Peoria Station

Despite the soggy and cold weather Saturday, I got out to see not one but two TP&W trains!  First, TPW 3442 led 71 empty flat cars through El Paso, Illinois at 5:40pm. The train departed Prairie Central Cooperative's new (2018) Greenfield rail loop west of Chenoa. Cars had arrived with wind turbine tower loads and the empties were being sent to Houston, Texas via Peoria and BNSF Railway.  The second train was a manifest. TPW 2070, TPW 3440 and TPW 3046 had 169 cars. The 90 CSX covered hoppers on the rear were dropped at Grainland Cooperative's Cruger elevator.  The TP&W has seen a surge in traffic in the past year or so, thanks to expanded grain-loading facilities, wind turbine components and lease and operation of the Winamac Southern Railway. Longer and more frequent trains have become the norm. Industrial development in the Hoosierlift and Logansport areas of Indiana are expected to increase traffic in the near future.  - David P. Jorda

Peoria Int'l Airport's passenger numbers will be historically low in March, April and May for sure.  That is the conclusion made when I shot these scenes late Wednesday morning. As you can see, the passenger terminal parking lot, mostly full on any normal day, was mostly empty.  The economic shutdown due to COVID-19 will prevent PIA from reaching the 700,000 passenger mark this year. This is a sad turn because the roughly 689,000 passengers handled in 2019, coupled with new service offerings (Allegiant Air to Nashville) pretty much guaranteed a new record this year. Hopefully, a rapid recovery will at least give PIA 600,000 passengers this year.  - David P. Jordan

Monday morning, April 13, 2020, I caught the Iowa Interstate Railroad's PESI (Manifest, Peoria IL to Silvis IL) at Chillicothe, Illinois. I even got an unexpected "over-and-under" scene! The train, led by Iowa Interstate 514, an ES44AC, and Norfolk Southern 5054, a GP38-2, had 61 cars. Mostly empties, but three coil steel loads and several alcohol tank cars were present. Adding to the show was eastbound BNSF Railway autorack train running on the Chillicothe Subdivision!  - David P. Jordan