Peoria Station

Friday afternoon was busy, but the days are still too short to take advantage of anything other than chance encounters. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard was pretty full, so BNSF left M-GALPEI on the New Long Main in Peoria and ran engine lite to East Peoria for M-PEIGAL (which, as usual, had to be built from two tracks). A TP&W local ran around the same time as well. The Keokuk Junction Railway local had to wait for an BNSF Kincaid coal empty before moving from Iowa Junction to East Peoria. A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad job was working Liberty Steel & Wire and the Kickapoo Yard area. I did capture one train movement however...   BioUrja Renewables LLC purchased ADM's Peoria plant and property on November 1, 2021 but today was the first time I heard the crew call it "BioUrja 932."  CAPTION: One of BioUrja Renewables LLC's, ADMX 932, pulls 15 corn loads from the South Yard in Peoria, Illinois toward the distillery on old Rock Isl...

When I found it, CN's L557 was stopped after finishing working at Hanna Steel, so it is possible the hi-cube CN boxcar up front was pulled from Amerhart. But it might be a zinc ingot empty car from Liberty Steel & Wire Co.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls across Fifth Street near South Pekin, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. CN 3192 has four cars.   On my way from South Pekin to the downtown Peoria library, I encountered this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad industry Job.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad "Industry Job" rolls by Darst Street and Krause Avenue in Peoria, Illinois enroute from Kickapoo Yard to the East Peoria Yard late-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. HESR 2107 has six cars.   - David P. Jordan

My first Class I encounter in 2026!   I was entering Peoria on the Cedar Street Bridge and saw the headlight in the distance, and learned within seconds that it was the BNSF "local."    The five OZIX-marked (Ozinga) twin-bay covered hoppers on today's train were empty, and may be assigned to Illinois & Midland RR-served Harsco slag processing facilities at Powerton and Sicily. After all, I saw several loaded OZIX-marked cars departing East Peoria on Norfolk Southern's D49 last summer. But the new Ozinga Cement Co. barge-rail-truck? facility recently opened at the lower end of the old Peoria Barge Terminal property has been getting a lot of these cars, most of which have OZIX markings as well.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) enters Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property enroute to East Peoria late afternoon Monday, January 12, 2026. BNSF 3910 and BNSF 6795 have 35 cars.   - David P. Jordan

A Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-700 at Peoria Int'l Airport just after sunrise on June 4, 2013 prepares for departure to Washington, D.C. for an Honor Flight.  Allegiant Air announced January 11 that it will acquire Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines. The deal has already been approved by both airlines' boards of directors and is subject to review by regulators. The airlines expect approval in the last half of 2026.  Sun Country Airlines flies to numerous destinations from Minneapolis/St. Paul, including points in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. It has a fleet of Boeing 737-800s.  How might this acquisition affect Peoria and Central Illinois? Allegiant Air's joint venture proposal with Mexico's Viva Aerobus is going nowhere for now, but the Las Vegas-based carrier must see potential to offer expanded service to many international leisure destinations. The Allegiant Air-Viva Aerobus joint venture proposal was first announced in late-2...

The five empty Incobrasa covered hoppers, six salt-laden boxcars and nine loaded nitrogen tank cars were on Wednesday's late-afternoon transfer from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad.   Kind of sad that these cars sat for nearly four days, but the Incobrasa cars were empties and Sweetener Supply Corp. at Wolcott, Indiana already had six arrive this week, and probably didn't have room yet. The nitrogen loads might not be "hot" either.  CAPTION: An eastbound Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway "M-Train," sometimes called M-EPEF (Manifest, E. Peoria IL to Effner IL) rolls by Cruger, Secor and El Paso midday Sunday, January 11, 2026. TPW 5008, IORY 3492 and RCPE 3481 have 40 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I had to work today so I could not catch today's DAVPE potash/manifest combo. Fortunately, I was able to get PESI through downtown Peoria with a short consist. The snow showers and street lamps at the Foot of Main Street in downtown Peoria added to the encounter.    The ADMX covered hopper on the head end was empty, then eight empty tank cars, eight covered hoppers (ADMX, some leasers) were loaded, and then there was another eight empty tank cars. I believe the tank cars, quite a few with CRGX (Cargill) reporting marks, indicate soybean oil traffic must be moving again.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls across Main Street in downtown Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, January 10, 2026. IAIS 503 and IAIS 516 had  two Norfolk Southern units - NS 5167 and NS 5336 - bound for Des Moines, Iowa and 25 cars (8 loads, 17 empties). - David P. Jordan