	1,000	Later 1054. To GM&O 1054, March 1970, then ICG 1264. Texas & Northern 43
755–756	2	RS-1	Alco	1950	77056–77057	—	1,000	Later 1055–1056. 755 to GM&O 1055. 756 to GM&O 1052, then Green Mountain 401
725	1	SW8	EMD	1950	12463	—	800	Electro-Motive 800. Later 801. N&W 2115
775–786	12	SW1200	EMD	1955	20666–20677	—	1,200	Later 1201–1212. N&W kept the numbers. 778 worked for Archer-Daniels-Midland from June 1981
1220	1	SW7	EMD	—	10761	—	1,200	Ex-Union Pacific 1809 (1st), via Chrome Crankshaft, April 1979. N&W 1220. To Cahokia Terminal, Oct. 1986
1221	1	SW7	EMD	—	8435	—	1,200	Ex-Chesapeake & Ohio 5228, via Chrome Crankshaft, April 1979. N&W 1221. To Cahokia Terminal, Oct. 1986
1507	1	F7B	EMD	1949	10166	—	1,500	Ex-RF&P 1557, via PECO, 1966. Traded to EMD, May 1969
1508	1	F7B	EMD	1950	10170	—	1,500	Ex-RF&P 1559, via PECO, 1966. Traded to EMD, May 1969
1600–1603	4	GP7	EMD	1953	17984–17987	—	1,500	Later 1501–1504. N&W 3401–3404
1604–1605	2	GP7	EMD	1953	18706–18707	—	1,500	Later 1505–1506. N&W 3405–3406. 1605 to the Illinois Railway Museum, Nov. 1984
1750	1	GP7u	EMD	1952	17076	—	1,750	Ex-Wabash 475. To IT, June 1976. Back to Precision National in 1981. Not in the 41
3419	1	GP9	EMD	1954	19480	—	1,500	Originally Texas & New Orleans 284. To IT in 1974. To Precision National, March 5, 1982. The N&W roster lists it as a GP9m
1509–1515	7	SW1500	EMD	1970	35823–35829	—	1,500	N&W 2290–2296. 1514 became Manufacturers Railway 257 in 1985
2001–2004	4	GP38-2	EMD	1977	766065-1 through 766065-4	766065	2,000	N&W 4160–4163. No dynamic brakes
2008	1	GP20	EMD	1960	26057	—	2,000	Ex-Union Pacific 712 (482). To IT in 1980. N&W 2008, listed there as a GP20m
2009	1	GP20	EMD	1960	26055	—	2,000	Ex-Union Pacific 710 (480). To IT in 1980. N&W 2009, listed there as a GP20m
2301–2306	6	SD39	EMD	1969	34883–34888	—	2,300	N&W 2961–2966. 2301–2303 to Boston & Maine 690–692. 2304 became Santa Fe slug 140 (2nd). 2306 became Maine Central 693

Sources

Paul H. Stringham, Illinois Terminal: The Electric Years (Interurban Press, 1989), Table 16 and the builder serial list. Roster compiled by James J. Buckley, with minor revisions by Paul H. Stringham.
Norfolk & Western diesel roster. The 41 units purchased September 1, 1981, including GP38-2s 4160–4163 without dynamic brakes, and GP9m 3419 as that roster lists it.

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