Although a railroad’s “back shops” were among the most important aspect of daily operations, they often went unnoticed by the general public and unpublicized by historians. For the first time, a comprehensive history of the largest heavy repair shops in the United States during the steam era has been published. The second volume, titled Midwest Region, has over 350 fact-filled and profusely illustrated pages of shops that primarily operated out of Chicago, which was the world’s leading railroad hub. A total of 19 railroads and 50 shop sites are featured, including those of the Chicago and North Western, Illinois Central, Burlington, Monon, Milwaukee Road, Big Four, Rock Island, Soo, Lake Shore, Wabash, and Nickel Plate. This fascinating, limited edition book has 475 black and white photos, maps, and illustrations, and will make a welcome addition to any railroad fan’s library. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction…1 Chicago and Alton Railroad…5Bloomington Shops Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad…18Danville (Oaklawn) and Chicago Shops Chicago and North Western Transportation Company…30Chicago, Clinton, Winona, and Proviso Shops Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad…50Aurora, Galesburg, Hannibal, West Burlington, and Havelock Shops Chicago Great Western Railway…94Oelwein Shops Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway…104New Albany and Lafayette Shops Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad …113Milwaukee, Dubuque, and Minneapolis Shops Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad …129Chicago, Horton, Silvis, and Shawnee Shops Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway …157Beech Grove and Bellefontaine Shops Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway…173East Joliet Shops Grand Trunk Western Railway …185Battle Creek and Port Huron Shops Illinois Central Railroad …199Chicago (Burnside), Paducah, Water Valley, and McComb Shops Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway …235Elkhart, Collinwood, and Ashtabula Shops Michigan Central Railroad…257Detroit, Michigan City, Niles, and Jackson Shops Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad …278Minneapolis and North Fond du Lac Shops New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad …290Conneaut and Stony Island Shops Pere Marquette Railway…301Saginaw and Grand Rapids Shops St. Louis—San Francisco Railway …312Springfield and Kansas City Shops Wabash Railroad…337Moberly and East Decatur Shops Appendices…357 Selected Source Listing…358