Prairie Central Railway

"PACY" redirects here. For the airport in Alaska with that ICAO code, see Yakataga Airport.

Prairie Central Railway
Reporting mark	PACY
Locale	Illinois
Dates of operation	1980–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Decatur, Illinois

The Prairie Central Railway (reporting mark PACY) was a short railroad line that ran from Decatur to Paris, Illinois. It was based in Decatur, and ran on about 74 miles (119 km) worth of mostly former Penn Central Railroad and later Conrail trackage. In 1982, the railroad was extended to include approximately 80 miles (130 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, to Shawneetown, Illinois.

Power for the trains consisted mainly of former Conrail GE U25Bs, most tracing their heritage to the New York Central.