In Steve Goodman's song The City Of New Orleans, he listener is taken on a musical journey aboard an Illinois Central train from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois Central-Monday Mornin' Rails, author Jim Boyd takes us on a photographic journey through the evolution of Illinois Central Railroad.Not a corporate history or a roster book, Illinois Central-Monday Morning Rails is a collection of nearly 200 color photos capturing a rapidly changing railroad during it's peak years -- from 1951 to 1972 -- and it's locomotive evolution from steam to diesel.

Step back in time and explore the day-to-day experiences of Illinois Central Railroad employees in 1919-20. This magazine provides a fascinating glimpse into the working conditions, social life, and culture of the era, with articles on everything from baseball games to safety recommendations. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) operated approximately 600 miles of mainline track throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, stretching from the Mississippi River to the central part of the state. In addition to Louisville, the states largest city, the ICRR also served dozens of small towns. Kentuckys economy was built around coal mining and farming, and the ICRR played a major role in both industries. ICRRs coal trains served as a conveyor for Kentucky coal moving to Midwest factories, and the road hauled a wide variety of agricultural products, including tobacco, grain, and fresh fruit. No mention of the ICRR would be complete without discussing the fleet of fast passenger trains that whisked Kentucky residents to and from distant cities. To maintain the locomotives that hauled all these trains the ICRR operated one of the nations largest locomotive repair shops in Paducah.