Illinois is second only to Texas in the number of rail lines criss-crossing the state. The northern portion of the state is cluttered with railroads, each of them gaining access to the "Rail Capital of the World", Chicago. The middle portion of the state is filled with trunk lines which connect Illinois industrial centers with the rest of the nation

Railroading in Illinois is vast and exciting when you consider all the major railroads that operate in the state, such as: BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. Also, many regionals and shortlines help make this area even more interesting, such as: Belt Railway of Chicago, Bloomer, Eastern Illinois RR, EJ&E, Iowa Interstate, Illinois RailNet, Indiana Harbor Belt, IC&E, KB&S, TP&W and Wisconsin Southern.

IlliniRail is dedicated to discussing this region of America's Railroading Heartland.