The Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway (CISL&C) is a historic railroad in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The CISL&C resulted from the 1880 corporate restructuring of the bankrupt Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad (IC&L). The IC&L had been the result of an 1867 merger between the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad (I&C), the Lafayette and Indianapolis Railroad (L&I), and the Cincinnati and Indiana Railroad (C&I).

The CISL&C operated a railroad line from Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 via Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 to Lafayette

Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...

. The original three predecessor companies had been founded in 1850, 1846 and 1861 respectively.

The CISL&C controlled and operated numerous subsidiary railway companies operating smaller branch lines. These included:

• Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Railroad, which ran from Templeton, Indiana
  Templeton, Indiana
  Templeton is an unincorporated town in Bolivar Township, Benton County, Indiana. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
  
   to Kankakee, Illinois
  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...
  
  
• Columbus, Hope and Greensburg Railroad from Columbus, Indiana
  Columbus, Indiana
  Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
  
   to Greensburg, Indiana
  Greensburg, Indiana
  Greensburg is a city in Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was counted at 11,492 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Decatur County....
  
  
• Harrison Branch Railroad

In 1889, the railway merged with the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway

The Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway was formed from the merger of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad with the Bellefontaine Railway in 1868...

 and the Indianapolis and St Louis Railway to form the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....

, also known collectively as the Big Four.