Old PRR banch to Pekin via Mackinaw.

[Hoosierailnut]

When did NS abandon the old PRR branch between Maroa and Pekin?
How did NW get the line and what dd they serve in the Peoria Pekin area?
I saw the right of way has been built on near Morton but the 74 overpass is still in place.

[bn13814]

>When did NS abandon the old PRR branch between Maroa and Pekin?
>How did NW get the line and what dd they serve in the Peoria Pekin >area? I saw the right of way has been built on near Morton but the 74 >overpass is still in place.

That line ran between Maroa and Farmdale Jct. (on the outskirts of East Peoria) and was abandoned effective February 24, 1988. An old issue of CTC Board (April 1988, IIRC) contains a photo of D50 as it roll across a wood trestle near Kenney on November 1987. This was certainly one of the line's last trains. D50 ran from Decatur to Minier (site of a large grain elevator) and return. Service to about three customers in Morton probably ended about the same time.

N&W got that line when they acquired the Illinois Terminal on September 1, 1981.

From my research, I can determine the following regarding this ex-PRR line:

N&W petitioned for abandonment in June 1987 of the following three segments - Farmdale Jct.-Morton, Morton-Minier and Minier- Decatur (including ICG trackage rights Maroa - Decatur). The middle segment, South Morton - Minier, was approved for abandonment in July (it had been embargoed to due a deteriorating bridge across the Mackinaw River since shortly after the operational merger with the Illinois Terminal) and the other two segments were approved for abandonmenet in December.

Customers left without service were two grain elevators - one at Minier and the other at Waynesville. About three customers in Morton were left without service - Dunlop Tire, 84 Lumber and Morton Buildings. Dunlop Tire was preparing to move its operation to Kansas City while Morton Buildings had another facility in town served by the ATSF.

Train D50 provided service to the two grain elevators. Morton customers were served by ITC train No. 200 for a few months before the operational merger with Norfolk & Western (May 8, 1982). The pair of alternate-day ITC trains (northbound 200 and southbound 201) were routed onto the N&W between Decatur and East Peoria via Gibson City in early 1982. When these trains were dropped on the operational merger date, westbound manifest FP-65 (Frankfort, IN to East Peoria, IL) handled the Morton switching. The trains would drop their consist on the main track just short of the Farmdale Jct. switch then back down the old PRR to Morton. Any outbound empties would be taken to P&PU for "turning."

Around November 1, 1986, N&W discontinued through freight service on the old NKP Peoria District and trains FP-65 and PF-62 were replaced by a Gibson City to East Peoria turn called D61, renamed a year later, D41. This train continued the same practice, switching Morton customers on the old PRR line on its westbound trek.

the July-August 1988 and September-October 1988 issues of Prototype Modeler feature a story about the D61/D41 trains and mention the Morton business in brief.

Hope this helps,

DPJ

[Hoosierailnut]

TY for the info!!

[MR77100]

To my knowledge, the only reason ICG kept the Decatur-Maroa segment of the Charter Line intact was so that NS coulf gain access to the Pennsy Secondary, as IT called it. I remember reading in an issue of TRAINS from 1981 about the IT and PRR swapping track between Allentown and East Peoria. The IT and PRR ran side-by-side bewteen those points and IT bought the PRR so they could vacate their street-running. If you look at the ROW on a map, you can see the PRR secondary making a slight jog. Does anyone have anymore info on this?

[bn13814]

The IC kept their line up to Maroa until 1991 so they may have served a grain elevator or something until then. The line was cut back to Forsythe at the time and the only reason I can think of was to serve the Phillips Petroleum (not sure about that) tank farm. The RR bridge over I-72 was still in place in 1998 but had been removed within two years.

DPJ

[AmtrakFan]

Thanks for the Interasting Info.

AmtrakFan

[MR77100]

I have a few more questions on the Pennsy Secondary:
When did the last NS train run over the entire line?
What did the line connect up with at Farmdale Jct. and did it always terminate there?
Are there any segements of this line still intact?

[bn13814]

>I have a few more questions on the Pennsy Secondary:
>When did the last NS train run over the entire line?
>What did the line connect up with at Farmdale Jct. and did it always >terminate there?
>Are there any segements of this line still intact?

I think I covered this in the above LONG post but I'll repeat it.

The line was officially abandoned on February 24, 1988 so the last trainmay have run just prior to that. I know D50 was making turns up to Minier as late as November 1987. I don't have a date as to the last train.

The Peoria/Pennsy Secondary connected with Norfolk Southern's/Norfolk & Western's ex-Nickel Plate Peoria District at Farmdale. The line actually connected with the TP&W until a line relocation in 1949-1950 that included construction of the famous Farmdale Trestle.

None of the line is intact now as it was completely scrapped by the winter of 1990-1991.

Hope this helps,

DPJ

[MR77100]

What was the speed on this line during IT and N&W/NS days?

[bn13814]

>What was the speed on this line during IT and N&W/NS days?

About 5mph in 1976. Trackwork might have increased speeds to 10mph by 1981.

[MR77100]

Wow! Those trains must have really tiptoed down those tracks. Why did the IT purchase this line from PC anyway? I know it was bought a year before the Lincoln-Allentown line was severed from the bridge being damaged in a derailment in August, 1977. It looks as though the IT had 2 routes to Peoria.

[bn13814]

The ITC bought the line to help create (1) an alternate route between Decatur and Springfield - the Norfolk & Western's ex-Wabash line between the two cities was congested, and (2) because it could purchase it for only $55,000!

Of course, the intent was to upgrade the line to 25mph operation with state and/or Federal funds before running manifest trains 200 and 203 on the line. It didn't quite work out that way with the August 1977 derailment at Mackinaw which effectively closed the original ITC traction main between there and Lincoln. Trains 200 and 203 were rerouted via Decatur and the Peoria Secondary for a time but 5mph track speeds and a high risk of derailment (not good for sometimes 80-car freight trains) forced them to use the ICG's Peoria District between Mount Pulaski and Pekin and then P&PU into East Peoria from late 1977 to mid-1979. Interestingly, there were two derailments within a couple days at Mackinaw in October 1977 due to heavy-rain induced soft roadbed.

During the reroute, 203 became 201. In mid-1979, 200 and 201 began using the Peoria Secondary between Kenney and Farmdale. My guess is track speeds were still pretty slow ("glacial" is what Mike Schafer called them in his two-part article on the ITC in May and June 1981 TRAINS).

The info I've uncovered suggests trackwork continued into 1980. Work may have ceased when the ITC's owners agreed to sell the railroad to Norfolk & Western that summer, but that's just speculation. I doubt if 200 and 201 were ever allowed to run at anymore than 10mph on that line. Rehab performed in the late 1970's only made the line barely passable and not enough ballast was put in to protect the line from further deterioration. I would think the N&W takeover prevented the line from ever being fixed enough to be viable and the new owner only ran locals on the line to serve the few remaining on-line customers. Trains 200 and 201 were pulled from the line about February or March 1982 and ran Decatur - East Peoria via Gibson City on former WAB and NKP trackage until the operational merger occurred on May 8, 1982.

Another note: 200 and 201 began losing their heavy Peoria Gateway interchange traffic when the Rock Island (ITC's most important Peoria connection) went on strike in August 1979 and especially when the road was forced to shutdown and liquidate on March 31, 1980. Directed service on the Joliet - Peoria line by EJ&E probably kept some interchange but that coming out of Minneapolis/St. Paul and Eastern Iowa likely was diverted to BN and C&NW (and could well have bypassed ITC). Trains 200 and 201 went to an alternate-day schedule north of Springfield probably before the end of 1980.

DPJ

[MR77100]

Was the Pennsy Secondary block signaled or was it just for the crossings and junctions? I remember seeing a picture of an IT freight crossing the GM&O at Minier, and there was an unusual looking signal at the diamond.

[bn13814]

>Was the Pennsy Secondary block signaled or was it just for the >crossings and junctions?

My Penn Central Southern Region Timetable No. 5 (Eff. November 14, 1971) has a column for block order stations and train order offices. This line wasn't that heavily trafficked so movement may have been by train orders. At the time, Decatur - East Peoria locals SW-30 and SW-31 ran on an alternate-day schedule. A Paris (IL) to Decatur turn, SL-11/12 ran six-days-a-week.

[MR77100]

This might be confusing so please pay attention!
According to Mike Shafer's 1981 2-part TRAINS article, the IT had several phases of using the PRR branch. According to Shafer, "In December 1955 the PRR and IT effected a swap in the Morton area. PRR bought IT's track between Morton and Allentown, and IT vacated Morton street trackage in favor of PRR rails. " What exactly did the PRR do with the IT between Morton and Allentown and when was it torn up? Also, did the IT install connecting tracks at Allentown and Morton and continue to use their line north of Morton to East Peoria?

In December 1966, the IT started using PPR trackage rights from Morton all the way to Farmdale Jct. It might have been then that they tore up their own line over Caldwell Hill. Also, where exactly was Wilson Yard built> Was it built on ex-PRR or IT trackage?