Canadian National Peoria Local July 18, 2017

After work this afternoon, I immediately headed for Wesley Road to check on Canadian National’s Peoria Local. 

I learned that an SD70, still in Illinois Central black, was second unit when the train made its northbound run out of Decatur late this morning and early afternoon. CN acquired the IC in 1999 and seeing locomotives wearing original IC black paint is becoming increasingly rare, so I had to check it out. 

Sure enough, when I got there (about 4:10 p. m.), the CN crew called the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's St. Albans [Vermont] Dispatcher for permission to depart East Peoria. Once a TZPR Industry Job cleared, the CN local itself was cleared to depart East Peoria and run to IC Jct. in Pekin (where it returns to home rails).

I waited a little while until CN 2253 & IC 1005 crept across Wesley Road with 21 cars, including two CB&I bent steel loads received from the IAIS. Video shot at Hilliards and downtown Pekin, both views on TZPR trackage.

- David P. Jordan