July 15, 2020 - Progressive Rail Inc. 33 sits idling outside a engine house as it prepares for a day of work at the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway in Mount Vernon, Illinois. According to Wikipedia: The Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway (reporting mark COER) (formerly American Rail Heritage, Ltd. d/b/a Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad Company) is a Class III common carrier shortline railroad that operates in the cities of Marion and Herrin in the Southern Illinois region. It is most historically recognized by the FRA for being the last U.S. railroad of any kind to use steam locomotives exclusively in regular revenue freight service up until 1986. The present-day shortline currently operates a total of 13.5 miles of track across the industrial centers of Williamson County in two separate railroad districts with a fleet of two diesel switcher engines. One line being known as the "Marion District", which is the railroad's main working division with roughly 8.5 miles of track; and the other division being the "Herrin District", which mostly serves the city's manufacturing industries along a 5-mile stretch of track. It also has three different interchange points with two Class I railroads. Near their main offices in downtown Marion, the railroad has a junction with Union Pacific's Marion Subdivision; another interchange is located in the nearby Marion suburb of Bainbridge with BNSF Railway's Beardstown Subdivision. A second BNSF connection with the same line is also present in the Herrin district. Most of the CO&E Railroad's revenue freight products primarily consist of coal, lumber, petroleum, grain, steel, paper, chemicals, manufactured goods, and railcar repair service. Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5, 1/640, ISO 100.

Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway, Mount Vernon, Illinois

July 15, 2020 – Progressive Rail Inc. 33 sits idling outside a engine house as it prepares for a day of work at the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway in Mount Vernon, Illinois.

According to Wikipedia: The Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway (reporting mark COER) (formerly American Rail Heritage, Ltd. d/b/a Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad Company) is a Class III common carrier shortline railroad that operates in the cities of Marion and Herrin in the Southern Illinois region. It is most historically recognized by the FRA for being the last U.S. railroad of any kind to use steam locomotives exclusively in regular revenue freight service up until 1986.

The present-day shortline currently operates a total of 13.5 miles of track across the industrial centers of Williamson County in two separate railroad districts with a fleet of two diesel switcher engines. One line being known as the “Marion District”, which is the railroad’s main working division with roughly 8.5 miles of track; and the other division being the “Herrin District”, which mostly serves the city’s manufacturing industries along a 5-mile stretch of track.

t also has three different interchange points with two Class I railroads. Near their main offices in downtown Marion, the railroad has a junction with Union Pacific’s Marion Subdivision; another interchange is located in the nearby Marion suburb of Bainbridge with BNSF Railway’s Beardstown Subdivision. A second BNSF connection with the same line is also present in the Herrin district. Most of the CO&E Railroad’s revenue freight products primarily consist of coal, lumber, petroleum, grain, steel, paper, chemicals, manufactured goods, and railcar repair service.

Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5, 1/640, ISO 100.