Peoria Station

I happened to catch three local train movements, Sunday May 31, 2020. Late Sunday morning, I found BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria, IL) just finishing up setting out nine twin-bay covered hoppers on the New Long. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before hit entered the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad for the trip across the river to East Peoria.  BNSF 538 and BNSF 553 have 37 cars. It seems every M-GALPEI has nitrogen loads from Iowa Fertilizer's Wever, Iowa plant while counterpart M-PEIGAL has empties returning there. This traffic is seasonal, so trains will be getting shorter by summer. The Andersons' Walton and Logansport, Indiana facilities on TP&W-operated Winamac Southern Railway are the primary destinations for this traffic.  Sunday afternoon, I caught this TP&W train hauling empty flat cars used for hauling wind turbine towers moving onto the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track at Wesley, Il...

I caught Canadian National local L556 (Decatur IL to E. Peoria IL) rolling by Wesley Road in Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track Pekin mainline early Thursday afternoon. IC 1007 and CN 8895 have seven cars. It was good to see IC 1007, still in Illinois Central RR black. That carrier was acquired by Canadian National Railway in 1999 and absorbed through merger in 2000. Although the IC still exists as a legal entity, its parent has supplanted its own branding in the last two decades.  Memorial Day changed the locals' routine this week. Normally, L556 runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday and L557 runs Tuesday and Thursday. Friday's L556 makes a roundtrip from Decatur to East Peoria and return. While L556 ran Monday, counterpart L557 did not operate until Wednesday. That moved L556's next run to today. Train apparently returned south engine lite. Call times can vary.  Today's train was short. Five empty ...

BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) pulls across Krause Ave. and S. Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois around midday, Tuesday, May 26, 2020. BNSF 545, BNSF 332, BNSF 334 and HLCX 1073 have 30 cars. Counterpart M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) arrived Sunday, one day early, likely due to the holiday. This train is suppose to on Mondays and Thursdays. Recently, crews have been turning back as M-PEIGAL the same day, but normally those runs are made Tuesdays and Fridays. Today's train is shorter than usual (typical is closer to 50 or 60 cars), but current events are likely affecting traffic levels.  Radio chatter indicates the train would be left on the New Long (on Peoria's far south side) until flooding issues further west subside. When that will be is unknown at this time, but hopefully later today.  - David P. Jordan

Saturday, May 23, 2020 I caught this Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway ("Crandic") crew switching the Ingredion wet corn mill at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Relco-built L4-1500 XD-M #203, paired with S4-143 slug #303, pull and spot cars back and forth across 1st Street SW.  This may seem an odd subject for a blog focusing on Peoria, Illinois, but Cedar Rapids, Iowa produces a massive volume of grain products and a significant portion of this (mostly wet feed from ADM's local facilities, but also some gluten meal and corn screenings) is shipped to Peoria-area barge loadouts year-round.  I've seen this once before, on August 22, 2015. Much has changed. Five years ago, the Crandic was using its older MP15DC's mated with slugs. The plant was still branded for Penford Products, which Ingredion acquired earlier in the year. See below. Ingredion, Inc. is the former Corn Products International. The Cedar Rapids plant manufacturers industrial starch and etha...

Delta Connection can drop Peoria from its network.  The Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Adjustments to Service Obligations on May 12, which states -  On May 12, 2020, the Department issued the Notice allowing Covered Carriers to request exemptions from their Service Obligation up to five percent of the points of their service obligation, or five points, whichever is greater, subject to certain conditions. The Notice directed Covered Carriers to submit prioritized lists of the points for which they wish to be granted an exemption. The Department explained that it would not grant an exemption to a Covered Carrier for a point if it would result in that point losing service from all Covered Carriers. The Notice also described how the Department would resolve conflicts should multiple Covered Carriers request an exemption for the same point where the Department could not grant all the requests. The Department reserved the right to deny an exemption r...

Saturday, April 9, 2016, BNSF Railway operated a unit train of John Deere combines through Galesburg, Illinois in daylight. Sadly, this would also be the time such equipment was shipped by rail. Ending shipments by rail wasn't because BNSF failed to provide adequate service for the famous Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer. It was reported that Deere & Company no longer needed to export combines from East Moline when it began producing the same models in Asia and Europe. Most shipments were routed to Dundalk Marine Terminal at Baltimore, Maryland. BNSF handed off unit trains to Norfolk Southern at McCook, Illinois for shipment to countries such as France, Germany, Great Britain and especially Russia and Ukraine. Some trains went to Tacoma, Washington, probably for export to China. The last train was bound for Tacoma, Washington so it is assumed the final destination for the 83 S660-series combines was China. I was lucky to catch the last train, and in daylight, as most ...

Delta Connection may end its Peoria service shortly.  Or not. The carrier has petitioned the United States Department of Transportation to remove service to Peoria and eight other airports. The petition is required due to the carrier receiving aid through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Those airlines which have accepted aid from this act must maintain minimum levels of service.  The Peoria Journal Star   ran a story April 28 noting the carrier's request to reduce service to less than five-days-a-week. Airlines have canceled most flights and parked their planes. Some fleet types are being retired much earlier than planned. Delta Air Lines and other carriers expect to emerge as smaller companies when stay-at-home restrictions end. The good news is that most petitions to drop service are getting denied. United [Express] apparently tried earlier in April, but was denied, according to the article.  - David P. Jor...