Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad Connections @ Marion IL
The MoPac interchanged daily with the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad at Marion IL. General merchandise, coal, grain, scrap metal, and even TOFC flats were the norm in the early 1980's. The CO&E was successful in negotiating with local businesses in Marion and Herrin IL to use rail transportation, and this was clearly spelled out with the TOFC program...CO&E loaded their flatcars "circus style" near the Ordill area of the Crab Orchard wildlife refuge. Neat, huh?
The modeled portion of this line will include the MP/CO&E connections and the small MP yards at Marion IL. A large portion of the general merchandise traffic generated on the HO scale Joppa Sub will come from interchange with the CO&E, which was the case in the prototype. With Atlas releasing the new ACF 89' flatcars in CO&E, we HO modelers are now capable of duplicating ALL FACETS of this traffic...Atlas also offers up the Erie Western cars as well...in eight numbers.
The CO&E will be powered with a single SW1200, former MoPac 1147. I know that they used steam in the early 1980's, and I have a Bachmann 2-8-0, but I lack the appropriate tender for it at this time. But, the CO&E will be a live interchange on the railroad...It's too important not to have it as such.