Old B&O and N&W crossing in Cowden

[MR77100]

I went to Cowen with my father in May, 1986, so I vaguely remember seeing the B&O and N&W crossing in the middle of an intersection. I would like to see more photos of this.

[Hoosierailnut]

May of 1986 that was pretty much after the Prarie Trunk quit the old B&O and before the NS abandoned the old Clover Leaf.
Do you know when the PT removed the line through Cowden?
Did the PT run all of the old B&O down to Shawneetown or did they only run sections of it? When was the old NKP removed?
Ive also been told over the years that NS had the possibility to sell of the old Clover Leaf to a shortline, but it fell through.
Ive always been a fan of the old Clover Leaf and the old B&O Shawneetown line.

[MR77100]

By May, 1986, the B&O Shawneetown line was out of service, but most of the trackage remained. I believe they quit 2 years earlier. My father told me the line was still in as late as 1988, but by 1994 it was totally gone. At Shawneetown, I remember seeing an Alco RS-3 lettered for Erie Western sitting on a piece of track, although I am not sure if the PT used it. I do recall a 1981 TRAINS article that showed an ex-BRC GP7 recently sold to the PT. The Clover Leaf line was filed for abandonment in March, 1987 and service ceased in December. The 57-mile segment from Neoga to Metcalf was bought by the town of Charleston and is now the Eastern Illinois Railroad. I think the rest of the Clover Leaf in IL was removed in 1988, although it was kept in place from Coffeen west to St. Louis to serve a power plant. This has since been reduced to only the Sorento-Coffeen segment with BN trackage rights. Does anyone know how often the Clover Leaf was used in 1987 before abandonment?