Union Pacific MPECL & BNSF Railway Grain Shuttle 2-17-23

Sunny but cold weather offered an incentive to capture Union Pacific's MPECL train Friday afternoon. 

When I drove by Adams Street Yard, I could see it strung out along the Low Line, the rear end still by the yard. I had to wait longer than I wanted, but it did finally leave after 4:30. 

A twelve-car block of zinc oxide loads, empty tallow tank cars and assorted chemical traffic reveals interchange from TP&W this week. KJRY interchange wasn't as impressive as on other days, and there was but a single boxcar loaded with Amsted Rail/Griffin Wheel Div. traffic out of Keokuk, Iowa. 

CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois late afternoon Friday, February 17, 2023. NS 9680 has 66 cars. (Shortly before MPECL rolled by, a BNSF grain shuttle from TP&W pulled up and stopped to pick up the conductor.)

I also noticed the BNSF grain shuttle holding the main track short of Darst Street. At first, I assumed that it was an empty waiting for a TP&W crew to take it across the river and then eastward to either Grainland Co-Op's Cruger elevator or Prairie Central Co-op's Greenfield (Chenoa) elevator. 

Then, as I waited at W. Farmington Road for the Union Pacific train, this ***LOADED*** BNSF grain extra pulled up short and stopped. Turns out, it stopped so the conductor could be driven to the head end before departure west. 

CAPTION: A BNSF Railway grain shuttle resumes its journey west from Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, February 17, 2023 after stopping short of W. Farmington Road to pick up the conductor. BNSF 7441 and BNSF 6990 have 116 cars. BNSF 7787 is DPU. Train was loaded on the TP&W.

 - David P. Jordan