DePue Railroad Crossing

In 1881, the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad (II&I) completed 40 miles of new railroad, extending from Momence, Illinois to Dwight, Illinois; a section of railroad that had been begun by the Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad.  The II&I continued building the railroad, adding an additional 22 miles to Streator in 1882, 56 miles from Momence to North Judson, Indiana and North Judson to Knox in 1883 and 1886, respectively.  In 1894, the II&I constructed an additional 33 miles of railroad between Knox and South Bend.  In 1901, the Streator & Clinton Railroad (S&C) begun construction of 40 miles of new railroad, extending west to the Illinois River from Streator.  The S&C was acquired and the work completed by the II&I.  In the early 1900s, the II&I constructed a number of branch lines, including lines to Ladd, DePue, and Churchill.  In 1906, the II&I would be acquired by the New York Central Railroad, which would operate this route as a bypass of Chicago and as a way to reach inland barge terminals along the Illinois River.  West of Kankakee, the route served as a branch line, connecting to industries, as well as other railroads.  The NYC was controlled by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, and operated an extensive network of railroad lines in the eastern United States. 

During the 20th Century, this route primary served as a branch line, connecting to other railroad lines and industires.  Several industries developed near Hennepin, Illinois; which would be served by this line.  In 1968, NYC merged with rival Pennsylvania Railroad to form Penn Central Railroad.  The Penn Central Railroad was short lived, as it was plagued by operations issues stemming from the merger of the two systems.  The railroad filed for bankruptcy in 1974, and many of the lines were reorganized into Conrail.  Conrail was formed by the Federal Government to take over profitable lines of multiple bankrupt railroad companies in the eastern United States.  A portion of the line between South Bend and Wheatfield, Indiana would be abandoned in 1982, followed by the branch lines north of Hennepin in approximately 1984.  In 1997, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation agreed to purchase the bankrupt Conrail System.  NS took control of the remaining line, and continues to operate it as the Kankakee Branch.