C&EI used the Pennsy's Panhandle before the C&WI was built

David Daruszka enhanced a Bill Molony post
Chicago & Eastern Illinois employee time table dated July 7th, 1878.
Back then, the C&EI got into downtown Chicago on trackage rights over the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway.

Bob Lalich David Daruszka - yes, the C&EI used the Panhandle from "Dalton" to Chicago for a short time prior to the building of the C&WI in the early 1880s. Under Special Rules in this timetable there is a reference to the PC&StL timetable.

Jon Roma The neatest part of this, IMHO, is in the special rules:

"No. 1. Trains will be run by Columbus time as shown by the clock in the Superintendent's office. Train men not having access to the clock will get their time from passenger Conductors, or by telegraph from Superintendent's office daily at 5 p.m."

Not only does the mention of Columbus time implicate the operating rights on the Panhandle, but it reminds one that this timetable pre-dates the adoption of Standard Time by over five years.

The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway was the actual name for the Pennsy's Panhandle.

I knew the C&EI ownership stopped at Dolton Junction, and they helped organize the C&WI to gain access to Dearborn Street Station. But I did not know the C&EI used the Panhandle, which also passes through Dolton Junction, until the C&WI was ready for business. That meant the C&EI first used the north end of Union Station for its passenger service in Chicago, and then it moved to Dearborn Station.

I copied the following satellite image from the Dolton Junction notes as a quick reference. The red line represents the C&EI route. The yellow route represents the Panhandle route. And the blue line represents the C&WI route that the C&EI switched to when it was available.

Satellite