Ron Hatch, knoxsta@g... of Knoxville, Ill did an excellent
presentation on the Fulton County Narrow Gauge at the recent Narrow Gauge
Convention in St. Louis. I will try to decifer my notes: The line was
standard gauge by the Q in 1905. Was refered to as the "Peavine Line"
because it wound around so much going from Havana, ILL to Galesburg. Coal
was the #1 item shipped, followed by livestock and grain. The R&LHS Bulletin
#61A (1943) has a story on the RR. It was reprinted in 1988 by the Lewiston
Chamber. The Fulton Co. Historical Society may still have copies.
The line became the Havana branch of the CB&Q. 1934 was last run of the full
line. Expansion of the coal traffic in the 1950's. Line was abandoned in the
70's.
Ron would be the one to ask more information.
Doug Harding
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Barrett [mailto:barrett@g...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 10:52 PM
To: brhs@n...
Subject: fulton county illinois 9/19/00
I read your Burlington Bulletin on the Q in the coal fields, best book
on the CB&Q and its operations that I ever read, it really gives one the
feel of big time railroading, but the Q had another coal fields in which one
does not hear much about and that was in Fulton County Illinois, I grew up
not far from Lewistown Illinois in the 1960's and at that time Lewistown
which is a town of about 2400 people in central Illinois was a buisy place
for the Q they had several jobs assigned there much like the jobs in Herrin
and Southern Illinois that worked several mines in the area and the river
unloading facility at Liverpool Illinois, it was not as big as scale as the
Southern Illinois operation but every bit as important, unfortunately I did
not take pictures thinking that it would be there forever, this operation of
the CB&Q in this area and during this era has always captured my
imagination, I can remember going to church, which set by the yards and
seeing coal drags coming in from Cuba or Fiatt of 50 or 60 cars powered by
cows switch engines, which is interesting to note that in the coal fields
story the mines were worked with Geeps and SD's and the only cow was
assigned to Beardstown yard, but in the Fulton County operation they were
used exclusivly in 2 or 3 unit lashups.
I am building a layout in HO scale and knowing not going to be
able to build everything to prototype I am just trying to capture the feel
of the Q and its coal operation in Illinois along with some other types of
operation, anyhow I am trying to do some research in the coal operations in
the Fulton County area and was wondering can you give me some ideas where I
may be able to find some information on the Q and the mines in Fulton
County. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
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