Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad
The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad Company (reporting mark KBSR) is a Class III railroad serving agricultural communities in east-central Illinois and west-central Indiana.
History
In December 1977, Conrail was set to abandon 25 miles (40 km) of their ex-New York Central Railroad trackage between Kankakee and Sheldon, Illinois, when instead it was purchased by Beaverville businessman Fey Orr to service his lumber and agricultural products industry based there. Eighty miles of the bankrupt Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad's trackage from just north of Donovan and Danville were purchased in 1981. These two lines cross near Iroquois. The Norfolk Southern abandoned its ex-New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad trackage between Cheneyville, Illinois (north of Danville) Boswell, Indiana and Lafayette, Indiana, which KBSR purchased in 1991. Several other abandonments occurred in the area by Class I railroads which the Kankakee, Beaverville were able to capitalize on. Currently, the KBSR operates about 155 miles (249 km) of trackage in a vaguely triangular shape between Kankakee, Danville, and Lafayette, with numerous sidings.
On July 16, 1997, company founder Fey Orr died at 85. Vice President Kevin Stroo then took over as President of the KB&S until his death in 2009. Current President is Tyler Stroo. Vice-President is Neil Stroo.
Operations
The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern is privately owned, and serves the various small communities it passes through and their primarily agricultural industries. In recent years it was considered unusual in that it continued to roster Alco diesel locomotives decades after their builder's demise, and became all the more popular amongst railfans for it. However, in December 2003, the KB&S received a group of six EMD GP38-2M locomotives rebuilt from ex-New York Central Railroad GP40s. The railroad named each of these engines after employees.
The KB&S makes numerous connections to other railroads:
- Bee Line Railroad - at Handy, east of Ambia, Indiana
- Canadian National Railway - at Kankakee
- CSX Transportation - at Danville and Lafayette
- Norfolk Southern - at Danville, Kankakee and Lafayette
- Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway - at Webster and Sheldon
- Union Pacific Railroad - at St. Anne, Illinois
Locomotive maintenance is conducted at the road shops at Iroquois Junction.
External links
- Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad
- Kankakee Beaverville and Southern Unofficial Website
- Shortlines of Chicago Historical Society - KB&S
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- t
- e
- A&R Terminal Railroad
- Ag Valley Railroad
- Alton & Southern Railway
- Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad
- Belt Railway of Chicago
- Bloomer Shippers Connecting Railroad
- BNSF
- Burlington Junction Railway
- Canadian National
- Central Illinois Railroad
- Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad
- Chicago–Chemung Railroad
- Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad
- Chicago Port Railroad
- Chicago Rail Link
- Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad
- Chicago Terminal Railroad
- City of Rochelle Railroad
- Coffeen & Western Railroad
- CPKC
- Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railway
- CSX
- Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
- Decatur Central Railroad
- Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad
- Decatur Junction Railway
- Eastern Illinois Railroad
- Effingham Railroad
- Evansville Western Railway
- Gateway Eastern Railway
- Grand Trunk Western Railroad
- Illinois Central Railroad
- Illinois & Midland Railroad
- Illinois Railway
- Illinois Western Railroad
- Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
- Indiana Rail Road
- Iowa Interstate Railroad
- Joppa & Eastern Railroad
- Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad
- Kansas City Southern Railway
- Keokuk Junction Railway
- Lincoln & Southern Railroad
- Manufacturers' Junction Railway
- Manufacturers Railway
- Norfolk Southern
- Peoria & Pekin Union Railway
- Peru Industrial Railroad
- Pioneer Industrial Railway
- Port Harbor Railroad
- Riverport Railroad
- Shawnee Terminal Railway
- Soo Line Railroad
- South Chicago & Indiana Harbor Railway
- Southern Illinois & Missouri Bridge Company
- Tazewell & Peoria Railroad
- Terminal Railroad Association of St Louis
- Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway
- Union Pacific
- Vandalia Railroad
- Vermilion Valley Railroad
- Wisconsin Central
- Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
- Bulkmatic Railroad
- C&C Railroad
- Calumet Transload & Railroad
- Captain Mine
- Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer Railroad
- Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad
- DOT Rail Service
- FNG Logistics Company
- Joliet Junction Railroad
- Kaskaskia Regional Port District Railroad
- Mokena Illinois Railroad
- North American Industrial Railway
- Peabody Energy
- Peoria, Peoria Heights & Western Railroad
- Respondek Railroad Corporation
- Fox River Trolley Museum
- Illinois Railway Museum
- Monticello Railway Museum
- Silver Creek & Stephenson Railroad
- See also: Former carriers in Illinois
- List of United States railroads by political division