Illinois Railways/Illinois Railnet

(Shortlines)

BNSF sold four segments of its CB&Q ancestry to Illinois Railnet between 1997 and 2004. In 2005, Omnitrax bought those segments from North American Railnet and renamed it Illinois Railways. [IlliniRail]

The section between Ottawa and Montgomery has been significantly improved because Omnitrax has plowed at least some of  its revenue from sand trains back into maintenance. The sand mines around Ottawa produce sand with a grain size and hardness that makes it ideal for fraking oil and gas wells.

Omnitrax, click the yellow rectangle near the upper-right corner

The corporate ancestor of the Mongomery to Streator segment was Ottawa, Oswego & Fox River Valley. The segment between Ottawa and Streator is now used to store cars. Labeling Streator as an interchange station is marketing hype.

Milwaukee had trackage rights over the Flagg Center to Rockford segment. But Milwaukee is now gone.

Zearing to LaSalle is a remnant of the corporate ancestor Illinois Valley and Northern Railroad. The branch to the east north of I-80 was bought by Peru, IL when another railroad abandoned it. Peru contracts with Illinois Railways to operate it.

I don't know why Mt. Morris is important.