BNSF M-GALPEI Times Two! 2-7-22



I left work at 3:00 Monday afternoon, got some groceries and put $30 worth of gas in my fuel tank then drove to Peoria's south side to find BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) just arriving! The time was 3:51pm. 

I wanted to check on the earlier M-GALPEI that was sitting in the New Long Sunday. I figure this train had been there since at least Friday. After reading a friend's note that it was still there as of 12:45 this afternoon, I hoped a crew had been called to drive down and bring it in. Normal day of operation would have been Thursday, but I wonder if the recent blizzard delayed it at least one day. Anyway, BNSF 1592-1434-1775 had 44 cars. 

Monday's M-GALPEI arrived with BNSF 6587-4998 and 47 cars. The crew radioed the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's St. Albans Dispatcher and then the MOP (Manager of Operations) for instructions. It was suggested they might prefer to bring in today's train, then drive back to Peoria via crew van to bring the other one in. As it turns out, they combined trains. 

The combined train had BNSF 6587-4998-1592-1434-1775 on the point with 91 cars. Two combined videos overlap at a block of five empty Norfolk Southern hoppers. My battery died as soon as the last car passed!

Last week's M-GALPEI had at least six cars (a boxcar and five hoppers) for Norfolk Southern interchange at East Peoria, which were likely billed for home shop repair at Galesburg. The combined train had a variety of traffic, including bagged salt, sodium bicarbonate, inedible beef tallow, steel ingots (Ferromex [FXE] cars), plastic and nitrogen fertilizer solution.

The five units tied up on Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Creve Coeur Team Track, so M-PEIGAL will likely run on Tuesday. 

- David P. Jordan

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