The History

Post-1995 logo, designed by Trainz user NIARTcar in 2017.

The Silver Lines Railroad was founded late in the year 1878. It began its career with a few small steam locomotives operating minor branch lines in Illinois. Years began to pass as the railroad slowly grew along with other lines around the United States. By 1890, it had doubled its trackage and connected multiple towns. By 1895, it had grown further and had absorbed a small number of very small rail lines. At the turn of the century, the railroad had begun to expand yet further still, at last building a line out of the state. Continued expansion and acquisition of other lines over the next few years brought the Silver Lines and Illinois Central railroads into a rivalry that would last for many years. By 1929, the SLRR had put tracks into more Midwestern states and had expanded in nearly every direction. The furthest tracks out west made it to Rapid City, SD – while the east terminated just past Columbus, Ohio. It was at this time a long awaited connection to Chicago began construction, however the 1929 stock market crash brought about the Great Depression, which caused this project to immediately fail. Rail lines throughout Missouri and Michigan were either sold or scrapped or even just abandoned during the Depression. By the end of the Depression in 1939, the railroad had been hurt like most others but had made it out relatively intact.

​When World War II made its way to America, the Silver Lines began its expansion again thanks to the influx in passenger and freight traffic. Previous connections with other railroads like the IC and Milwaukee Road were increased, and huge profits came to the railroad from wartime shipping. Trackage increased to Cleveland, OH, and lines into the northern parts of Wisconsin were built. A major connection to the Union Pacific was made in Omaha, NE, and the first line into Kentucky was built. After the war, the Silver Lines was not atypical in that passenger traffic began to decline, but freight continued to do quite well. Relations with neighbouring railroads began to change during this time. Without the required mass-shipping of the war, the Illinois Central and Silver Lines relationship turned sour after a derailment in an interchange caused the crash of an IC train, and held up traffic and caused damage to the line.

SLRR 2623 makes one of its final runs in 1967 as dieselization takes over the railroad. The 1940 steamer races past the scrapping facility that will later torch the locomotive.

During the 50s, lines were built into the South, which would continued to be built all the way down to Mobile, AL. During this time, one small branch in the Illinois division received its first diesel locomotives, and at one point was the only place on the railroad exclusively manned by diesels. This line proved the advantage diesel had over steam, and thus the era of dieselization began. By 1963, much of the steam fleet was either scrapped or in storage. By 1968, all steam locomotives in the Silver Lines had been shutdown, with a few dozen being preserved in museums or being kept in storage for emergencies. The last time a steam locomotive was fired up was in the winter of 1969 after heavy snowfall necessitated the use of steamer. The diesel fleet of the Silver Lines continued to grow, along with trackage out east, which by 1969 had made its way into West Virginia.

Electrification

​It was around this time a long line in West Virginia was cut off from the new but failing Penn Central that the Silver Lines managed to acquire. This line was to become a test bed for an experiment. Whilst the Silver Lines grew, they had not been ignorant of its competitors, most notably the Milwaukee Road and its electrical operation. When built, it was marveled as an unmatched technical marvel, and regarded as innovative. Having viewed the electrified portions of the road in detail, the thought of constructing a similar system on the SLRR was introduced. Studies comparing modern day costs of an electrical line compared to a diesel or steam line showed that after the initial costs of construction, it may be a lucrative option. Careful surveying of the current rail network and potential future expansions put the new WV line into the spotlight thanks to the large coal reserves. The only reason this line wasn’t still under Penn Central was that the yards and bridges along the line had suffered over the years and were in dire need of repairs that could not be afforded by the fledgling railroad. The Silver Lines took a big risk, but it was one that turned out to be very much worth the potential failure.

​The Milwaukee Road had received an offer from General Electric in 1972 to overhaul and upgrade their electric line and bridge the electrified gap, as well as offering an unbuilt experimental electric locomotive. The Milwaukee hesitantly agreed to this offer, with both parties discovering the cost was, in reality, much higher than previously anticipated. The overhaul and upgrades were covered and many substations and sections of catenary were upgraded or well repaired, however the bridging of the electrified gap could not be afforded due to the new experimental electric locomotives that were already bought by the Milwaukee and scheduled for delivery in the early 70s, not to mention recent orders to acquire more diesels. In 1974, they received an offer from the Silver Lines to buy out all the of the electric Boxcab locomotives as the newly erected shops needed a test bed to try their experimental electrical systems. Many were in disrepair and were scheduled for scrapping. Despite not knowing why the Silver Lines wanted the remains of these half a century old units, they did accept, needing the money. Many Boxcabs were repaired enough to travel eastwards and were shipped towards the Silver Lines’ newest heavy locomotive facility at the under construction electric operation to be rebuilt and upgraded. The locomotives were heavily beaten down by years and years of constant work out west and required extensive work to be brought into operational condition, but they worked fine as a test bed for experimental tech that the railroad had been working with. 1975 marked the inaugural run of the line with a refurbished Boxcab set. The engines proved themselves well, and were operating at higher speeds, higher horsepower, and more efficiently than back at the Milwaukee. It was a sign of things to come.

SLRR E75 (ex-MILW) and C40-8 3442 run empty coal cars west one night in 1987.

SLRR SD40-2s 3382, 3346, and MILW 181 haul a series of 1915 GE 'Boxcab' electric locomotives eastwards towards their new home.

1980 was a big turning point for the Silver Lines. The electric line was the first expansion since 1965, and now two additions would be made. First, the Milwaukee Road, who had been doing much better since they could afford to fund the completion of the electric gap, was sent an offer to buy out all 12 of their EF4 ‘Little Joes’ that had been obsoleted by the newer GE units. The Milwaukee accepted this offer as well, and they were shipped to the Silver Lines a year later. New improvements in the electrification tech meant a larger locomotive was needed, and the EF4s were the perfect locomotive to try them on. Improvements to both Boxcab and Little Joe included faster running speeds, more efficient power usage, and additional horsepower. ​

ex-MILW #3400 hooks up to a freshly rebuilt and repainted E29, whilst E19 is inspected just before the rebuilding process can begin.

Near the end of 1980, a surprise announcement came that the Silver Lines had acquired the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad in its entirety. This purchase gave the SLRR two major things - one: the Chicago South Shore's 3 Little Joes, called the 800s on their line, and more importantly, two: After over 50 years of waiting, a proper, complete, connection to Chicago. All 15 of the newly purchased Little Joes were sent to the west end of the electric branch and were given high priority in the list of units to repair and rebuild - in which still over thirty ex-MILW Boxcabs remained in waiting. The time it took to put together the refurbished units was massive, though it proved to be worth it as the new EF4s proved their worth, with the Boxcabs acting as excellent helper units along the new line.

​During this time period, a few large orders from EMD in particular had been made. After an initial purchase of 125 SD40-2s in 1973, the railroad was very pleased with their operation and a larger second order for 250 additional units was placed in 1979 to match growing demand. Additional lines from Illinois Central had been purchased outright or trackage rights were given throughout parts of Illinois, and the Milwaukee Road had sold the SLRR some of its own defunct diesels as their new electrics powered their trains. Afterwards, much remained quiet along the SLRR throughout much of the 80s and 90s whilst other railroads merged or collapsed. When the Canadian National took control over the IC, the SLRR managed to get some trackage rights and whole branches to themselves.
​
The 90s were relatively calm, until about 1995. Many high-ranking members of the company, including the CEO, took their leave of the railroad either because of new opportunities or quite simply retirement. Regardless, new management was brought into the company and change was to be expected, and change it did. Some of the biggest changes were branding and paint schemes. Just prior, the company had been using the same logo and branding for well over 50 years and an update was sorely needed. To accommodate the new designs, a new paint scheme was developed to better show them off and bring in a new company image. From then on, all new units would receive this new paint and old units would slowly be put into it as well. ​

Late in the day, restored SLRR S1 #2604 and #2950 and accompanying B-units rest up beside one of the many shops along the network for a brief photoshoot.

Additionally, between 1998 and 2000, a new heritage program was put underway, and some old diesels and a few steam locomotives were brought into the spotlight and put into restoration. To match this, historic coaches also received restorations. A whole set was even dedicated to acting as an OCS train to replace the antiquated non-Silver Lines coaches that had been rarely even used. A set of four steam engines was restored in the coming years, as well as a fully restored and repainted set of F-units, and other essential equipment. Though restoring several steam locomotives - an S1 Northern-class and an F1 Challenger-class to start - was an extremely costly and time consuming move, it proved to be worth it as they were successful with the public, additionally improving the railroad's image. It marked the beginning of a new era for the railroad.

Modern Day

The stock market crash of 2008 did affect the Silver Lines like many other railroads, and a few budget cuts were made in certain departments, including the heritage area. Generally, however, the railroad made it out all right all things considered. The railroad has steadily grown for the past decade and has done quite well, and is one of the nine modern class 1 railroads in North America. It continues to service the United States in the modern day. The future is limitless for the Silver Lines Railroad.
 
(This railroad and related articles are completely fictional. It is reminiscent of past and current railroads and their trends. It is a work of fiction that includes non-fiction elements and events within it.) 

Mapping The Route

Full Locomotive Roster

Unique Locomotives

The Old Logo

Designed by Trainz user jacksonbarno in 2015.

Note: Some areas incomplete, will be updated at a later date