One of My happy memorys of growing up as a young railfan on the southwest side of Chicago, was being there firsthand to witness the locomotives and equipment of the former Illinois Central Railroad, and the unfortunately "Not so successful" succesor railroad known as The Illinois Central Gulf.

This photo was found on My links page Fallen Flags.Org to the right of Your computer screen. www.rr-fallenflags.org

The Illinois Central Gulf was created in October of 1972, through the merger of the Illinois Central, and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroads. The new company found itself with much inherited debt soon afterwards from the former G,M & O.

By the mid 1980's, the railroad shareholders from the former Illinois Central camp, decided to reorganize, sell off several former G,M & O lines to other upstart regional railroads, and go back to using the original Illinois Central roadname in the process.

This orange and white color scheme, was introduced by the Illinois Central in 1967, as a modern replacement color scheme for their original black and white one.

I lived approximately one mile north of the Illinois Central Gulf Iowa Division Mainline back in My old Chicago neighborhood during the 1960's, 70's and 80's, and can actually recall happy memorys of seeing these engines in this color scheme at work on freight trains and switching locals passing through the area around West 33rd Street and South Pulaski Road.