was Iowa Central Railway prior to M&STL. The M&STL managed for decades
until it was having financial issues and in 1960 merged with the C&NW Railroad.
The C&NW ran it for like a decade or so until it started abandoning sections from west
of Middle Grove up to Keithsburg, Illinois. The western sections seen the end first.
The bridge that crossed the Mississippi River at Keithsburg was abandoned in the
early 1970's and by 1971 or 1972 seen the last train on that. By 1976 everything
from Keithsburg to London Mills then west of Middle Grove was abandoned and
the tracks were removed. The remaining section from Middle Grove to Peoria was
used for the remaining coal mines still open which kept the remainder of the line
open another decade. The Elm lead coal mine at Trivoli closed in 1984 and the final
mine at Middle Grove closed in 1986. The line was railbanked for many years in hopes
of reactivation for a dump at Fairview that could have used service but it never panned
out. C&NW merged with Union Pacific in the 1990's and the UP started abandonments for
the remainder of the line in 2008-2009. The remaining tracks were removed in 2010.
The Keithsburg bridge which hadn't seen a train since the early 1970's thanks to
fireworks in the early 1980's caught fire and damaged a section which was removed.
The Right of way can still be seen in many areas if you know where to look. The
concrete slabs to the old railroad bridge at London Mills on the Spoon River can
still be seen.
Keithsburg bridge photo's I took in early 2017:
Track removal of the line in 2010 in Farmington and near the Peoria area over
Kickapoo Road near Bartonville:
Old Maps and aerial views:
ROW at Cramer, Illinois in Peoria County:
2010 ROW under the CB&Q-BN-BNSF Trestle at Farmington,Illinois.....
West of Peoria near Bartonville off Kickapoo Creek where it curved off crossed the
road and went west:
Concrete slabs that used to be the Railroad bridge of M&STL/CNW at London Mills,
Illinois crossing the Spoon River.
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