The Prairie Central Railway was a short railroad line that ran from Decatur

Decatur, Illinois

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...

 to Paris, Illinois

Paris, Illinois

Paris is a city in Paris Township, Edgar County, Illinois, USA, south of Chicago, and west of Indianapolis. In 1900, 6,105 people lived in Paris, Illinois; in 1910, 7,664; and in 1940, 9,281. The population was 8,837 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Edgar County.-Geography:Paris is...

. It was based in Decatur, and ran on about 74 miles (119.1 km) worth of mostly former Penn Central Railroad and later Conrail trackage. In 1982, the railroad was extended to include approximately 80 miles (128.7 km), south from Paris to Mt. Carmel, terminating at the Southern Railway.

The Prairie Central Railway was formed during the 1980s deregulation period by Craig Burroughs, which consisted of several railroad properties. An affiliate railroad was formed as the Prairie Trunk (PARY) which ran from Flora, Illinois

Flora, Illinois

Flora is a city in Clay County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,086 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Flora is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

, to Shawneetown, Illinois

Shawneetown, Illinois

Shawneetown is a city in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County...

.

Power for the trains consisted mainly of former Conrail GE U25B

GE U25B

The GE U25B was General Electric's first independent entry into the United States domestic diesel-electric railroad locomotive market for heavy production road locomotives since 1936...

s, most tracing their heritage to the New York Central.