The Bloomer Shippers Connecting Railroad (or Bloomer Line) , headquartered in Gibson City, Illinois

Gibson City, Illinois

Gibson City is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,407 at the 2010 census.-History:The site of Gibson City was purchased and platted by Jonathan B. Lott in 1869. In 1870, Lott built a home and a post office there, and several stores and an a grain elevator were...

, is a Class III railroad

Class III railroad

A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...

 serving agricultural communities in east-central Illinois.

History

In June 1985, the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad (ICG) sold a portion of its circuitous route between Kankakee

Kankakee, Illinois

Kankakee is a city in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Kankakee County...

 and Bloomington

Bloomington, Illinois

Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...

 to a new spin-off railroad company which called itself "The Bloomer Line" (after the ex-Illinois Central Railroad

Illinois Central Railroad

The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...

 division it had purchased). Specifically, the Bloomer Line purchased the right-of-way between Herscher

Herscher, Illinois

Herscher is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,523 at the 2000 census, and 1,619 as of a 2009 estimate...

 and Barnes

Barnes, Illinois

Barnes, Illinois is an unincorporated community in McLean County, Illinois....

. The railroad has since taken the line between Herscher and Kempton

Kempton, Illinois

Kempton is a village in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 231 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Kempton is located at ....

 and Barnes and Colfax

Colfax, Illinois

Colfax is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,061 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 out of service.

At Chatsworth

Chatsworth, Illinois

Chatsworth is an incorporated town in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,265 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chatsworth is located at ....

, the Bloomer Line makes a connection with the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short-line railroad that operates of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana, and includes a branch line between Logansport to Winamac, Indiana...

. In May 1990, the railroad purchased from the Norfolk and Western Railway

Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....

 its ex-Wabash Railway line from near Risk south to Gibson City. Connections to N&W successor Norfolk Southern and ICG successor Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 are made at Gibson City.

Operations

The Bloomer Line is owned by Alliance Grain Company, which owns the eight grain elevators served by the railroad. It is primarily a grain transporter, shipping carloads of corn

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

, soybeans and wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 from these silos to the connecting railroads, but also serves several other industries, including a soybean processing plant in Gibson City and a fertilizer distribution facility in Colfax.

Bloomer Line locomotives are painted bright red and labeled in a font which looks very similar to that used on the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...

.

Locomotive maintenance was conducted at Chatsworth until shops were constructed at Gibson City after that line was purchased.

External links

• Alliance Grain Official Bloomer Line Website
• Bloomer Line Unofficial Website
• Bloomer Line Map and History site