Buckheart mine of Dunfermline

East of Dunfermline and southeast of Canton was a pretty good sized coal mine at one time that area old timer's either worked there or knew people  who did and this mine was known as the Buckheart  mine.  It is situated  in an area around Buckheart creek and in Buckheart township hence the name.  The United Electric Coal company ran mine #17 from 1937-1975.  In 1976 not  too far from the area Duck Creek Power plant was built. In 1975 the mine became the Freeman United Coal company.  Other than the dates and that it was pretty good size for a mine in this county I don't know alot about it.  But this area had mines in the vicinity for a good 100 years on and off.  The Saint David area was really a jackpot with many mines coming and going over the years and this area i'm talking about is no different there was mine here for a while even before United electric in 1937.  Now a days is  strip mine lakes, the power plant and i'm sure still traces of the coal mine remain but the land is private property.

The United Electric built a spur down to just north of Liverpool, Illinois in 1937 which hauled coal down to a barge dock on the Illinois River.  According to Don Ross'es website they used a  Alco HH600 #101 for the Liverpool spur.   The locomotive was built by Alco in Oct 1938.  It served the Green Bay & Western Railroad for a time.  In 1960 it was sold to United Electric which they  evidently used for sometime.  It was sold to Material  Service Corp in 1972.  It was scrapped in 1976.   United Electric also used an SW1 #1 which was built by Electro motive in 1942 and was #1597 as Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon), It was sold to United in 1947.  The fate of it have no idea but most likely scrapped.  CB&Q did their fair share of serving this mine as well no doubts.  In Canton at the former CB&Q depot sits a locomotive used for this coal mine that was donated to the city in 1997 or 1998.  It was built by Whitcomb in 1935 for the Barber Asphalt company but later sold to United Electric coal company.  As for the years it was active at this mine I have no idea.  Hopefully it got it's share of work.  I heard it was for switching purposes.  It's an interesting little locomotive to see though I do not care for the 1997 and 1998 painted on it from the years it was donated.  The important part is it wasn't scrapped and can live on as a display.  

It's hard for me to photograph any of this mine area due to the fact most of the land is private and gated ( for good reason a power plant is there for pete sakes).  MOst of the pictures are of the Whitcomb locomotive which was donated to the city of Canton and remains as a reminder of the past. I also took one photograph of where the line would have ran acrossed route 24 east to Liverpool along Buckheart creek.  Also east of Dunfermline on a dirt road was some old track under the gravel United electric used at one time.  I would love to know more about this mine and the rail lines but this is all i know so far.  My great Uncle  (only by marriage) worked there for many years.  The power plant sees regular rail activity a few times a week from BNSF and briefly  years back from KJRY and I think TP&W.  The tracks to Liverpool are long gone and as far as i know the tracks i seen on that dirt road is the only traces left of the United Electric.  Don't hold me to that since I cannot explore most of the area due to it being private property.  My source of information about the locomotives come from Don Ross and his website.