Illinois Central Railroad

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Chartered in Illinois on February 10, 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad was America’s first land-grant railroad. Its directors were handed an audacious assignment: stitch together Cairo, Galena, and Chicago, then make the whole thing pay for itself. Casual.

The main line was completed in 1856, when more than 700 miles of track made Illinois Central one of the world’s longest railroads. From Chicago, its network eventually reached New Orleans and Mobile, giving Midwestern freight—and passengers with a timetable and nerve—a route toward the Gulf.

After more than a century of hauling the country’s business, Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad on August 10, 1972, creating Illinois Central Gulf. The railroad emerged under the Illinois Central name again in 1988, then Canadian National acquired its parent company and railroad operations in 1998.

Our Illinois Central Railroad collection celebrates the black-diamond-era swagger of a line that made Chicago, the Mississippi Valley, and the Gulf feel a little closer together. Built for people who appreciate hard-working locomotives, bold marks, and corporate history with plenty of steel in its spine.