Arcola is a small town located in the vast prairies of central Illinois.  Like many small towns, much care has been taken in fixing up the downtown area.  In Arcola, this includes numerous murals painted on downtown buildings.

Arcola plays in the lore of the passenger trains of the Illinois Central Railroad.  So the story goes, a passenger stopped the conductor as he was walking through the train.

“Excuse me.  What is the next stop?”
“The next stop,” said the conductor, “is Arcola.”
“And what stop is after that?”
“The stop after that is Tuscola,” replied the conductor.
“Let me guess,” said the passenger.  “The stop after that is Pepsi Cola.”
The conductor shook his head.
“No sir.  Champaign.”

Whether or not this exchange ever actually happened is open to debate, but Arcola has not been a scheduled stop for a passenger train in decades.  It remains notable however, since one of the murals features an Illinois Central E-Unit in the original passenger colors from the forties with the reference to the famous song proclaiming “The train they call the City of New Orleans.”

Amtrak’s version of “The City” still passes through Arcola, one of three daily round trips, and this photo shows the northbound Illini passing with the mural in the background on a late September afternoon in 2015.

Mary McPherson – Photograph and text Copyright 2022