Two depot's two railroads - Cuba, Illinois.

In the small Fulton County community of Cuba, Illinois was once the location of two railroad depot's. Two companies crossed each other's tracks and both have their stories to tell I am certain of that. The first was the east to west TP&W line built back in the 1860s -70s timeframe. This once was a Class one railroad that travelled through several states. It had depot's along the way and once the mighty steam hauled passenger trains. This like the other railroad served area mines one being near Cuba. The TP&W depot  like the CB&Q was near where the elevator in Cuba is off Route 97. The depot's are long gone having been torn out probably by the 1970's or the 1980's at the latest. The second TP&W depot still exists but was moved over to Kolbe (Mapleton,Il) where the Keokuk Junction Railway now uses as an office by its car shop. TP&W went through changes after the seventies. For several years it was acquired and operated as the ATSF until about 1989-90. TP&W became its own railroad again after that didn't work out and eventually became a class III shortline. In the early 2000's they wanted to ditch & scrap the west end from Mapleton to Keokuk but after years battle with the Keokuk Junction Railway ( Pioneer RailCorp) they sold this section to the KJRY. KJRY started operating trains of its own about 2005 and today still runs trains.

The CB&Q line that crossed here and had a depot basically right next door to the TP&W depot has a history itself. The depot was probably torn out in the 1970's or 80's. The TP&W was a white depot while the Q was brown. This particular Q line was the former Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railway which was built and existed from 1880-1905. After 1905 the Q took over and graded it to Standard Gauge. They served passengers, farmers and more notible for serving area coal mines. From 1934-1935 the Q abandoned two sections one from West Havana to Lewistown then from Fairview to Galesburg. The track was pulled up out by 1936.  The remaining section spanned 20 miles from Fairview to Lewistown. At Lewistown a wye had been built as the Q later BN shipped the coal from the mines to a coal loading dock for barges south of Liverpool. That stretch was abandoned by BN in 1983. The Fairview, Fiatt and Cuba coal were sent down to Liverpool barge dock. In the 1970 the Q merged with several railroads to become the Burlington Northern precursor to our current BNSF Railway we have today. The BN and ATSF merged in 1995-96. Imagine if TP&W was still ATSF at the time. The KJRY line may have been BNSF today. The BN abandoned the Fairview to Lewistown branch in 1977. In 1976 speed was restricted to 10 mph at Cuba and was told track by then wasn't in the best shape. I imagine not with nothing but Coal trains, deferred maintenance & time. By the end it probably wasn't profitable enough to maintain this branch. Fiatt Mine closed about 1970, Fairview in 1971-72 and the Cuba mine probably wasn't no longer using the Q spur by the time the 70's came alone. That spur may have went out of use by the 60s as TP&W built a spur to the same mine in the 1950's.

Here are pictures of the depot areas as well as a small section of the TP&W interchange track that connected to the Q as well as served the elevator at Cuba. 

Here is picture of the current KJRY  Route 97 crossing as well as pictures I took earlier this year of a train crossing the highway passing the elevator and a few KJRY train Cuba shots.

Here's a good source of info on the Q branch which covers this line as well as various coal mines as well. This guy has some awesome books on the CB&Q especially Quincy, Galesburg & Savannah, Illinois. His most recent is CB&Q The Peoria Branch by Ron Linroth. My god he wrote some detailed info on other lines. This branch wasn't as well known so info isn't as long but still provides info I had difficulty finding even as a resident of Fulton County.  My hats off to him if I wore hats. 🤣

This old picture of the TP&W & Q depot on image search directed me to this guy's blog the photo was on. He does good work collecting info and photos on area Coal mines so another hats off if I wore hats. 😁

http://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2019/05/cuba-il-cb-and-tp-depots.html?m=1

This next image of the TP&W Cuba depot came off image search and was on ebay but you go to click on it and it can't be found so it must have sold.  I can only post the screenshot with whom ever had it up listed under as a source.  Sorry. I try to look at sources or link them when I can if I didn't take the picture myself which obvioy couldn't as I hadn't been born yet.

Years ago took pictures of the FCNG/CB&Q ROW in Cuba that ran next to the Cuba Cemetery. Also below is pictures of a relay box for the Q Cuba mine spur that crossed Highway 97 between Cuba and Lewistown. That spur probably deceased activity by the 50's as TP&W built a spur down to the same mine in the 1950's. It's unclear 50's or 60's on when the Q stopped serving that mine. It's either TP&W gained the contract or the mine for a while used both. Who knows at the moment. 

 Here is the branch abandonment in 1977 by BN. Also a crossbuck near Fiatt still exists as well as near the Fiatt mine an old boxcar. These were taken in 2016 - 2017 ish. 

This picture is the ROW of the CB&Q/BN Liverpool branch that BN abandoned in 1983. It is west of Little American off Rt 24/78 not far from Sister Creek Farms. Coal from various mines was shipped to the barge dock south of Liverpool.