BLACKHAWK RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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The Railroads of Will County

Proposed Railroads

As the railroad building boom started to take place in the mid-to-late 1800s, in addition to the lines that were built, there were numerous lines proposed, financed, and even partially built before they failed.  Some were nothing more than hoaxes to deceive investors.  Others were well intentioned, but never attracted the financial, political, and business support they needed.  Still others were taken out by existing railroads not wanting the competition.  

Although many of these lines have been lost to history, a few clues remain -- historic maps, documents, even small remnants of infrastructure -- that remind of us what might have been.

Illinois Grand Trunk

Picture
The Illinois Grand Trunk was incorporated in 1859 to consolidate the Camanche, Albany & Mendota Rail Road and The Joliet and Terre Haute Railroad to build a line from the Mississippi River to Joliet.  The CA&M was incorporated in 1856 and acquired right of way from Mendota to Albany.  The J&TH was incorporated in 1852 and acquired right of way from Mendota east toward Joliet.  After it went bankrupt, a second Illinois Grand Trunk was incorporated in 1867 and completed and opened the line from Mendota to Prophetstown.  In 1870, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy leased the IGT and later extended the line from Prophetstown to East Clinton and Fulton.  
​The line from Mendota to Joliet was never built, and Burlington Northern pulled up the western half of the route in 1985.  Some remnants of the former Burlington branch line still exists, like the former CB&Q depot and waycar in La Moille. 

For an idea of the intended route, download this 1862 map and zoom into Mendota, where the Illinois Central charter line crosses the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy:
g_cu_1862.pdf
File Size: 14043 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Decatur and State Line

Chartered in 1869, the Decatur and State Line was Railway Company was going to build a line from Decatur north, coming through the center of Will County and connecting with the Chicago and Rock Island in Mokena.  Bridge piers were even constructed in the Kankakee River that still exist today.  The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 apparently disrupted the financing for building this line. 

A few years later, a Wabash subsidiary built a line just a few miles to the west of where the Decatur & State Line had laid its route, connecting Decatur to Chicago.
Picture
Picture
1871 map showing the proposed (dashed lines) Decatur & State Line route (Library of Congress - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3701p.rr005360 )

Great Lakes Basin Railroad

Picture
​The Great Lakes Basin Railroad was a 21st-century proposed railroad, highway, and airport in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.  Each project was intended to be a multimodal solution to serve national freight traffic passing thru the Chicago metro area.  The intended route bypasses Chicago to avoid its rail congestion, running from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Michigan City, Indiana.   The project's estimated cost was $8 billion, privately financed.

On May 1, 2017, the Great Lake Basin Railroad filed its construction application with the Surface Transportation Board. On August 30, 2017, the Surface Transportation Board unanimously rejected GLB's application.
< Shortlines and Industrials
Interurban Railroads >

​Contents © 2025 Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, Inc. - an Illinois not-for-profit corporation.   Photos and images on this site without credit belong to Blackhawk Railway Historical Society or the Public Domain.  Credited photos and images are the property of their owner.  The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, Inc. is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

Contact Us

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Join or Renew
    • Meetings
    • Indiana Swap Meet
    • "Spike and Tie" Newsletter
    • 50th Anniversary Gallery
  • Schedule
  • Projects
    • Museums
    • Depots >
      • Symerton
      • Lockport
      • Joliet >
        • History
        • Passenger
        • Railfan
        • UD Tower
    • Community
    • Publications and Documents >
      • EJ&E Documents
    • Equipment
    • Chicago Railroad History Month
    • The Railroads of Will County >
      • Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
      • Chicago & Alton
      • Chicago & Eastern Illinois
      • Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
      • Elgin, Joliet & Eastern
      • Illinois Central
      • Michigan Central
      • The Milwaukee Road (CM&G/CTH&SE)
      • Wabash
      • Shortlines and Industrials
      • Proposed Railroads
      • Interurban Railroads
  • Connections
    • Partners
    • Local Railroad Attractions
    • Local Museums and Tourist Railroads
    • Steam Locomotives (Operating or Being Restored)
    • Today's Railroads
    • Area Santa Trains
  • Store
  • Contact Us
    • Send A Message
    • Facebook
    • YouTube