Chicago Area Shortline Railroads

Kankakee Beaverville & Southern

Reporting mark: KBSR Frequency: 160.215

History

The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad Company was formed in 1977 by Fay Orr when Conrail was threatening to abandon the former New York Central/Big Four route between Kankakee, Illinois, and Lafayette, Indiana. KBS purchased the line from Kankakee to Sheldon, Illinois, and then in a series of transactions, extended ownership from Sheldon to Lafayette (the segment between Templeton, Indiana, and Lafayette was formerly a joint operation by NYC and the Nickel Plate). In 1981, the company acquired a portion of the Milwaukee Road's route from Chicago to southern Indiana. Ownership extends from just north of Iroquois Junction-where the Milwaukee and NYC lines cross-to Danville, Illinois. KBS later purchased from Norfolk and Western a segment of the former Nickel Plate Peoria route, extending from Cheneyville, Illinois, on the west (where the line crossed the Milwaukee) to Templeton, Indiana, (where it joined NYC).
Traffic is chiefly grain and other products related to agriculture. KBS interchanges with CSX at Danville, Norfolk Southern at Lafayette, Toledo, Peoria and Western at Sheldon and with Canadian National (ex-Illinois Central) at Kankakee. Train movements are authorized by a work order issued at the beginning of each operating day. KBS owns over 300 covered hopper cars and traffic consists of about 7000 cars per year.
History courtesy of Bill Gustason

Right of Way

Offices and shops located at Iroquois Junction, between the towns of Donovan and Iroquois, Illinois, along US Route 52.

President: Kevin Stroo
General Manager: Bob Garner

Map as of 2002

PHOTOS

Photos courtesy of Bill Gustason

Locomotive #308

Locomotive #312

Locomotive #315

Locomotive #321

Locomotive #702 & #704

Locomotive #701<

Locomotive #702

Locomotive #703

Locomotive #704

Locomotive #705

KBS shops

Additional Resources

2006 locomotive roster: six GP38-2M units rebuilt from GP40s.
They are numbered 701-706, and each is named after an employee.
The name is painted under the cab window.
The names are Paul, Dale, Doug, Larry, Neil and Tyler respectively.

Previous locomotives:
1. Four Alco RS-11 high nose units: 301, 312, 318 and 321.
2. Two Alco RS-11 low nose units: 309 and 324
3. One Alco C-420: 315
4. One Alco RS-20 (rebuilt RS-3): 308
5. One Alco S-2: 4101

All of these units have either been sold or scrapped.