Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation
This line is of the former Nickle Plate, a portion of which, between Neoga and Metcalf, Illinois, was owned by the Eastern Illinois Railroad Company, which contracted with the Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation to operate in the late 1980s. IHRC operated several disjointed lines in the Midwest, but is now defunct.
The locomotive is an Alco C420 that was built in 1967 as Monon 515; it became L&N 1332, and later IHRC 332. I think it’s funny to note that the “1” was simply removed from the number board when going from L&N to IHRC. And I may be wrong, but it’s my understanding that the bell on the nose is a tip-off that the unit is ex-Monon.
The location where the engine is resting is Charleston, Illinois, while the action shot was taken somewhere nearby—on a humid, summer day.
Three images by Richard Koenig; taken in August of 1990.
