Chicago Great Western Railroad

The Chicago Great Western Railroad ( CGW ) was an American railway company. It was also called Corn Belt Route. She joined the cities Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha and Kansas City (Missouri ).

History

The company was founded in 1885 by Alpheas Beede Stickney. From a only some 177 kilometer link between Saint Paul and the village Lyle at the state border to Iowa they quickly developed into a major company in the Midwest.

The CGW was a typical passageway of the Midwest of the United States. She was next to the competing railway companies Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago and North Western Railway and the Milwaukee Road a major railway company and the link between the Great Eastern railway companies from Chicago such as the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with the Western large sheets Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha, Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway from St. Paul / Minneapolis and Southern Pacific Railroad from Kansas City.

The main lines were

  • Chicago - Oelwein - St. Paul / Minneapolis
  • Chicago - Oelwein - Council Bluffs / Omaha
  • Chicago - Oelwein - Kansas City
  • St. Paul / Minneapolis - Oelwein - Kansas City
  • St. Paul / Minneapolis - Council Bluffs / Omaha.

The central hub of the CGW was Oelwein, Iowa. Here crossed the north-south and east-west main lines. The railway was built there from 1899 to 1904, a locomotive factory, halls for overhaul of locomotives and freight cars, a train station, a freight station, a large Beeisungsanlage for the refrigerator car trains at a yard with about 30 tracks (Flat -yard without the hump ) and a roundhouse for about 30 locomotives. Longest tunnel in the CGW route network was the 500-meter long tunnel Winston on the section between Aiken and East Dubuque.

Locomotives

The last and largest steam locomotives of type 2-10-4 "Texas" (35 pieces) with sechsachsigem tenders were procured from 1930 to 1931 by Baldwin and Lima. In 1936 the railway was the first three 660 hp EMD Dieselrangierlokomotiven, from 1947, the first Streckendieselloks the EMD F3 series in ABA Unit sets at 4500 hp ( The B-units have no cab ). Special Services at this company are the introduction of the Trailer -Truck -Train ( semi truck trailers on flat cars ) in 1936 and the early introduction of completely welded rails ( for the first time in 1939 as a test ). It was also begun in 1954 with the formation of extremely long freight trains, which could include up to 15,000 tons at 200-250 four-axle freight wagons usually, six to eight diesel locomotives from EMD F3/F7 type were necessary.

Even relatively early for U.S. railroads, namely in 1950, the switch from steam to diesel traction was completed. The last diesel locomotives were procured in 1963 with eight EMD GP 30 ( per 2250 hp) and in 1966 with nine EMD SD 40 ( per 3000 hp).

Since 1964, the Executive Board of the CGW dealt with a merger with another U.S. track. Already in 1966 and wanted to CGW CNW merge, but this failed to appeals of other railways, such as the SOO. It was not until July 1, 1968, the Chicago Great Western Railroad then merged with the Chicago and North Western Railway. This railway was again taken over by the Union Pacific in 1995.

  • Streckendieselloks
  • 30 EMD F3A (built 1947-1949 )
  • 2 EMD FP7A ( Bj.1951 )
  • 35 EMD F3 / 7 B (built 1947-1951 )
  • 3 EMD F3A (Passenger, Bj.1949 )
  • 4 EMD F7A (Passenger )
  • 8 Alco RS-2
  • 2 EMD GP7 ( Bj.1951 )
  • 8 EMD GP 35 ( Bj.1963 )
  • 9 EMD SD 40 ( Bj.1966 )
  • Former Railroad Company ( Illinois)
  • Former Railroad Company ( Iowa)
  • Former Railroad Company ( Kansas)
  • Former Railroad Company ( Minnesota)
  • Former Railroad Company ( Nebraska)
Omaha, Nebraska Kansas City (Missouri) Saint Paul (Minnesota) Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Great Northern Railway (U.S.) Southern Pacific Transportation Company Lima Locomotive Works Electro-Motive Diesel
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