Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad Overview
The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (DREI) is an American shortline railroad and is a subsidiary of Watco Companies. In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes. In July 2018, Watco was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, the DREI began operations on September 9, 2018.
In November 2019, Watco announced that the Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad had acquired the Eastern Illinois Railroad Company from ADM. Operations on the new Charleston Subdivision between Metcalf, IL and Neoga, IL began on January 01, 2020. The remaining EIRC-owned locomotives, GP9 1040 and GP10 7565, were transferred to the ADM plant in Decatur. EIRC GP9R 4541 was scrapped in June 2019. EIRC's leased locomotives, FURX 5571, HLCX 3834 and ILSX 180 were initially retained for a short while but then transferred elsewhere.
The DREI operates approximately 175 miles of track, including the former CSX Decatur Subdivision between Hillsdale, IN and Decatur, IL, the former CSX Danville Secondary Subdivision (now known as the Danville Sub) between Terre Haute, Indiana and Vermilion Grove, Illinois, and the former Eastern Illinois Railroad Company trackage (now the Charleston Subdivision) between Neoga, IL and Metcalf, IL. The Danville Sub north of Chrisman is used for storage.
As of early 2023, DREI also has the operating rights to the former DCC/DT/IC trackage from Decatur to Cisco, however TopFlight Grain owns it and is the only customer along this stretch. TopFlight, however, isn't planning to ship carloads from that elevator due to the completed expansion of the Pierson Station elevator.
The DREI carries more than 14,000 carloads annually and predominantly moves commodities such as corn syrup, corn starch, corn, soybeans, flour, plastics, and fumed silica. Most of the carload traffic comes from Decatur and Paris. Unit grain trains operate as needed from online elevators located at Pierson Station, Tuscola, Oakland, Neoga, Horace and Dana. These trains are interchanged to either ADM at Decatur (via CN), CSX at Hillsdale, UP at Tuscola, or CN at Neoga.
Decatur & Eastern Illinois Train Symbols
|
|
| Symbol
|
Origin
|
Terminus or Turnaround
|
Frequency
|
Notes
|
| 100
|
Decatur, IL
|
Decatur, IL
|
Daily
|
OD @0700. Works ADM, Primient, interchanges with CN and NS, and switches the yard.
|
| 101
|
Decatur, IL
|
Chrisman, IL
|
Daily
|
OD @0600. Works Ficklin Yard (Tuscola).
|
| 200
|
Ficklin, IL
|
Tuscola, IL
|
M-F
|
OD @0600. Works Cabot M-F, UP Interchange Mon, Wed, Fri; Metcalf run Thursdays; Pierson as needed.
|
| 201
|
Paris, IL
|
Decatur, IL
|
Daily
|
OD @1800. Tuscola crew cabs to Paris to grab 301's train. Works Ficklin, IL
|
| 300
|
Paris, IL
|
Paris, IL
|
Mon-Sat
|
OD @0700. Paris Switcher. 302 relief crew on Sat
|
| 301
|
Paris, IL
|
Terre Haute, IN (CSXT)
|
Daily
|
OD @0700. Grabs previous 101 at Chrisman, interchanges with CSX as Z808, then returns with Paris setouts.
|
| 400
|
Charleston, IL
|
Neoga/Metcalf, IL/Varies
|
As Needed
|
400, 401, and 402 all work the Charleston customers and handle unit trains on the railroad.
|
| 401
|
Charleston, IL
|
Neoga/Metcalf, IL/Varies
|
As Needed
|
400, 401, and 402 all work the Charleston customers and handle unit trains on the railroad.
|
| 402
|
Charleston, IL
|
Neoga/Metcalf, IL/Varies
|
As Needed
|
400, 401, and 402 all work the Charleston customers and handle unit trains on the railroad.
|
|
Interchanges
Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad interchanges with:
- NS in Decatur, IL
- CN in Decatur, IL, Neoga, IL
- UP in Tuscola, IL
- CSX in Terre Haute, IN and Hillsdale, IN
Decatur & Eastern Illinois Locomotives
|
|
| Number
|
Model
|
Built
|
History
|
Paint
|
Notes
|
| GMTX 2343
|
GP38-2
|
1975
|
Ex-NS 5168/SOU 5168.
|
GATX Dark Blue
|
|
| WAMX 3830
|
GP38-3
|
1967
|
Ex-BAR 354/BAR 90/CR 7662/PRSL 2002
|
K&O Lettering
|
|
| WAMX 3870
|
GP38-2
|
1975
|
Ex-WSOR 3811/WSOR 9272/JTPX 9272/FNM 9272/NDM 9272.
|
WSOR Older
|
|
| WAMX 3871
|
GP38-2
|
1975
|
Ex-WSOR 3812/WSOR 9290/JTPX 9290/FNM 9290/NDM 9290.
|
WSOR Newer
|
|
| WAMX 3872
|
GP38-2
|
1975
|
Ex-WSOR 3813/WSOR 9291/JTPX 9291/FNM 9291/NDM 9291.
|
WSOR Older
|
|
| WAMX 3896
|
GP38-2
|
1972
|
Ex-PRLX 5020/NS 5020/SOU 5020.
|
NS Black
|
|
| WAMX 3947
|
GP39-2
|
1976
|
Ex-UP 1233/UP 2733/BM 354/DH 7614.
|
WSOR Newer
|
|
| WAMX 4134
|
SD40-2
|
1979
|
Ex-PRSX 3578/UP 3578.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 4234
|
SD40M-2
|
1971
|
Ex-NREX 2695/UP 2695/SP 8619/MKCX 9531/NHLX 6520/BN 6520.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 4235
|
SD40M-2
|
1971
|
Ex-NREX 2753/UP 2753/SP 8677/VMV 8939/CSX 8939/SBD 8939/CRR 3626/SCL 2039.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 4236
|
SD40M-2
|
1971
|
Ex-NREX 2663/UP 2663/SP 8587/NREX 6492/SOO 6492/BN 6552.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 4240
|
SD40M-2
|
1969
|
Ex-NREX 2743/UP 2743/SP 8667/MKCX 944/CNW 944.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 4244
|
SD40M-2
|
1967
|
Ex-NREX 2775/UP 2775/SP 8699/CNW 915.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 5908
|
GP59
|
1989
|
Ex-NS 4609.
|
Watco
|
|
| WAMX 5909
|
GP59
|
1989
|
Ex-NS 4616.
|
Watco
|
|
|
Decatur & Eastern Illinois Customers
|
|
| Customer
|
Location
|
Switch Job / Switch Frequency
|
Business Description
|
Railcars Used
|
Commodity Shipped
|
Commodity Received
|
| ADM
|
Decatur, IL
|
100 / DAILY
|
Corn & Soybean Processing Plant
|
Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars
|
Corn syrup, Soybeans, Lysine, Sorbitol, Ethanol
|
|
| Primient
|
Decatur, IL
|
100 / DAILY
|
Corn Starch & Corn Syrup Producer
|
Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars
|
Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Gluten Meal
|
Ethylene Oxide
|
| Topflight Grain
|
Pierson Station, IL
|
Unit Trains / As Needed
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Corn, Soybeans
|
|
| United Prairie
|
Pierson Station, IL
|
Various / As Needed
|
Fertilizer Supplier
|
Tank Cars
|
Nitrogen solution
|
|
| Buckeye Terminals
|
Ficklin, IL
|
200 / As Needed
|
LPG Terminal
|
Tank Cars
|
LPG
|
|
| Cabot Corporation
|
Ficklin, IL
|
200 / MO-FR
|
Hydrophobic Fumed Silica Manufacturer
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
Fumed Silica
|
| ADM
|
Tuscola, IL
|
Unit Train / As Needed
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Corn, Soybeans
|
|
| Kirchner Building Centers
|
Charleston, IL
|
Charleston Crew / As Needed
|
Lumber Yard
|
Center beam Flatcars
|
|
Lumber
|
| ITW Hi-Cone
|
Charleston, IL
|
Charleston Crew / Weekly
|
Plastic Packaging
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
Polyethylene Pellets
|
| Ox Engineered Products
|
Charleston, IL
|
Charleston Crew / As Needed
|
Insulation Products
|
Tank Cars
|
|
Diphenylmethane /Diisocyanate, Synthetic Resin
|
| ADM
|
Oakland, IL
|
Unit Trains / As Needed
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Corn, Soybeans
|
|
| Cargill (AC Grain)
|
Dana, IN
|
Unit Trains / As Needed
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Corn, Soybeans
|
|
| The Equity
|
Horace, IL
|
Unit Trains / As Needed
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Corn, Soybeans
|
|
| Cargill Dry Corn Ingredients
|
Paris, IL
|
300 / MO-SA
|
Processing Mill
|
Covered Hoppers/Box cars
|
Corn Meal, Gluten Meal, Hominy, Grits, Corn Flour
|
|
| Milk Specialties Global
|
Paris, IL
|
300 / MO/WE/FR/SA
|
Food Ingredients
|
Tank Cars/Covered Hoppers
|
Feed Grain
|
Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Fat Acid, Oil Sediment
|
| Cadillac Products Packaging
|
Paris, IL
|
300 / MO/WE/FR
|
Plastic Packaging & Films
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
Polyethylene Pellets
|
| Pretium Packaging
|
Paris, IL
|
300 / TU/TH
|
Plastic Packaging
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
Polyethylene Terephthalate Pellets
|
|
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