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| Adam Auxier posted Illinois Central 6254 leads one of the last loaded coal trains out of the Rend Lake Mine, formerly operating by Consol. Rend Lake Mine was originally built by the Inland Steel Corporation to provide metallurgical and heating coal for their steel mills. Back in the 1980's they were the hottest trains on the IC besides Amtrak and the pigs. This line is now a combination of railbanked and abandoned. Justin Sobeck April 2001 if I recall correctly... Adam Auxier SESSER - After months of apprehension, Consol Energy on Monday idled its Rend Lake Mine, located two miles north of Sesser. The mine idling does not come as a surprise to the 250 laid-off miners who were told several months ago by Consol officials that the mine would cease operation in early June. Company officials continue to label the shutdown as temporary and said the mine could reopen within six months. When making the announcement, Consol officials blamed the layoffs on sagging coal sales, a mild winter and the fact that Consol has between 6 and 8 million ton of coal stockpiled nationwide. The Rend Lake Mine is one of seven coal mines nationwide that Consol plans to idle this year. The loss of the jobs will only add to the high unemployment woes already experienced in several downstate counties, including Franklin County where a majority of the miners live. The Rend Lake Mine was formerly owned by Inland Steel and began producing coal in 1967. Consol purchased the mine in 1986 and has operated it since then. Bill Edrington Another nail in the coffin for coal mining in southern Illinois, sadly. When I was a student at EIU between 1971 and 1975, I used to see those Inland Steel unit coal trains going through Mattoon on the main line all the time. Dennis DeBruler Thanks for the explanation. It is hard to imagine a coal train as a "hot" train. "Hot" would mean clear track. Was it also fast? Adam Auxier They usually ran 60. The NB loaded Inland trains (i believe) didn't change crew in Centralia and operated with one crew from Rend Lake Mine to Champaign. Hence, the speed through town. Dennis DeBruler I assume this is the mine we are talking about: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer... |
The big concrete storage silos still show up on a satellite image.
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Nick Koba Jr. is it still open ?
Mark HedgerAuthor Nick Koba Jr. No. Consol purchased in October 1986, converted to a longwall
and operated until 2002.
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The silos for a mine further east got turned into grain elevators. But I can't find that info now.
10 photos of a coal train being loaded
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