Peoria Station

I would have missed it entirely if it hadn't stopped at Akron Services to pull an empty anhydrous ammonia tank car! Looks like Union Pacific train MPECL left Peoria early so they could get out of the way of a loaded Decatur-bound coal train parked at Edelstein. Reportedly, Canadian National is bringing an empty coal train from Decatur for UP this evening.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) pulls an empty anhydrous ammonia tank car from Akron Services Inc's facility at Akron just north of Dunlap, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, June 30, 2023. UP 7815 left Adams Street Yard in Peoria with 41 cars.    - David P. Jordan

The Iowa Interstate brought an SIPE train into the area early this afternoon and parked it on Main 2 of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track along Wesley Road.  A relief crew, I assume, boarded the train's power (715 and 500), ran to Grove so they could cross over to Main 1 and head up to the East Peoria Yard and grab a 29-car PESI.  I saw PESI downtown while driving I-74.  I caught up to it at the North Limit Yard and shot video of it running by the Illinois Valley Yacht Club and the San Koty area.  The last seven cars were loaded, possibly with distillers' mash from BioUrja's Peoria distillery bound for eastern connections at Chicago, or perhaps an odd movement from Decatur to Cedar Rapids. ADM owned or leased equipment could be used for either one.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls by the Illinois Valley Yacht Club early evening Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Minutes later, it passes the old San Kot...

I left the CIncinnati, Ohio area (Florence, KY actually) early this morning, stopping to photograph the inbound Central RR of Indiana (CIND) autorack train that stopped short of Valley Junction, Ohio after coming from Honda's Greensburg, Indiana assembly plant, probably overnight.  It wasn't moving, but at least I got it after a few failed attempts. So I was tired when I arrived back home in mid-afternoon, but managed to capture the Union Pacific freight today! It is good to see zinc oxide traffic from the TP&W still moving on MPECL. Today's train had seven loads.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls across W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, June 27, 2023. UP 8806 has 42 cars. - David P. Jordan 

I took today off, and contemplated how to spend it. As events unfolded Thursday, I decided to stay in the area...well almost. First, I checked Good Yard in Normal for any sign of Norfolk Southern local D49. Lately, it seems this train is spending more days of the week pulling loads and spotting empties at Rivian Automotive Inc's adjacent ramp. This means that the East Peoria run is put off until later. But not today. When I arrived, I found D36 made up and parked on the Rivian ramp "balloon" track. No power was in sight. Then, my scanner picked up radio chatter. Moments later, I saw inbound train D32 stopped across College Avenue with NS 3228 and NS 3410 and about 15 cars. I quckly assumed that D49's crew had to pull it in, as D32 usually arrives well before sunrise. Activity died off as soon as the train pulled into and stopped in the yard, so I headed back to Peoria.  As I exited I-74 onto East Washington Street, I caught the tail end of a train which looked suspici...

Even with the long summer days, I can still miss train movements. BNSF's M-GALPEI came into town in late-morning with  BNSF 1766 and BNSF 2922 and a healthy train, including scrap metal loads (like Monday's train, which I also missed) and salt boxcars for the TP&W. Tonight, three motors that likely came off an empty feed train (X-SMRPEI) were added to the other two and after 7:00pm, a crew went into Track A-15 to begin building M-PEIGAL. They still had to double over and pull from A-14 as well. But it wouldn't leave until well after dark... Oh well, I got something!  This cut of cars that was left on Main No. 2 at Wesley came from the TP&W. It included empty salt boxcars and empty nitrogen tank cars fro BNSF. Most if not all of the Incobrasa covered hoppers were loaded, so they're probably for BNSF as well. But zinc oxide loads are for Union Pacific, with which TP&W interchanges directly at Collier Yard in Bartonville. There were sme Mapleton cars on it as w...

I rushed into town this afternoon after work because I figured Union Pacific MPECL was going to be a decent-sized train, including that boxcar traffic from the Keokuk Junction Railway.  Boy was it! When I swung by Adams Street Yard, the train was strung out onto the Low Line from one end of the yard to well west of the SW Adams Street/US 24 viaduct. I waited and waited, but not activity. But I heard the CN local get permission to depart East Peoria so I crossed the river and found it leaving the yard. I shot this video at Hilliards. today's train had a decent mix of covered hoppers, tank cars and gondolas.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track Pekin mainline at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, June 20, 2023. CN 8892, CN 5799 and UP 7637 have 36 cars.   I had to wait until almost 1930 hours for the Union Pacific freight to leave. After bidding adieu...

After working two hours overtime, I went into town hoping to catch a Iowa Interstate train SIPE. I learned this train departed Silvis shortly after noon today. I figured it would be in town around the time I left work (5:00pm). Turns out, I had plenty of time as I encountered it in downtown Peoria a little after 6:00pm.  SIPE had 25 soybean loads blocked on the head end, followed by four potash loads. The soybeans are going to Gilman, Illinois via TP&W. The potash cars might be going to TP&W as well. Two alcohol empties and six coil steel empties sprinkle a train made up mostly of ADM distillers' mash loads (and possible corn screenings, germ, etc. mixed in). The 18 covered hoppers on the rear (after the steel coil empties) are probably from a western Iowa ethanol plant.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) is first shown early-evening Wednesday, June 14, 2023, running on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (TZPR) by the "old" ...

For about a month, the zinc oxide loads from TP&W seemed to dry up, but today's Union Pacfic MPECL had eleven of them!  A few other cars were left behind at Adams Street Yard, probably due to having a single locomotive and tonnage per axle limits. I'd guess most cars on this train were empty.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls across W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, June 13, 2023. UP 5046 has 53 cars, including eleven zinc oxide loads from the TP&W! - David P. Jordan 

A good surprise for a Saturday! The train stopped short of the US 24 bypass bridge at Cruger for an unknown reason, which allowed me to see steel billets in three gondolas near the end. These were loaded by Liberty Steel & Wire Co.'s Bartonville steelworks and consigned to its Georgetown, South Carolina rod mill. The City Council down there threatened to change zoning away from heavy industrial if the plant did not reopen by February 1, 2022! Nine boxcars of salt consigned to Sweetener Supply Corp. at Wolcott, Indiana, 20 Incobrasa Industries covered hoppers (which looked loaded) and even some zinc oxide empties provide an interesting variety on today's train.  CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train M-EPEF (Manifest, E. Peoria IL to Effner IL) rolls under the US 24 bypass near Cruger, Illinois at midday Saturday, June 10, 2023. TPW 3443, TPW 1539 and TPW 3440 have 62 cars. Note in the first scene that gondolas near the end (54th to 56th cars) are loaded with s...

I rarely capture the East Peoria-bound KJRY local before it sets out TP&W and/or UP interchange at Collier Yard in Bartonville. I got lucky Wednesday! The first 15 cars - a mix of covered hoppers displaying PREX and ALAB markings - were loaded. I figure they contained soybeans loaded at Sciota and are consigned to Incobrasa industries at Gilman, Illinois. Thus, they were set out at Collier Yard. There were eleven loaded boxcars for UP at Collier Yard, and these appear to be mixed in with cars for TZPR, requiring some extra switching at Collier Yard. Most if not all of the tank cars were corn syrup loads for Norfolk Southern. Two empty covered hoppers on the rear came from ADM's Bushnell plant, and last contained soybean flour. They are returning to Decatur via Canadian National.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's Kolbe-East Peoria Turn is shown at Mapleton from the US 24 overpass as it departs for East Peoria. Later, the whole train is shown at Hollis and again as it ...

The captions pretty much say it all. I was disappointed that there was no KJRY interchange, or little if any TP&W interchange.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, June 6, 2023. UP 8949 and UP 8904 have 36 cars. At various times, a large number of loads (corn gluten feed, distillers' dried grain, corn germ, etc.) and empties move from ADM's Cedar Rapids, Iowa plant to Canadian National Railway-served points via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. Today's CN local demonstrates this in extreme! CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown at various locations in and near Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, June 6, 2023. CN 8892 and CN 5799 coupled to its 88-car train on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin Main No. 2 at Hilliards. At Pekin, L557 pulled an empty boxcar fr...

The Surface Transportation Board today granted the City of Peoria authority to discontinue service over an approximiately 1.1-mile portion of the Kellar Branch's south end on behalf of the long-defunct Central Illinois Railroad Company.  The main point of the filing involves O'Brien Steel Service Co., which has been without rail service since the Central Illinois Railroad Co. ceased operations in 2010.   "The City explains that, after discontinuance it intends to transfer approximately 550 feet of right-of-way and track at the south end of the Line to O'Brien Steel, which plans to use the track as a private industrial spur to connect to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad." I expect that the City will transfer this property to O'Brien Steel shortly, and that rehabilitation will commence soon afterward. Some or all steel plates and I-beams will arrive by rail once facilities are able to receive them. O'Brien will also likely ship scrap steel by rail as well,...

Before heading home from the downtown library this evening, I noticed that Union Pacific's Adams Street Yard was mostly empty with no sign of locomotives for tomorrow's MPECL. As I crossed the river, I saw the LPD01 local job crawling across the river from East Peoria. I quickly turned around and reached Darst Street with seconds to spare. One thing for sure: This decent-sized receipt from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad today should guarantee Tuesday's MPECL will have at least 50 cars after KJRY and TP&W interchange is added. I'm scratching my head, though, on the six phosphoric acid empties coming from TZPR. Usually, they come from TP&W at Collier Yard. Perhaps MacroSource LLC's (ex-Gavilon) terminal on Wesley Road was getting these as loads? CAPTION: Union Pacific train LPD01, the Adams Street Yard-based "Peoria Wayfreight," returns home from East Peoria with UP 8949, UP 8094 and 32 cars for Tuesday's MPECL.   - David P. Jordan

The Iowa Interstate Railroad, for the fourth time since 2014, has provided a crew and a train to run excursions out of Chillicothe, Illinois. Ticket revenue from these trips is donated to local volunteer firefighters. As usual, the event attracted a large crowd and most if not all seats were sold out.  In September 2014 and September 2016, diesels hauled former Montreal commuter coaches between Henry and Chillicothe. In May 2019, QJ 6988 led trips out of Chillicothe with a diesel on the return leg. These trips used P70 commuter coaches build for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Diesels bracketed the cars on today's trips. CAPTION: On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the Iowa Interstate Railroad provided a crew and a train for the "Ride the Rails" passenger excursions out of Chillicothe, Illinois. Sponsored by the Fred Meister Chillicothe Community Firefighters Association, four trips operated north to near Sparland and return. Iowa Interstate GP38-2s 702 and 701 bracketed five, 72-seat...

I've been working two hours over since yesterday, and Friday as well, so I'm going to miss Union Pacific's MPECL. So when I get a heads up on a local train movement, and am not too tired to take advantage of it, I go for it.  Mid-afternoon Thursday, I learned through social media that Canadian National's L557 local was on duty at the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. I figured that if the crew did the usual switching at Pekin, I'd have a shot at catching it there or somewhere south. I ended up driving down I-155. About six minutes after a friend confirmed that it was through Delavan, I saw it approaching the highway underpass between Emden and Hartsburg. I decided to head north on I-55, exit onto Rt. 66 and then parallel the Union Pacific to N. Kickapoo Street. Had I exited on the west side, Lincoln's traffic lights and slow speed limits would have ruined my plans. I arrived at the N. Kickapoo Street crossing moments after L557 received perm...