We were in Quincy, Il Friday and Saturday and there seems to be a fairly active yard on both the Illinois and Missouri sides of the river.
South of Quincy (along the river) on Illinois Rt 57 there are several fairly large companies with active rail service.
Is this branch off the mainline to the south a BNSF branch or a shortline? I noticed a locomotive marked "Quincy Connection" as we were driving along Rt 57.
Very interesting area south of town with an ADM plant, limestone mining and other fairly large companies. Any info would be appreciated.
Ed
The west side of the river is West Quincy yard. The town is all BNSF now with the exception of the Burlington Jcn RR (Leased from BNSF in 2003) on the old Marblehead spur running south of town along 57 on the east side of the river..(Wabash is long gone and most of that was trackage rights. NS still has rights along the west side of the river (Hannibal Sub) left over from WAB (going back to when WAB owned TP&W days) to get from Hanibal up to Keokuk. West Quincy to Galesburg over the river bridge is the BNSF Brookfield Sub.....Wondering if what you were looking at on the east side of the river is the Marblehead Spur/ now Burlington Junction Railway and the remains of old Quincy yard.(along 57 on the south side of town - all that's left of the branch that runs down to the old Quincy Jcn/Rockport/Pike with Chicago & Alton KC line (now KCS)... Abandoned by CB&Q starting in about 1959....
Bright red locomotive with "Burlington Connection" on it?
Mudchicken:It was the Burlington Junction...my memory is slipping these days. Yes, it was along the Rt 57 going south from Quincy. The yard was just south of the BNSF river bridge on the east side of the river...in Quincy, Il., not West Quincy.
We did pass thru Marblehead on our way out of town. I recall reading an article years ago, I believe in Classic Trains about a local which ran on that line, I should look it up.
The Quincy yard (not W. Quincy) had a number of tank cars...suggesting the possibility of an ethanol plant at ADM. We walked early Saturday morning along the river parkway and I didnt get close to the yard with the wife.
Anyway, that has to be a very interesting (and high revenue) line for the shortline as there are a number of industries.
Any more info is appreciated.
Locals will have to fill you in on the rest of the local lore.
Abandonments:
Rockport to Pike 1937 (end of the through route)
Quincy -Green City- MilanMO 1938-49-79 (QOKC Line, CB&Q took over in 1938 and immediately abandonded the western two thirds, then abandoned the rest in pieces)
Hannibal to Palmyra 1955
Fall Creek to Rockport 1958-59
Rockport to New Canton 1951
Fall Creek to Hulls (C&A) 1951
(N&W/WAB trackage rights on CB&Q, Hulls to E. Hannibal 1955)
Wabash industrial lead in E. Quincy (about 1962) 30th St/Emery Creek... What's left is Titan Wheel Plant complex/ Electric Wheel-Firestone (Industrial switcher) - Burlington Junction Switching that too?
Fall Creek to E Hannibal 1978 (short branch connection)
Wui, IL to E. Hannibal 1978
W. Quincy to Kirksville MO 1979 QOKC
Quincy, northward to Mendon 1980
South of Quincy to Marblehead/ Fall Creek 1984
(*) QOKC is/was one of those really long shortlines you never hear much about.
Looking at Google Earth and street view, I found something I remember from 36 years ago along the Gardner Expressway, which is Midwest Controlled Storage, an outfit that has a huge cave in the limestone bluff there that is 55° year round. There is a spur coming across the expressway from the main spur and going into the facility. I don't remember that from 36 years ago, but that's likely a feature of birthday accumulation.
Back then, Gardner Denver had a big plant out there in addition to one in town, as I recall.
What a fascinating warehouse concept. We were in town for a social event of one of my customers (trucking company executive) and he mentioned they handle freight out of the underground storage facility. That prompted the drive south on Rt 57 and the "discover" of all those rail customers.
Interesting branch line operation. I will explore old Official Guides to take a look at the branch. Also, as previously mentioned there was a photo article in Classic Trains I need to find.
ed
MP173What a fascinating warehouse concept.
I got a taste of the "climate control" in 1983 touring the Mark Twain cave just south of Hannibal. It was about 95° that day with soaking humidity and the cave was just delightful. The guide had to trick us out of the cave at the end of the tour. It was a mean trick as we emerged back into the sauna. We hit the Gem City the next day for a couple of days visiting people I had worked with two summers before.
South of town high above the west bank of the river sits Lovers Leap. This is a great spot to see all over the countryside and of the Hannibal Sub mainline
FWIW: the line along Illinois Rte 57 [Marblehead Spur, now operated by Burlington Junction) began life as the Quincy,Alton & St. Louis Ry.when constructed in June-December 1871. CB&Q leased the line in 1875 to keep it away from Gould's WAB/MoP and bought it outright in June 1899. Like most roads caught in that game, it was the "kiss of death"for that line. Never got any further towards St. Louis than Louisiana, MO. (Chicago & Alton, now KCS River Bridge, first built 1873)....the thing that is out there now over the river is a "frankenstein bridge" after a rough life. - per ICC Valuation Docket for CB&Q and Frank Overton's book.
Part of the BNSF main track on the north side of Quincy was the first railroad in Illinois, the 1849 state sponsored "Northern Cross".
mudchicken FWIW: the line along Illinois Rte 57 [Marblehead Spur, now operated by Burlington Junction) began life as the Quincy,Alton & St. Louis Ry.when constructed in June-December 1871. CB&Q leased the line in 1875 to keep it away from Gould's WAB/MoP and bought it outright in June 1899. Like most roads caught in that game, it was the "kiss of death"for that line. Never got any further towards St. Louis than Louisiana, MO. (Chicago & Alton, now KCS River Bridge, first built 1873)....the thing that is out there now over the river is a "frankenstein bridge" after a rough life. - per ICC Valuation Docket for CB&Q and Frank Overton's book. Part of the BNSF main track on the north side of Quincy was the first railroad in Illinois, the 1849 state sponsored "Northern Cross".
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