The Chicago, Indiana and Southern Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the states of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 during the early 20th century. The CI&S formed in 1906 from the consolidation of the two other railroads: the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad and the Indiana Harbor Railroad. The new railroad also owned the capital stock of the Danville and Indiana Harbor Railroad. The stock of the new company itself was wholly owned by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...

 and the Michigan Central Railroad

Michigan Central Railroad

The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...

, both of which were part of the New York Central system. A 1907 report called the CI&S a "tributary to the Lake Shore." The railroad operated two lines: a north-south line between Indiana Harbor (East Chicago, Indiana

East Chicago, Indiana

East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....

) and Danville, Illinois

Danville, Illinois

Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...

, and a line from the Spring Valley

Spring Valley, Illinois

Spring Valley is a city situated on the Illinois River in Bureau County, Illinois. The population was 5,398 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 coalfield

Coalfield

A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological...

s at Seatonville, Illinois

Seatonville, Illinois

Seatonville is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 303 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Seatonville is located at ....

, to South Bend, Indiana

South Bend, Indiana

The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

. Together the two lines comprised 301 miles (484.4 km) of track. In 1914 the CI&S was one of several railroads consolidated to form the modern New York Central Railroad

New York Central Railroad

The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...

.