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<p>In 1865, the Pana, Springfield and North Western Railroad began construction on a line extending from Pana, Illinois to Beardstown, Illinois. In 1867, the Illinois South Eastern Railway (ISE) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from Shawneetown, Illinois to Pana. The two railroads would be acquired by the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway (S&&ISE) in 1870, and the 222 mile line was completed that year. The railroad would be reorganized into the Ohio and Mississippi Railway (O&M) in 1875. The O&M was merged into the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railroad (B&OSW) in 1893. The B&OSW was a subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a prominent eastern railroad company. The B&OSW provided the B&O with access to terminals in Indiana and Illinois. </p><p><br>The B&OSW was merged into the B&O in the early 20th Century. This line provided the B&O with terminals at the Illinois River, and also allowed the B&O to access Springfield from the southwest. In addition, the line to Shawneetown served small communities in southeast Illinois. Throughout the 20th Century, traffic along the route began to decline. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) took financial control of the B&O in 1963. In 1973, the two railroads were merged into the Chessie System, although they continued to operate separately. The segment of line between Springfield and Beardstown was abandoned in 1979, followed by the Shawneetown to Springfield segment in 1983. Today, relatively little remains of the line. Portions of the line near Springfield have become a trail.<br></p>
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