1990 was a year of change on the Illinois Central. Independent after being spun off by I.C. Industries, new management sought to cut costs by cutting back from a double-track ABS mainline to a single-track CTC railroad with sidings every twenty miles or so. This edition of "The Heritage Series" looks at the railroad as it changed throughout the year, as the changeover was made.
Rare diesels are seen throughout, including the only GP30 to see the "new image" black paint, the single SD28 remaining on the roster (the other was wrecked the year before) and loads of Paducah rebuilt GP8s, GP10s, GP11s and SD20s. Amtrak also appears, with rare GP40TCs in operation on the City of New Orleans. This program features action only on the mainline (the Bluford District will feature prominently in the next edition) between Effingham and Cairo, Illinois.
A special bonus program features a tour of preserved Illinois Central 4-8-2 #2500 at Centralia, Illinois, as retired engineer Frank Baumgartner takes us around the engine and shows how everything worked. This half hour bonus is worth the price of admission alone for any fan of I.C. steam.
The main program runs 73 minutes.
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