This line was first built as the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad and was constructed between 1870 and 1874. After a series of mergers and reorganizations via the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway in 1881; the Cairo, Vincennes and Chicago Railway in 1889; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway; and the New York Central Railroad in 1906, the line ended up under ownership of the Southern Railway, who abandoned this portion of the line between Vincennes, IN and Mount Carmel, IL. The rest of the line continues to see use today.
Vincennes, IN to Cairo, IL
Cairo, Vincennes & Chicago Railway