Red Ember Mine at Fiatt, Illinois
To the west of Canton in central Fulton County lies a very small town of Fiatt which employed many people for many years with the Strip mines just to the South of it by a mile. This mine was a pretty good sized one considering how many small mines came and went in this county in a one hundred year history. The history of a mine here started as early as 1910 when the Star Coal Company opened up mining in this location which operated until 1922. During it's time the CB&Q provided it shipping service along the route that was once the Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad which CB&Q acquired around 1905 and changed rails from Narrow Gauge to Standard. The CB&Q at this time period ran from Galesburg to a terminal at West Havana for freight as well as passenger service. In 1935 most of the line was abandoned and torn out for an exception of a section from Lewistown north to Fairview which included Fiatt to serve the coal mines. The line would haul coal over these rails until the Fiatt mine closed in 1969. The Fairview Flamingo mine closed five years earlier in 1964. The Flamingo mine may have been using M&STL to ship their coal as a spur branched off the M&STL line down that way. Anyway after 1969 unless there was some other mine still open the line would sit collecting weeds until it's abandonment in 1977. The maps as late as 1980 or the early 1980's still shown track in spots. The depot in Fairview would be gone by the 1980's probably being torn out in the 1970's. The Fairview depot was also torn out but most likely before the Fairview one atleast I was told this.
From 1935-1942 a strip mine was here near Fiatt then 1942 until it closed in 1969 it operated both times under the mining company of Truax Traer Coal Company. Probably the mine names were different. In 1942 until it closed it was known as the Red Ember mine. The mine had several tracks here and raildroad chutes to fill up hoppers. There are old pictures online and it looks like there was atleast four or five tracks not to mention the mainline for the railroad ( what remained of the mainline). In 1937 a Railroad spur was built down to the Illinois River just south of Liverpool which shipped coal to a barge dock owned by Truax to ship via the river. After the Fiatt mine closed it was still used to ship coal from a Saint David mine. IN 1983 Burlington Northern abandoned the spur. The right of way remains viseable in a few locations same goes for the right of way in the Cuba, Fiatt and Fairview areas. After the mine at Fiatt shut down I imagine the line from Lewistown to Fairview didn't see much to any rail activity but i'm not entirely sure. I read somewhere the year before the 1977 abandonment of the BN line from Lewistown to Fairview the speed was restricted to ten miles per hour in 1976. I was told the track was in terrible shape. I have also heard this line used an Alco locomotive. After 1969 Fiatt mine closure I have no clue on how much rail activity there was if any at all. I am just assuming on the little to no rail activity part. If there was no mines still open I wouldn't imagine there being a need for it to stay active so it probably fell into a state of repair. I have heard the track down by Liverpool was in bad shape towards the end and there was a derailment on the line in the 1970's which they took their sweet time cleaning up and left cars off to the side for a time. This was what I was told anyway. Coal mines all started shutting down from the 1960's up until the mid 1980's in Fulton County so we not only lost the jobs, suffered a hit to the economy but also lost several railroad lines. This county has a rich coal mining history people should be proud of and should want to make a come back but sadly most people do not want the mines here yet complain about the lack of jobs. LOL. Go figure!
**Apparently after the Flamingo mine shut down in Fairview in 1964 Peabody took over here from 1964 to 1970 as the Bright Star Mine then Midland Coal Company from 1970 to 1972 had the Elm No 2 Bright Star Mine here. I'm not sure which railroads these companies used but it's probably a good bet the C&NW did since there was a line coming down from their main down to this area. If CB&Q ever served this before a certain point I have no idea but it's possible. **
From 1935-1942 a strip mine was here near Fiatt then 1942 until it closed in 1969 it operated both times under the mining company of Truax Traer Coal Company. Probably the mine names were different. In 1942 until it closed it was known as the Red Ember mine. The mine had several tracks here and raildroad chutes to fill up hoppers. There are old pictures online and it looks like there was atleast four or five tracks not to mention the mainline for the railroad ( what remained of the mainline). In 1937 a Railroad spur was built down to the Illinois River just south of Liverpool which shipped coal to a barge dock owned by Truax to ship via the river. After the Fiatt mine closed it was still used to ship coal from a Saint David mine. IN 1983 Burlington Northern abandoned the spur. The right of way remains viseable in a few locations same goes for the right of way in the Cuba, Fiatt and Fairview areas. After the mine at Fiatt shut down I imagine the line from Lewistown to Fairview didn't see much to any rail activity but i'm not entirely sure. I read somewhere the year before the 1977 abandonment of the BN line from Lewistown to Fairview the speed was restricted to ten miles per hour in 1976. I was told the track was in terrible shape. I have also heard this line used an Alco locomotive. After 1969 Fiatt mine closure I have no clue on how much rail activity there was if any at all. I am just assuming on the little to no rail activity part. If there was no mines still open I wouldn't imagine there being a need for it to stay active so it probably fell into a state of repair. I have heard the track down by Liverpool was in bad shape towards the end and there was a derailment on the line in the 1970's which they took their sweet time cleaning up and left cars off to the side for a time. This was what I was told anyway. Coal mines all started shutting down from the 1960's up until the mid 1980's in Fulton County so we not only lost the jobs, suffered a hit to the economy but also lost several railroad lines. This county has a rich coal mining history people should be proud of and should want to make a come back but sadly most people do not want the mines here yet complain about the lack of jobs. LOL. Go figure!
**Apparently after the Flamingo mine shut down in Fairview in 1964 Peabody took over here from 1964 to 1970 as the Bright Star Mine then Midland Coal Company from 1970 to 1972 had the Elm No 2 Bright Star Mine here. I'm not sure which railroads these companies used but it's probably a good bet the C&NW did since there was a line coming down from their main down to this area. If CB&Q ever served this before a certain point I have no idea but it's possible. **
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