Peoria Station

Normally, I drive straight to the downtown library on Wednesdays after work. But scanner chatter and a visual, kept me monitoring TP&W action at the west end of its East Peoria Yard instead. I stuck around long enough to capture a power move to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. The units were going to the diesel shop, but tie replacement work on the Nickel Plate Division required a detour through the yard itself. TPW 3442, TPW 2070, TPW 5008, TPW 1539 and HESR 3485. Later, I learned that Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) had passed Mossville at 1815 hours. I was in Creve Coeur, so I couldn't intercept the train before it reached ten mph territory in The Narrows. The sunset promised long shadows. One thing I hate is partial light and shadows for pics and video, so I picked all shadows in the Bond Street area near downtown.  IAIS 506 and IAIS 153 have 117 cars, mostly loads containing corn, soybeans, distillers' grain, potash, and...

My first encounter with a Canadian National Heritage Unit! Canadian National train L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls by Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois early evening Tuesday, August 30, 2022. CN 3115, the BCRail Heritage Unit, and CN 3052 have 20 cars. Nothing unusual except IAIS 7451, a loaded covered hopper 8th in consist. I'm going to assume it contains some organic (non-GMO) grain.  - David P. Jordan

My first video, taken August 27, 2002 - TWENTY years ago today! I was in Galesburg hoping to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus train when a potash train entered the Peoria line. The circus train was already in town, but stopped for a crew change and to rest and water the elephants, so I knew I had time to chase the potash train. I went as far as Yates City then turned around and managed to get the circus train leaving Galesburg for the Quad Cities! Much has changed in 20 years. Most significant for the train shown above is that potash trains from Saskatchewan have been routed via Canadian Pacific to Davenport, Iowa and then Iowa Interstate to Peoria since 2013.  And all these years later, I still record local train operations on video. I even got one today! After several hours of looking through Peoria Journal Transcripts from March 1942, my brain had turned to mush, and I needed a break. Through social media, I learned that a southbound Union Pacific grain e...

Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same week. Briefly today, it looked like it might.  When I drove over SW Adams Street around 3:40 pm, I noticed Union Pacific train MPECL moving underneath, but also an empty BNSF coal train holding the main. Thinking of the possibilities, I turned around and drove to my usual W. Farmington Road spot.   Soon, the Union Pacific train had the green signal, and I actually thought I might be able to repeat Tuesday's encounter. The BNSF train appeared first, crawling. I was afraid MPECL would pass before the BNSF train cleared. BNSF 9300 and BNSF 6625 were on the point. BNSF 8530 brought up the rear as DPU.    The BNSF coal empties cleared with still no MPECL in sight. Naturally, I grew impatient and drove down Kickapoo Creek Road. Predictably, I saw it rolling by Milepost 80 (just south of Harmon Highway), so I turned around and returned to my prior spot.  Finally at 4:45 pm, Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Cli...

A Norfolk Southern Railway extra delivered 83 grain empties to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Wesley (Creve Coeur), Illinois early this evening. This is the third such train for interchange to the Iowa Interstate Railroad and loading at Landus Co-operative's Adair, Iowa elevator. NS 4149, NS 9459, NS 7584 and NS 4576 were on the point. Several scenes show the train at N. Main Street in East Peoria and then crossing the river to wye onto the Pekin Main at Wesley. It isn't common to see a Norfolk Southern crew take their train into Peoria proper!  The final scene shows the whole train at N. Main Street in East Peoria.  - David P. Jordan

  I've seen something similar with my own eyes three times prior, but was never able to capture this kind of action on video.  As background, I've retained a memory from age four, probably in 1978, of seeing C&NW and BN merchandise trains simultaneously at the W. Farmington Road crossing. Mom was driving us home from taking my older brother to school when we stopped to wait on a northbound Chicago & North Western freight. Suddenly, Mom yelled with excitement, "There's another train!" It was going south (geographically), and had to be a Burlington Northern train (which we'd see between cars of the C&NW train). My recollection was of manifest traffic, so this might have been a late No. 104 from Galesburg.  Thirty-three years passed before I'd again see such a thing. On August 8, 2011, I chased BNSF's L-CHI107 extraboard "Peoria Local" west from town. As I waited at W. Farmington Road, a loaded Union Pacific Kincaid-bound coal train ...

I've come to realize that Friday is better that Tuesday regarding Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA). Those of the former typically have more variety, such as locomotive wheel shipments (in boxcars) from the Keokuk Junction Railway, and occasional Caterpillar track-type tractor loads. Video shows the train rolling by W. Farmington Road in late afternoon. UP 5254 had 30 cars. The Caterpillar D10 track-type tractor load is eighth in consist. This Friday's MPECL had two boxcars and a Caterpillar D10 tractor! (A second tractor load was left at Adams Street Yard for an unknown reason). - David P. Jordan

Since 2012, Iowa Interstate has, off and on, acted as haulage agent for Norfolk Southern grain trains between Des Moines and Peoria.  I don't believe they have originated any NS-bound grain trains on-line until now. This week, Landus Cooperative loaded corn at its Adair, Iowa elevator for an NS destination via Peoria. The train moved east, and finally operated to Peoria as SIPE-2 on Friday afternoon. Iowa Interstate receives a rate division on this one, with likely far more revenue than as haulage agent.  Hopefully, there will be more such trains. And that the NSPEDM and NSDMPE haulage trains will return as well. A healthy corn crop and good service is a must. Word is, Norfolk Southern had already forwarded this train out of East Peoria and through Bloomingtin by late Friday evening.  NS 4576 and NS 7584 had 83 corn loads. NS 4149 brings up the rear as DPU. In the video, today's train is first shown in The Narrows in late afternoon approaching Tazewell & Peoria Railro...

This evening after leaving the downtown library, I came across a Canadian National crew on CN 5463 running a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Inspection Train from Main 2 to Main 1 on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin main. The crew tied up at the Creve Coeur diesel shop.  Shortly, power off of ADM feed train G891 - BNSF 6176 and CEGX 2040 - showed at Wesley as well. These units were left on the Creve Coeur Team Track. (They had been sitting on the Nickel Plate waiting for the CN/FRA train and a TZPR local from Pekin.) An hour or so later, CN southbound local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolled by Wesley with CN 8852, CN 5463 and eleven cars. The train is shown again at Hilliards. Interestingly, it appears that BNSF 6176 and CEGX 2040 arrived Decatur yesterday on A431 (Short-Haul Manifest, Memphis TN to Decatur IL).  - David P. Jordan

I missed both of them last week, probably because it left early. I got it today...  Video shows Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolling by Milepost 80, shortly after entering the Peoria Sub main this mid-afternoon. UP 6782 has 49 cars.  - David P. Jordan

This evening, I came across Union Pacific train CDENA (Coal Empties, Decatur IL to North Antelope Rochelle Mine WY) rolling through Pekin on its way along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track. Video shows it crossing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge, approaching home rails at Darst Street and then the whole train rolling by W. Farmington Road on the mainline. UP motors 8806-5838-5886 have 153 coal empties were received from Canadian National at Pekin. Loads (CNADE) are consigned to Archer Daniels Midland Co's Decatur Co-Generation plant.  - David P. Jordan

It was a total coincidence on my part (I was hope to catch a departing Iowa Interstate freight), but I happened across this TP&W local in TZPR's East Peoria Yard early this evening on the 135th anniversary of the Chatsworth Wreck (August 10, 1887). I missed its departure, but caught up with it in the nick of time as it entered TP&W's East Peoria Yard. It looks like a return leg of the East Peoria-Collier Turn as most (or all) of the first 14 cars are from Mapleton. The other 17 were added at the TZPR. The former group included five loaded covered hoppers normally assigned to the company's grain fleet. These were likely loaded with dry fertilizer at Growmark's Mapleton Terminal. The latter group included five boxcars containing salt consigned to Sweetener Supply Corp. in Wolcott, Indiana and nine loaded gondolas, which most likely contain steel billets for Liberty Steel & Wire Co's Georgetown, South Carolina plant.   TPW 3440 was on the point.  - David P....

I'm not sure if an IAIS crew ran engine lite from the North Limit Yard this afternoon to grabbed PESI in East Peoria, but that's what appears to have happened. When I drove by the Limit Yard after getting this video, a pair of TZPR switchers was assembling traffic from Saturday's SIPE for the run to East Peoria. I wish I could have waited for it, but I had plans this evening.  Video shows today's PESI rolling by the old San Koty station a few miles out of Peoria, Illinois around 5:30 Sunday afternoon. IAIS 152 and IAIS 153 have 124 cars, the vast majority empty, but notably with two coil steel loads from Norfolk Southern.  - David P. Jordan

Despite the hot weather, you gotta get 'em while you can... Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls through Rome, Illinois, just south of Chillicothe, late late this afternoon. IAIS 153, IAIS 152, NS 7111 and IAIS 702 have 62 cars. The crew stuffed the train into the North Limit Yard and went north engine lite with 702 (which they grabbed at Bureau Junction). A TZPR crew will come grab the train at the North Limit Yard,, re-assemble it and pull it to East Peoria, probably Sunday.  - David P. Jordan

  Union Pacific train MPECL has been leaving early more often than not, so I find my favorite locations without delay.  When I write "early," I mean that the crew calls the dispatcher between 3:30 and 3:40 Tuesday and Friday afternoon. Used to, the crew seemed to call around 4:00 o'clock sharp.  I've missed it a number of times, assuming the old routine. Friday was not one of those days. I shot video at Milepost 80 (the old Molitor Junction), just south of Harmon Highway, and again at Pottstown, where the train enters the double track for the trip up Pioneer Hill.  Union Pacific AC4400CW-CTE No. 5702, a General Electric product built in January 2001, led 26 cars on the Peoria, Illinois to Clinton, Iowa train.  - David P. Jordan

After leaving the downtown library early Thursday evening, I took a chance, drove to Pekin and found Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) stopped on that city's south side, having just cut off its seven-car train to pull two empty centerbeam flat cars from Amerhart. After shoving the Amerhart empties onto the train, the crew switched Hanna Steel. Five steel loads had been left on the spur by a previous local, so these had to be pulled with seven empties and then spotted inside the building.  The empties were shoved into the rest of the train, giving it 16 cars. Shortly, it ran to South Pekin and pulled 25 grain empties from the siding there. These were probably spotted at the Encompass Grain & Rail elevator in Emden.  CN 2288 and CN 5607 were on the point of today's local. Final scene shows the 41-car L557 at Townline Road.  - David P. Jordan

While waiting for Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) to leave Adams Street Yard this afternoon, I heard a horn in the distance (Clarke Street) and quickly identified it as the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria Turn. It is shown on its eastbound leg at Darst Street. CEFX 2014 and CEFX 2022 have just five cars for interchange to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad. The pressure-differential-type covered hopper on the rear was loaded, presumably with corn starch.     I caught up to MPECL in time to capture video at W. Farmington Road. UP 5676 has 69 cars.     - David P. Jordan

Someday, in the not-too-distant future, the Peoria International Airport will get a new control tower.  On July 7, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded PIA $15 million toward construction of a new control tower. The multi-year project will cost $27 million. The present tower, built in 1959 with the now demolished terminal building, has been deterioriating. It is the second-oldest tower still in operation in the U. S. and does not meet current standards. Thus, replacement is critical.  A news item on the airport's website includes a sketch of the proposed tower. It appears that it will be built on the west side of the international terminal.  Before the month concluded, the airport also received $8.4 million for rehabilitating 5,650 feet of Runway 4/22, which is 8,004 feet  total. The airport received $1.1 million for this project in 2020. The project is expected to start in spring 2023 with completion scheduled for fall. - David P. Jordan

After leaving the downtown library, I headed through south Peoria toward I-474, and came across this TP&W local, bound for Collier Yard.  The train paused at Darst Street briefly so the conductor could line the BNSF connection switch back to the Tazewell & Peoria RR main. TPW 2015 had eleven cars. All but the coal load (for Edwards Power Station) were for Mapleton industries.  - David P. Jordan