Eastern Railroad Discussion > Illinois Sub updates?

Curious if anyone has heard any updates on the fate of CSX's Illinois Subdivision (EX-B&O).   The last post I could find on it anywhere is about 2 years old.   As a refresher, the line between Caseyville, IL (just east of St. Louis) and Flora, IL was taken out of service (rails cut at both ends) in 2015.   The line was briefly reactivated out of Caseyville for car storage in 2017, but this activity only lasted for a brief time.   There are reports that many of the sidings on the line between Salem, IL and Vincennes, IN have been removed.  There are no on-line customers on the out-of-service section.

Some of the possibilties that I've read *speculating* about the line's potential future:

- Used by CSX as a way to implement directional running out of St. Louis along with the St. Louis Subdivision (STL-Indianapolis).   Seen as unlikely due to low traffic numbers easily handled by the St. Louis sub.

- Sold to a short line operator.  Seen as unlikely due to the current complete lack of online business on the OSS trackage.

- Sold or leased to another carrier or shortline for interchange access to St. Louis.

- Abandoned or railbanked with potential use as a cross-state trail corridor.

As it stands, none of those possibilites have any supporting evidence (as far as I'm aware).

As of this week they pulled up Carbon siding in O'Fallon, Illinois, all rail going to scrap. Pretty much all sidings and house tracks have been pulled up except for Aviston siding. The future is looking grim for it, I thought they needed STB approval before pulling out track on a class 1 even if its just the sidings and house tracks ?

Randy Allard

And this is the same company that wants to buy the Pan Am Railway. Wish the Feds would force CSX to sell some of these embargoed/out of service lines, especially in Indiana. 

Some discussion from 2015 ...
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3913282

Wasn't there significant tie replacement this year between Olney and Vincennes or Washington? I think the speed might have been raised back up part of the way as well. That doesn't help west of Olney, but it's at least a bright spot.

Roadbed Wrote:
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> Wasn't there significant tie replacement this year
> between Olney and Vincennes or Washington? I
> think the speed might have been raised back up
> part of the way as well. That doesn't help west
> of Olney, but it's at least a bright spot.

Didn't someone say that when they start fixing up a out of service/embargoed line, it's usually a bad thing. That made me laugh because it's true. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/21 05:21 by grlhughes.

New ties went in Vincennes to Flora. The carrier still has customers on the east side of Flora, as well as a unit grain train load out at Olney, IL on former IC Mattoon district trackage, which CSX services via a connection track. Flora siding has been stripped of rails.

Must be an allergy with the "west end" when it comes to CSX. They quit the west end of the B&O in Illinois, they quit the west end of the L&N in Illinois, they quit the west end in West Virginia. At least they are consistent quitters.

“Consistent quitters” lol, good one.

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