CB&Q/BN/BNSF Yates City to Vermont sub.
Before the days of Burlington Northern Santa Fe or even Burlinton Northern Canton, Illinois and other communities seen the service of the long gone Chicago,Burlington & Quincy Railroad whom at one time was a major railroad in this state and even surrounding ones and further. They offered passenger service all over as well as freight service which served not only any businesses and manufacturing in these at one time blooming communities but the area coals mines from the small to the bigger ones. BY 1880 Canton had the luxury of two railroads both being built in the 1860's the TP&W which ran west to east and the CB&Q which came from the south. As the 1800's came and went communities sprang up or grew and coal mines came and went. CB&Q served mines around Farmington, Norris, Brereton, Canton, Saint David, Bryant and even north of Lewistown had some. They even took over a small railroad that Lewistown had pushed for to keep it's county seat from being removed to the bigger Canton. The Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad ran from 1880 to 1905 from Galesburg to West Havana ( a terminal acrossed the river from the city of Havana). They were never a profitable line but managed to keep it going but due to financial problems the Q ended up buying them out then turning it into a standard gaugue feeder line which served the coal mines and probably farmers as well as some passenger service. This line would be abandoned in the mid 1930s and torn out except for a section from Lewistown to Fairview which served remaining mines and was abandoned in 1977 by Burlington Northern.
CB&Q had a few spur branches that served mines one being at Norris which swung off the main and headed to it west of Norris. There that mine remained until about 1980. They used an electric locomotive at that mine to move cars from what I heard. There was a spur that was built heading east then south then east again down to just south of Liverpool for trains to haul coal to the barge dock down there. That branch was abandoned by BN in 1983. I haven't a clue when the last train was but mines were shutting down left and right by the 1970's into the early 1980's so I can atleast make a guess within the decade of 1973-1983. Back to the mainline it's biggest customers seemed to be the International Harvester in Canton and various coal mines in the county with other businesses coming and going decades before the merger with BN in 1970. They had passenger depot's in Famington, Canton, Lewistown and I think even Ipava had one and probably Vermont. The passenger service for this line came to an end in 1961 failing to compete with automobiles plus it wasn't exactly a booming business in this area anymore when you can just drive yourself to Peoria or other cities sadly. It's sad for the railroad at the time but I see people's point of wanting to get to places quicker as well as not having to deal with people by just driving yourself. I would probably feel more for it if I ever experienced it. I didn't come into this world until the early 1980's so I missed out on the passenger train era in this county. I cannot miss something I haven't experienced but however I sort of wish I did. I'm sure many relatives used it at some point in history. For me it would be fun but I like trains so would probably enjoy it.
In 1970 the Q facing financial issues i'm sure like many railroads of that era merged with another railroad this having been the Burlington Northern Railroad. The railroad here would continue to serve Coal mines and the Harvester but businesses started declining in the area in the 1970's and Canton has never really recovered. The Norris Mine, Buckheart Mine and others started closing by 1980 and the early 1980's and the IH plant up and left leaving this area without any profitable business for BN. Rail activity decreased and finally stopped from Canton north to Yates City. BN later BNSF would store cars on the line from Yates City to Farmington and also just south of Canton from time to time. The cars would sit for months even it seemed like years. In 1995 BN and AT&SF merged becoming the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. I remember seeing coal trains in 1993 coming off the TP&W line onto the BNSF one heading south and the last time I seen anything used in Canton was two locomotives heading south which i raced on my bike. In 2017 track removal started in Canton where both tracks and ties were being removed and they went as far as Farmington the last time I checked. It's not like I didn't think it would ever happen but I did hold out hopes one day it would be reactivated keeping optimistic but just like with the M&STL/C&NW line to the north I was let down. It's not the end of the world but it really just reminded me how dead Canton was. To the south from Dunfermline to Vermont the line is still active with coal trains running atleast twice a week. It's hard to predict when though. I see them once in a blue moon. Before 2012 it went unused for a time. KJRY delivered coal to the plant from the track that stretched acrossed route 9 built around 2005. BNSF got the contract now and delivers. The contract ends in 2019 or 2020 so it's hard telling what happens then. They'll probably renew unless KJRY gets lucky and providing if those stupid rumors of plant closures aren't true. They power the whole county i don't see it happening but i've been wrong before ( with the hopes of line reactivation for two railroads) so wait and see I guess. I hope this line has many more years it's been in this area well over 140 years. IN some areas it's already gone for an exception of a depot and right of ways but from Dunfermline down to Vermont it still has life thanks to that Power plant which was built in 1976. I wish my town itself wasn't so dead and was still a booming manufacturing town but it is what it is but there is always hope plus KJRY keeps rail activity going a few times a week so not all is lost!
CB&Q had a few spur branches that served mines one being at Norris which swung off the main and headed to it west of Norris. There that mine remained until about 1980. They used an electric locomotive at that mine to move cars from what I heard. There was a spur that was built heading east then south then east again down to just south of Liverpool for trains to haul coal to the barge dock down there. That branch was abandoned by BN in 1983. I haven't a clue when the last train was but mines were shutting down left and right by the 1970's into the early 1980's so I can atleast make a guess within the decade of 1973-1983. Back to the mainline it's biggest customers seemed to be the International Harvester in Canton and various coal mines in the county with other businesses coming and going decades before the merger with BN in 1970. They had passenger depot's in Famington, Canton, Lewistown and I think even Ipava had one and probably Vermont. The passenger service for this line came to an end in 1961 failing to compete with automobiles plus it wasn't exactly a booming business in this area anymore when you can just drive yourself to Peoria or other cities sadly. It's sad for the railroad at the time but I see people's point of wanting to get to places quicker as well as not having to deal with people by just driving yourself. I would probably feel more for it if I ever experienced it. I didn't come into this world until the early 1980's so I missed out on the passenger train era in this county. I cannot miss something I haven't experienced but however I sort of wish I did. I'm sure many relatives used it at some point in history. For me it would be fun but I like trains so would probably enjoy it.
In 1970 the Q facing financial issues i'm sure like many railroads of that era merged with another railroad this having been the Burlington Northern Railroad. The railroad here would continue to serve Coal mines and the Harvester but businesses started declining in the area in the 1970's and Canton has never really recovered. The Norris Mine, Buckheart Mine and others started closing by 1980 and the early 1980's and the IH plant up and left leaving this area without any profitable business for BN. Rail activity decreased and finally stopped from Canton north to Yates City. BN later BNSF would store cars on the line from Yates City to Farmington and also just south of Canton from time to time. The cars would sit for months even it seemed like years. In 1995 BN and AT&SF merged becoming the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. I remember seeing coal trains in 1993 coming off the TP&W line onto the BNSF one heading south and the last time I seen anything used in Canton was two locomotives heading south which i raced on my bike. In 2017 track removal started in Canton where both tracks and ties were being removed and they went as far as Farmington the last time I checked. It's not like I didn't think it would ever happen but I did hold out hopes one day it would be reactivated keeping optimistic but just like with the M&STL/C&NW line to the north I was let down. It's not the end of the world but it really just reminded me how dead Canton was. To the south from Dunfermline to Vermont the line is still active with coal trains running atleast twice a week. It's hard to predict when though. I see them once in a blue moon. Before 2012 it went unused for a time. KJRY delivered coal to the plant from the track that stretched acrossed route 9 built around 2005. BNSF got the contract now and delivers. The contract ends in 2019 or 2020 so it's hard telling what happens then. They'll probably renew unless KJRY gets lucky and providing if those stupid rumors of plant closures aren't true. They power the whole county i don't see it happening but i've been wrong before ( with the hopes of line reactivation for two railroads) so wait and see I guess. I hope this line has many more years it's been in this area well over 140 years. IN some areas it's already gone for an exception of a depot and right of ways but from Dunfermline down to Vermont it still has life thanks to that Power plant which was built in 1976. I wish my town itself wasn't so dead and was still a booming manufacturing town but it is what it is but there is always hope plus KJRY keeps rail activity going a few times a week so not all is lost!
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