If any city is synonymous with railroading, it is Chicago.  Chicago, Carl Sandberg's windblown city of the big tough shoulders ... hog butcher to the world, stormy, husky, big, brawling .... all this and still the railroad capital of the United States.  As a tribute to the railroads that served the windy city, and all the people who worked on them, Micro-Trains celebrates with this, "The Windy City Special".

20560 - Road # C&EI  3507 - Chicago & Eastern Illinois - 40' Standard Box Car with Single Door.
The C&EI dates from 1849, when its predecessor, the Evansville & Illinois, was chartered.  It was reorganized by the Government in 1941 and its name was changed from C&EI Railroad to the C&EI Railway.

31110 - Road # C&NW 51772 - Chicago & Northwestern - 50' Standard Box Car with Single Door.
The C&NW was originally chartered in 1848 as the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad.  It was once Union Pacific's most preferred eastern connection between Chicago and Omaha.  Today's lines still run west out of Chicago.

20356 - Road # RI 24064 - Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific - 40' Standard Box Car with Single Door.
The "Rock Island" was a colorful railroad long famous for it's "The Route of the Rockets".  After years of financial problems, it was dissolved and the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) authorized all neighboring railroads to get a piece of the Rock.