Draft:Illinois Central 2600 Series

The Illinois Central 2600 Series was a class of 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotives that were built by the Illinois Central Railroad themselves at their own Paducah, Kentucky shops between 1942 and 1943.

Beginning
In the 1940s, during the Second World War, the Illinois Central Railroad needed more steam locomotives for their usage within the United States to tackle the issues of the Second World War. So, the Illinois Central Railroad had decided to go back to the drawing board and design a new steam locomotive for themselves, they asked the Paducah, Kentucky shops to build the specific class of locomotive they were wanting.

This resulted in the formation of the Illinois Central 2600 Series, these steam locomotives were manufactured between 1942 and 1943 for usage on the Illinois Central Railroad within the United States to tackle the issues of the Second World War. All twenty locomotives were numbered by the Illinois Central Railroad as 2600 through 2619.

Design
The locomotives had 70 in, their tenders could carry 26 t of coal and 22000 impgal of water.

Withdrawal
Withdrawal of the class began in the 1950s and the last engine was out of service by 1960 in favour of diesels, they were all cut up at Paducah, Kentucky, which was the same place where they were built.

Excursion run
On October 2, 1960, the 2613 was refuelled for the final time at Central City, Kentucky. It then pulled an excursion trip from Louisville, Kentucky to Dawson Springs, Kentucky and back, and this historically marked the very last run to be made by an Illinois Central steam engine.

After the run, the railroad offered to donate No. 2613 to the Kentucky Railway Museum, but having no space for additional locomotives, the museum declined the offer. As a result, 2613 was scrapped, but its tender remained intact.

Two tenders in preservation
Later, Chicago area railfan, Richard Jensen, acquired the tender of the locomotive, along with that from fellow 2600 No. 2612, and he moved it to the Chicago, West Pullman and Southern Railroad (CWP&S) for storage.

He had intentions of using both tenders behind Burlington locomotives Nos. 4963 and 5632, but as he fell into financial trouble in the 1970s, he fell behind on rent to store the tenders on the CWP&S. In 1981, the CWP&S gave up on collecting rent from Jensen, and they acquired the tenders, along with York Southern Railroad 4-6-0 No. 1, as compensation.

They subsequently sold the tenders and York Southern No. 1 at a sheriff auction to William Latham of Rockford, Illinois. Latham had planned to create a small railroad museum with the engine and tenders, but this plan had fallen through, and although York Southern No. 1 was eventually donated to the Monticello Railway Museum in June 2000. A Monticello member tried to secure one of the Illinois Central tenders from the Rockford collection for preservation, but this effort failed, and both tenders were scrapped in 2011.