CHICAGO & ILLINOIS MIDLAND #31

Builder: EMD
Build Date: September 1960
Type: RS1325
Status: Operational

Chicago & Illinois Midland (C&IM) No. 31 is one of only two RS1325 type diesel locomotives ever built. Both No. 31 and sister locomotive No. 30 were constructed by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors for the Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway in September of 1960. EMD had hoped that the RS1325 would be a huge hit with railroads and that many units would be purchased, however, the C&IM wound up being the only railroad that ordered any.

The C&IM was a regional railroad running from Taylorville to Peoria, Illinois, via Springfield and Pekin. The railroad’s primary business was hauling coal from mines near Taylorville and Springfield to power plants in the Peoria area, though other types of freight were handled as well. The two RS1325s were used all over the C&IM for switching, local and road freight duties.

In 1996, the C&IM was purchased by Genesee & Wyoming, a holding company that owns several short line and regional railroads around the world. The railroad’s name was changed to the Illinois & Midland (I&M) Railway. Following the purchase, Nos. 30 and 31 shed their original C&IM green paint for the orange and black Genesee & Wyoming colors. The 30 was eventually transferred to another G&W-owned railroad in North Carolina, while No. 31 remained on the I&M. By the end of 2019, it was the only original C&IM locomotive still on the property. I&M employees developed a soft spot for the RS1325, and No. 31 was kept in fantastic condition.

No. 31 spent the last couple years of its career on the I&M in yard switcher and local service in the Peoria area. In mid-2020, it was finally retired and sold to a railroad equipment dealer in Ohio, where it was likely going to be stripped of useful parts and cut up for scrap. However, before it left Illinois, it was purchased again by the Monticello Railway Museum.

On November 16, 2020, it was moved to the museum on a Norfolk Southern freight train. After it arrived in Monticello, some minor mechanical work was done to prepare it for operations at the museum. It made its public debut powering our Throttle Time trains on April 16, 2021, and has been a member of the museum’s fleet of operating locomotives ever since, seeing frequent use throughout the year. It is our goal to eventually return the locomotive to its as-built appearance.

The other RS1325, No. 30, has also been saved and now resides at the Illinois Railway Museum. The preservation of both RS1325s is no doubt a happy ending to their story, as for many years there was speculation that one or both of these rare locomotives would ultimately be lost to the cutting torch.

We are happy to say that won’t be happening.


Scroll down to see photos of No. 31 throughout its history.