Peoria Station

I checked on Union Pacific's MPECL and found it leaving a little before 4:00 this afternoon.  It is shown crossing W. Farmington Road at 1609 hours. UP 7677 has just 16 cars. - David P. Jordan

As usual for Tuesday afternoon, I checked on Union Pacific train MPECL. Video shows it rolling by Milepost 80 shortly after departing Adams Street Yard. UP 5368 has 51 cars. A block of covered hoppers near the head end were empties, so I don't know if these came out of storage on a connecting shortline or what.  - David P. Jordan

Saturday afternoon, April 23, 2022, Canadian National Railway local L525 switched two customers at a small industrial park on Decatur, Illinois' northeast side. GTW 4934 and IC 3117 spotted a load and pulled an empty from Morgan Distributing Inc., and dug out three empties left by Parke Toll Packing & Blending, before shoving down the line. It was good to see CN running on it own line for a chance. I've seen Decatur Junction Railway (DT) and even the Decatur & Eastern Illinois RR running on a portion of this line. Even better, watching a Class I servicing an industry on a branchline is irresistable! Research reveals that Morgan Distributing Inc. opened its facility here in 1954, followed by Ring Can Corp. in 1984 and Parke-Toll Packing & Blending in 1996. The last one must have a trackmobile to move cars to and from CN's preferred pickup/setout spot.  The industrial lead serving these industries diverges from the former Illinois Central Railroad line to White He...

S ince I go into Peoria most weekday afternoons anyway, I decided to shoot Union Pacific train MPECL if it left around the usual time. Sure enough, It departed around 4:15 and I recorded this scene as it rolled by the old Molitor Junction (Milepost 80, just south of Harman Highway). UP 8221 had 30 cars, including two hi-cube boxcars at the rear. - David P. Jordan

More misses than hits today... At 3:35 or so, I saw a monster Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) strung out onto the Low Line, preparing for departure. But other activity nearly distracted my attention - An empty BNSF coal train going west and the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria-bound local. I missed the latter in hopes of catching the former and MPECL. Naturally, a decision to drive Kickapoo Creek Road instead of I-474 and a slow driver killed my one chance to capture both trains together at the W. Farmington Road crossing! Aaaaargh! I had to drive north to Milepost 59 to capture MPECL. At the video link, you will see MPECL rolling by the north end of 12,000-foot Edelstein Siding late this afternoon. UP 5758 and UP 6493 have 97 cars, mainly due to a big block of dry sorbent empties and coal cars. - David P. Jordan

BNSF units 1409-1706-1592 stayed on the Creve Coeur Team Track all weekend. Apparently, no M-PEIGAL ran on Friday. So after spending a little time at the downtown library this afternoon, I crossed the river and found a crew van pulling away from those units. Simultaneously, I heard the TZPR St. Albans Dispatcher give instructions which sound like they were directed to an outbound crew. At first, I assumed 1409-1706-1592 would move from the team track to the yard to put its train together. Minutes later, a short M-GALPEI appeared on the East Lead after crossing the river and then entered the yard. So I jumped to conclusions. Anyway, I was able to shoot the arriving BNSF "local" from Wesley Road as it passed the TZPR diesel shop. BNSF 2556 and BNSF 1404 have just 19 cars. These units tied up on the team track as well. So now you have two sets of manifest power and a set of Dash 9s in between, which probably brought in an empty ADM feed pellet train.  - David P. Jordan

After seeing the evidence of that rare BNSF DIRECT DELIVERY to Union Pacific early Thursday evening, I figured it prudent to catch Union Pacific train MPECL on Friday. It left a little earlier than usual, so it was a good thing I arrived early.  Anyway, I caught MPECL at Milepost 80, where the old Molitor Junction used to be. UP 7925 has 46 cars. CBFX 354699, a covered hopper set out be BNSF to the Union Pacific Thursday evening, is the 21st car, and is right behind the train's only boxcar. This means the LPD01 crew pulled it, placed it on the head end of the TZPR interchange cut and then put KJRY interchange behind the locomotive.  - David P. Jordan

This afternoon, I managed to get video of Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolling by the San Koty area near Peoria Heights, Illinois.  IAIS 715 and IAIS 708 have 123 cars, mostly mash, potash and grain empties, but also eight soybean oil loads up front and seven alcohol loads sprinkled throughout. The last two were placarded for beverage alcohol. - David P. Jordan

Work obligations prevent me from seeing Norfolk Southern Railway local D49 unless I take a day off (like last Friday) or if it leaves East Peoria late. Otherwise, I can see this traffic on Train D36, which runs from Normal to Decatur. If it and counterpart D32 (Decatur to Normal) run later in the day, and I know about it, I often drive some distance to see it. Today was one of those days. I learned that  D36 was going to run Monday afternoon, so I drove to Good Yard, and found D49 parked, having arrived a little while before I did.   This time, I opted for a new location. My video shows D36 rolling by E. Oakland Ave. in downtown Bloomington, Illinois early evening. NS 6975 and NS 3362 have 59 cars. The first 16 are empties for DuPont's Gibson City plant. These were brought up by Sunday's D32 and "turned" at Good Yard so they could be dropped by D36 The other 43 were brought to Good Yard from East Peoria earlier by D49. Note five Caterpillar track-type tractor loads (t...

After church Sunday, I noticed a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad switch job poised to leave Kickapoo Yard on Peoria's far south side. Video shows it at Krause Avnue enroute to East Peoria. Radio chatter indicates this was "Lead 2." HESR 2107 has 13 loads, twelve with coiled wire rod. The last might contain steel billets, possibly for Liberty Steel & Wire's recently re-opened Georgetown, SC plant.   - David P. Jordan

 I took a "floating holiday" Friday and went to Bloomington in hopes of catching Union Pacific's LSF54 local there switch the Cargill soybean processing plant in town. I saw that and more. Had I not arrived when I did, I wouldn't have known what was happening with Norfolk Southern local D49. I stayed until late morning, and waited for it to drag D32 into town. Norfolk Southern Railway local D49 was busy on Friday, April 8, 2022. The crew took NS 5174 engine lite to Gibson City to fetch NS 3882 and 43 cars of Train D32 (Decatur IL to Normal IL), classified it and then went to East Peoria with 34 cars. Scenes are at Bloomington, Normal, Goodfield and at N. Morton Ave. near Crandall. Final scene shows D49 at East Peoria on its return leg to Normal with NS 3882-5174 and 20 cars. Later this afternoon, I decided to check on Union Pacific's MPECL. I heard the crew radio the dispatcher, so I knew it was moving along the Low Line out to Peoria Junction. That's when I n...

I've seen them do it twice before, in 2002 and 2007, but I've never shot video of Union Pacific switching the Cargill soybean processing plant on Bloomington, Illinois' west side.  That is until Friday morning, April 8, 2022. The train is called "LSF54." A Bloomington-based local, it works Monday through Saturday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it runs north to service customers at Wilmington (DuPont, Prairie Creek Grain) and Coal City (G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation). It may also do work at the Joliet Intermodal Terminal, also known as "Global 4."  On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, it classifies train MASBN (Manifest, Alton & Southern to Bloomington IL), builds MBNAS (Manifest, Bloomington IL to Alton & Southern and runs a "Lincoln turn" to service International Paper. On occasion, Lincoln Transload & Processing, located at the old glass plant in town, and also Evergreen FS's fertilizer facility at McLean, ar...

I was in the area, so when I heard this train get permission to cross the river (as soon as a northbound barge tow cleared and the bridge came down), I captured this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad "Industry Job" making its return trip from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria. TZPR 1521 has nine cars. The BNSF boxcar is probably empty, and last contained zinc ingots. Liberty Steel & Wire Co. occasionally gets zinc for galvanizing wire at its Wire Mill. Product is probably sourced from British Columbia.  - David P. Jordan

After work this afternoon, I decided to head to the downtown library. Normally, I'd check on Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) but the soggy weather changed my plans... ...until I heard the MPECL crew get track a track warrant from Peoria Junction to Pottstown. Despite the steady showers, I decided I could make my favorite spot on W. Farmington Road. The northbound signal was green so I knew I wasn't too late. Minutes after my arrival, the train rolled by. UP 5017 had 53 cars. Thanks to social media, I learned that Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) had been reported by Chillicothe at 3;21pm. So I figured I had time to get downtown and wait for it under Interstate 74. Sure enough, minutes after my arrival, IAIS 510 and IAIS 507 rolled by on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad with a monster train of 119 cars! - David P. Jordan

After spending more quality time at the downtown library, I came across some local action. A friend caught the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria turn on its eastbound run, shooting it as it entered Bartonville with 60 cars. Thirteen were set out at Collier Yard for Union Pacific (and maybe a few for TP&W). The 47 remaining cars were delivered to TZPR at East Peoria late this afternoon. Interestingly, 25 of these were tank cars coming out of storage for interchange to Canadian National. I also missed TP&W's East Peoria to Collier Yard turn. Fortunately, the same friend caught this movement as well. It had TPW 1538 and HESR 3485 with 32 cars of mostly Mapleton traffic. A loaded gondola on the headed end is reportedly for the KJRY (destined to Hitchcock at Canton tomorrow). I did see the Keokuk Junction Railway's Mapleton-E. Peoria turn on its westbound leg early this evening. CEFX 2022 and CEFX 2014 have 13 cars.  Shortly, I picked up radio chatter indicating the ...

The sun was shining and it was a little warmer, so I decided to check out the local railscene after work Friday afternoon. I wasn't disappointed. Union Pacific's MPECL is generally predictable. I parked near Adams Street Yard a little before 4:00, and waited but a few minutes before the crew toned up the dispatcher and asked for instructions. As MPECL began to move, a short Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Industry Job coming out of Kickapoo Yard rolled by. I shot video of it S. Darst Street. TPW 1538 had seven cars (one potash empty, three coiled wire rod loads and three asphalt empties). I knew I needed to get to W. Farmington Road quickly for Union Pacific train MPECL, which I beat by just a few minutes. Video shows it rolling across W. Farmington Road. UP 7677 has 33 cars, including two flats loaded with Caterpillar D10T track-type tractors. I knew Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) had been called this morning, but assumed it had already reached ...