Canadian National L557, Union Pacific MPECL 6-20-23

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 to L557, I drove back across the river and swung by Adams Street Yard once more. There, I noticed a train crew was switching, apparently re-arranging the consist. A 42-car block of loaded covered hoppers, probably containing grain mash or gluten feed pellet, was on the rear end but later, when I saw it go by at W. Farmington Road, had been moved to the front end of the train. 

I normally visit parents on Tuesday, but I paid attention to social media and had my scanner turn on in hopes of hearing MPECL receive dispatcher's instructions to run north from Peoria Junction. I never did, but about 7:15 got an inkling that I should check. Initially, I intended to check Adams Street Yard, but thought it best to check the northbound signal at W. Farmington Road. 

It was green! 

So I knew some northbound Union Pacific train was lined to go north. I hoped it was MPECL. Ten minutes or so later, I could confirm that it was! 

I haven't figured out what those 42-, 17- and 18-car blocks of what I believe to be distillers' grain mash (or gluten feed pellets) were doing on today's MPECL. I missed a train perhaps a month ago that also had a long block of similar cars. Most are leased, but there were ADM-marked cars sprinkled throughout. So today's train wasn't the first one to handle this traffic.

The CN's L557 local of June 6, 2023 had a large number of empty covered hoppers with similar markings. These could have arrived off of Union Pacific train MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. I'm wondering if ADM's Decatur Wet Corn Plant is sending gluten feed pellets to Union Pacific at Peoria for distribution to a western point. But the volume should be handled as a unit train, not multi-car blocks in regular manifest service. 

Another possibility is that ADM is buying BioUrja Renewables' output of distillers' grain mash, and having it shipped to another plant for storage. All of this is speculation. I don't really know the answer. But these are possibilities. Anyway, good business for Union Pacific!

CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois early evening Tuesday, June 20, 2023. NS 9777, UP 4965 and UP 9077 have 125 cars. About 76 covered hoppers, some with ADM markings, appeared to be loaded, probably with distillers' grain mash. 

- David P. Jordan