Meadowlark (train)

Meadowlark

The Meadowlark in 1957, after a Budd Rail Diesel Car replaced the streamlined equipment.
Overview
First service October 6, 1946
Last service January 5, 1962
Former operator(s) Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
Route map
Legend
0 mi
0 km
Dearborn Station (Chicago)
6.6 mi
10.6 km
Englewood-63rd Street
26.6 mi
42.8 km
Chicago Heights
49.9 mi
80.3 km
Momence
77.5 mi
124.7 km
Watseka
125.9 mi
202.6 km
Glover
145.1 mi
233.5 km
Villa Grove
153.4 mi
246.9 km
Tuscola
164.7 mi
265.1 km
Arthur
176.1 mi
283.4 km
Sullivan
193.9 mi
312.1 km
Shelbyville
218.9 mi
352.3 km
Altamont
224.6 mi
361.5 km
St. Elmo
242.2 mi
389.8 km
Kinmundy
253.8 mi
408.5 km
Salem
275.7 mi
443.7 km
Mt. Vernon
298.0 mi
479.6 km
Benton
305.0 mi
490.8 km
West Frankfort
310.7 mi
500 km
Johnston City
316.6 mi
509.5 km
Marion
339.7 mi
546.7 km
West Vienna
354.4 mi
570.4 km
Cypress
363.3 mi
584.7 km
Joppa

The Meadowlark was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad between Chicago, Illinois and Cypress, Illinois. It operated from 1946 to 1962. The Meadowlark was the C&EI's last train to Southern Illinois.

History

The Meadowlark was one of two new streamliners introduced by the C&EI in late 1946, the other being the short-lived Whippoorwill which served Evansville, Indiana. The C&EI billed the train as a "Chicago-liner" and promised "quieter, smoother, roomier lounge-car luxury." The new streamliner made the 345-mile (555 km) journey from Chicago to Cypress, Illinois in seven hours. The train departed Cypress at 5:15 AM, arriving at Chicago's Dearborn Station at 12:25 PM. Five hours later the train began the journey back to Cypress, arriving after midnight.[1] Writing in 2006, railroad historian Joe Welsh called the Meadowlark "inviting" while noting that the destination of Cypress was "obscure."[2] On the train's first anniversary the C&EI claimed total ridership of 150,000 passengers and that the train had "girdled the globe 10 times in her daily travels."[3]

In the early 1950s the Meadowlark continued south to Joppa, on the Ohio River,[4] but by the middle of the decade it was cut back to West Vienna, Illinois, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Cypress.[5] The C&EI discontinued the Meadowlark altogether on January 5, 1962, ending the railroad's service to Southern Illinois.[6][7]

Equipment

Pullman-Standard delivered four cars for the original Meadowlark: a baggage/mail/grill car (the Sparhawk Inn) and three 60-seat coaches.[8] In 1956 the C&EI replaced the streamlined equipment with a Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC).[9] In a 1957 company publication C&EI touted the "comfort and speed" of the RDC and touted its suitability for operation in "sparsely settled areas." While the language echoed earlier advertisements, the downgrade was obvious.[10]

Notes

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.