More Canadian National at Pekin
Fulton County, Illinois Ghost towns Part 1
Ghost towns are abandoned villages that since disappeared or are no longer the population they were in their hey day after an economic down fall, disaster or whatever. For me I consider a ghost town a town that no longer exists but may or may not leave traces behind of it's existence. Fulton County has a lot of old historical towns like Canton which was founded in 1825 and Lewistown which was founded years before Canton. These towns are example of towns that managed to make it despite economic disasters and natural ones. Former towns which have signs marking their location like Civer between Canton and Cuba and Tuscumbia around Bernadotte are examples of towns that didn't make it and ceased to exist and into oblivion of history. The only thing that is exists is those two signs that mark the location. It's sad in a way but it is what it is and people who lived in these areas did what they had to for survival of the time period so if they moved to other communities can
When the CN local has cars for Amerhart and/or Hanna Steel, it drops them on that siding just north of Derby Street then picks them up and delivers them on the southbound trip. I once saw them do this on the northbound trip once, so you never know.
ReplyDeletePredecessor Illinois Central had a small yard there many years ago. The ICRR even had a "River Track" which crossed Rt. 29 (and the C&IM) just north of Pacific Ethanol to connect with Peoria Terminal Company and serve long-gone riverfront elevators. The track across Rt. 29 and the C&IM was became superfluous after P&PU took over PTCo's Pekin switching duties in early 1980.
P&PU and ICG apparently continued to interchange directly at Pekin into the late 1980s until all interchange moved to East Peoria. That's when I figure the yard (small as it was) was mostly removed, save for once siding, which was recently shortened.
I seen the cars needed to be picked up prior so figured that was what they were doing. I wondered if Hanna Steel had rail service. They looked big enough they might but also never explored the area around them. I wasn't even aware there was a yard in this area or even another set of tracks crossed route 29. I'm guessing it branched off near Derby street or around that area and crossed over. I need to look at old maps of Pekin of the past decades from the 1980s and before.
ReplyDeleteHanna Steel doesn't get much. When the plant opened in late March 1999, most coil steel arriving there for processing arrived Peoria Barge Terminal by river and then was hauled on low-boy trucks (one coil at a time) to Hanna. By 2003, it seemed most steel arrived by rail. There seemed to have been a small number of outbound shipments as well. Most steel arrived for pickling, painting and cutting to custom width for customers, and for the plant's two tube mills.
DeleteHard times by 2009 led to bankruptcy and reorganization. It appears Hanna no longer processes steel in Pekin, and it isn't clear if the tube mills are operating either. Coil steel occasionally arrives in covered cushion coil cars, usually with CSX markings. This tells me steel is arriving that is already pickled and painted, probably shipped from the Hanna Steel facility in Fairfield, Alabama.
I wonder if they'll recover and pick up rail service from their own plant in the future. I hope.
ReplyDeleteThey apparently lost some big customers in the area. I know that the timber-framed metal building industry was one. Unfortunately, Butler Manufacturing Co. closed its Galesburg plant and American Buildings at Enright (just east of El Paso) is owned by Nucor Steel (which probably supplies its own metal). That leaves Morton Buildings, which I assume has purchased processed steel from Hanna Steel in the past, if not the present. Caterpillar and Deere & Company may or may not be customers. Deere has a good selection of steel processors in the Quad Cities area, so I doubt they use Hanna.
DeleteButler in Galesburg is that where the railroad spur that never seems to get used anymore that goes back aways off Henderson street is? I remember hearing about their closure as well as other places. When i went up there to put applications in for foundry or warehouse positions pre tracheostomey and health issues it seemed things were closing left and right and alot and even talks of Gates rubber closing or atleast laying off some of the employees. I know Gates recieves rail service because i see a car or two there everytime i pass by. I used to think Galesburg was a manufacturing town where finding a job would be easy...Jokes on me everything closed.
DeleteSpeaking of Steel who serves O'Brien Steel now since Pioneer's Kellar Branch met it's end thanks to the city of Peoria. I'm guessing TZPR would take any rail shipments somewhere and have some other railroad take it to it's destination.