Crab Orchard & Egyptian: still in exsistence?

Cliff McKay · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:52 am **Posts:** 49

Just curious if this southern Illinois shortline is still going. I can't locate a website, and a site listing reporting marks mentions that the COER mark was "eliminated" in April of last year. If it has gone out of business, what became of the locomotives, etc., and does the track still exist?

RonPigg · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2005 9:29 am

The CO&E is still serving industries in the Herrin and Marion area. I work at one of the industries it serves. From what I can tell they have two locomotives (sorry I can't identify them), a small switcher and a road diesel. They may have more I haven't seen. Haven't heard of any sales or name changes either.

The switcher is typically kept in the Herrin area and the other unit in Marion.

I've looked for a website as well. The closest thing I found was a listing describing their interchange capabilities.

Hope this helps.

steamtown observer · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:11 pm **Posts:** 371

The CO&E is alive, although traffic has been down the last several years. The stockholders have put the company up for sale. Several bidders have looked at the property but so far none has been selected as the winner.

Jim Lundquist · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:41 pm

When I was there in 1985, they still had live steam doing the freight work and the smash board with an at-grade crossing with the IC (?) was still there.

Jim

Wooly · **Posted:** Thu Feb 10, 2005 12:16 am

I could be wrong here but I think there is a CO&E steam locomotive on display at Boone Scenic Railway in Iowa.....................................Wooly

paulcalpin · **Posted:** Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:22 am

Crab Orchard & Egyptian #17 indeed is at the Boone Scenic in Iowa. It is kinda cosmetically restored. Read about it at steamlocomotive.info

It was never restored since it seems to be in pretty bad condition. I read in an article from 1995 in Railpace from Kurt Bell, that the Strasburg Rail Road made an offer for it INITIALLY, in 1990, when they first made an offer for N and W 475. They concluded the locomotive was in poor condition, but the Boone Scenic wanted too much for both locomotives. So they made a smart business decision and purchased only the 475. I am not an insider, I can only relay what I read, perhaps Linn Moedinger or Kelley Anderson could provide more information.

Paul Calpin

Gerald W. Kopiasz · **Posted:** Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:59 pm

Is track still in all the way to the IC interchange at Carterville?