The grade southwest of the Mazon River crossing at Gorman was sold to the Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern Railroad that year, and the Alton opened the railroad between Joliet and the Mazon River on July 1.
In 1905 the Alton and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) began operating these two parallel tracks as a joint double-track line between Joliet and Pequot, just northeast of Coal City.
[citation needed] At some point, Alton successor Illinois Central Gulf Railroad (ICG) sold the line between Plaines and Pequot to the Santa Fe for continued use as a second main track.
When the Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (CM&W) bought most of the old Alton in 1987, it acquired only a short piece of the ex-Chicago and Illinois River between Joliet and Plaines,[citation needed] as well as Pequot-Coal City and the Coal City-Mazonia connection.
Illinois Central affiliate Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway leased the IC's segment in 2009.