Yates City, population just shy of 660, hardly classifies as a city at all but its quaint, small-town charm is temporary interrupted by the noisy passage of BNSF freight M PEIGAL1 27A on the lightly treaded rails of their Peoria Subdivision bringing 55 cars of Tazewell & Peoria interchange traffic westward toward the train's terminus at Galesburg. This town was once the northern most end to the now mostly defunct BNSF Yates City Subdivision which ran between here, via a wye off the Peoria Sub, and Vermont, IL, junction with the Beardstown Sub. The railroad's sole purpose for keeping around this former CB&Q single track line was to feed several coal trains per week in and out of the Duck Creek power station just outside Dunfermline via the line's southern half. However, like many others before, this plant fell victim to the war on cleaner energy and ultimately shut down, receiving its last trainload of coal shortly before Thanksgiving last year (2019). BNSF now uses this portion strictly as a storage lot for unused rolling stock between a location near the mine and Vermont. The rails north of Dunfermline however have not seen any type traffic in years and their dismal conditions forced the section of track between Canton and Farmington to be ripped up in 2017. From Farmington, north to this location at Yates City, and cut off from any access after the recent removal of both wye switches here, the track still remains in place though nearly non recognizable once nature took it over following years of no rail traffic and maintenance neglect. The train, led by an electric quad of EMD products, is seen here framed with the rails of the old west wye switch taken out just short of the still active Peoria Sub main. HLCX, Helm Leasing Company, currently has a large number of these maroon and white GP38-2s on lease to the BNSF with a handful currently residing in Galesburg helping to combat tonnage in local service on Chicago Division.
