The city’s new railroad company, Central Illinois Railway (CIRY), found out the hard way that you need more than a trackmobile to get a load of lumber up the Kellar Branch.

I heard from a source who will remain anonymous that CIRY tried pulling two cars up the Kellar Branch’s steep grade this past Saturday using only a trackmobile, but the vehicle lost traction and ended up sending the two cars backwards down the line at approximately 30 mph. Miraculously, they didn’t hit anyone when they sped across Abington, Madison, Jefferson, and Adams. None of the cars tipped over, nor did the lumber load come loose or fall off.

However, the runaway cars did hit the remaining cars that were parked close to the switch where the Kellar Branch connects to the Tazewell & Peoria line (TZPR), derailing them and mangling the track. So, it looks like poor Carver Lumber will have to wait a little longer to get their order delivered. At least until CIRY gets a real engine and can fix the tracks.

Sounds like the city hired a real winner. First, their owner gets indicted for soliciting murder, and now they don’t have the equipment to provide the service the city contracted them to perform.

Just imagine if the people who hired CIRY were in charge of hiring someone to run the water works here in Peoria . . . .