Peoria Station

Sunday afternoon, I noticed a PESI-type train made up and sitting on TZPR's West Lead in East Peoria, a sure sign that an SIPE was planned soon. Sure enough, SIPE came in this morning and a relief crew was driven to East Peoria to get PESI. Although I shot video just as a cloud bank blocked the sunshine, I think it was a decent encounter.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad by the old (1900) Rock Island depot in downtown Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, July 31, 2023. IAIS 516 and IAIS 705 have 82 cars of mostly grain mash empties, but also two coil steel loads and quite a few loaded alcohol tank cars. Normally, I would have followed PESI out of town to get it at mainline speed, probably at San Koty. But I knew BNSF's M-PEIGAL was at East Peoria get ready to depart. So I returned to Bridge Junction in time to hear them get permission to depart. Today's train was unusually short, pro...

Despite the heat, I went after MPECL this afternoon.  Nothing unusual, but perhaps the plastic empty on the head end a TP&W covered hopper, probably loaded with organic grain at Forrest, Illinois.  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 late-afternoon Friday, July 28, 2023. UP 5358 has 59 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I caught the Union Pacific freight as I usually do on Tuesday after work. Usual traffic, but at least a decent-sized train of 60 cars from IMRR (via TZPR), KJRY, TP&W and TZPR itself.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls across W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Adams Street in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, July 25, 2023. UP 7432 has 60 cars.   I knew the CN local was reported at Hilliards around the time I saw the UP freight, so I headed that way, and down Rt. 29 where I passed the local. I set up by the old C&IM depot at Pekin for video. The train came by a short time later. The two RISX-marked covered hoppers are curious, but I were empty so I doubt they had anything to do to with Waelz Sustainable Products plant at Clymers, Indiana. Cars displaying these markings are among those regularly routed TPW-Peoria-UP from that plant.  I should also note that this train had an empty sodium hydroxide solution ...

I intended to do this on a Saturday earlier this month, but I either got to bed too late Friday or the forecast called for morning rain. I got to bed too late Friday, but did this anyway...   Since our local "newspaper of record" doesn't cover local commercial aviation anymore, someone needs to do so. (Apologies for my camera's motor noises...I'm looking for a replacement soon.) United Parcel Service has been having a Boeing 767-300 freighter stop at Peoria early Saturday morning enroute from Louisville to Rockford. It is likely they only stop here to drop off empty cargo containers for Caterpillar's Morton distribution center, explaining the short takeoff shown in the video. It is good to see a "widebody" like a 767 used here on a regular basis. UPS uses another "widebody"-type (an Airbus A-300) on on its weeknight and pre-dawn flights, but those are hard to catch in daylight unless in mid- to late-June or the planes are late. Occasionally...

A full week after delivering to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, Norfolk Southern local D49 pulled the 49-car grai shuttle from East Peoria to Good Yard in Normal earlier this afternoon. The NS dropped the train on Main 2 at Wesley sometime on Thursday and then set NS 2717 and NS 9922 on the Creve Coeur Team Track. On Friday, the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad spotted these cars and ADM Grain Co. loaded them over the weekend.  Better late than never, but NS has gone way downhill from the "Pegasus Project," which when first implemented in 1994 improved turnaround time for grain loading at Central Illinois elevators when shipping to ADM and A. E. Staley processing plants in Decatur.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 bangs the TP&W diamond at Crandall, just outside Morton, Illinois mid-afternoon Thursday, July 20, 2023 on its trip to Good Yard in Normal. NS 7717 and NS 9922 have 49 cars. Train was loaded at ADM Grain Co's Hilliards (Creve Ceour) elevator. ...

As usual on Tuesday after work, I try to catch Union Pacific's MPECL leaving. I succeeded with this one fairly quickly. When I drove by Adams Street Yard, I noticed a crew van by the locomotive. It wasn't long before I heard the crew call the dispatcher for instructions.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road mid-afternoon Tuesday, July 18, 2023. UP 5366 has 30 cars.   Shortly, I learned that TZPR 1351 ran engine lite as "Industry 4" from P&PU Junction to the TP&W yard to pull a transfer. I waited for it at W. Washington Street. The crew had to stop twice to line switches. Someone (ADM@Hilliards, Iowa Interstate, etc.) is getting a bunch of Incobrasa Industries covered hoppers for soybean loading! CAPTION: Tazewell & Peoria Railroad "Industry 4" arrives home with a transfer from the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway's East Peoria Yard late-afternoon Tuesday, July 18, 2023. TZPR...

I missed the Keokuk Junction Railway's local coming into the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. I probably couldn't have caught it anyway, but they did something unusual.  The two GP20Ds - CEFX 2022 and CEFX 2014 - were delivered here for eventual interchange (reportedly CN) as their time with KJRY is done. LTEX 6437 cut off and left them on the Creve Coeur Team Track and then returned to the other two units. The train left with only three cars.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria Turn runs its return leg to Kolbe (Mapleton), Illinois late-afternoon and early-evening Monday, July 17, 2023. LTEX 3848, PREX 2018 and LTEX 6437 left the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad with just three cars. After waiting for a TP&W local to switch out Union Pacific interchange for them at Collier Yard, seven more cars were added. The train is shown crossing the Illinois River and at Darst Street in Peoria, and at Sanitation Road in Bartonville, and again s...

I caught Union Pacific's MPECL this afternoon like I usually do. When it's fairly predictable, why not? Today's train was pretty heavy for a single unit. I hope it didn't stall on Pioneer Hill. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road late-afternoon Friday, July 14, 2023. UP 5358 has 66 cars.   Yesterday, Norfolk Southern brought dropped a grain shuttle on Main No. 2 of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Pekin double track at Wesley.  NS 9922 and NS 2717 tied up on the Creve Coeur Team Track. Today, a TZPR Lead Job is switching 25 of 50 cars into ADM Grain Co's Hilliards elevator on Wesley Road. When the other 25 get loaded and the train is combined, it should depart for Decatur in a few days. David P. Jordan

Tonight's train had lots of loaded tank cars, many with CRGX (Cargill) reporting marks and no haz-mat placards, so it looks like TZPR-served "Cargill Oil Storage" c/o Gavilon on Wesley Road in Creve Coeur is shipping a lot of that stored soybean oil to a BNSF destination.  I should also note that a number of COER, NOKL and TZPR gons were on this train heading west empty, so there is no backhaul move of scrap metal somewhere after coiled wire rod shipped from by Liberty Steel & Wire Co. is unloaded.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls across the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Lift Bridge early evening Thursday, July 13, 2023. Later, the whole train is shown at Krause Ave. before it exits TZPR rails for home rails at S. Darst Street. BNSF 6673 and BNSF 6597 have 84 cars (52 loads, 32 empties).   David P. Jordan

I drove by Adams Street Yard this afternoon after work and noticed that Union Pacific's MPECL had already left.  I knew that if the train left early for whatever reason, there might be empty anhydrous ammonia tank cars to pull from Akron Services, so I turned around and head up I-474/Rt. 6 and Rt. 91 to check. When I arrived, I concluded the train had already passed as the two tank cars there last Friday were gone.  And just like a cat and a red laser pointer, when I heard then saw BNSF's H-GALIHB in the distance, I decided to chase it.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train H-GALIHB (High Priority Manifest, Galesburg IL to Indiana Harbor Belt) rolls by Blue Ridge Road near Chillicothe, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, July 11, 2023. BNSF 8131, BNSF 5992 and BNSF 5538 have 112 cars.   As soon as I was done shooting video of H-GALIHB at Blue Ridge Road (just west of Chillicothe), I learned that MPECL had been sitting on Edelstein Siding the whole time, and was about to depatt ...

After spending some quality time at the downtown Library this afternoon, I headed toward the southside in hopes of seeing BNSFs M-GALPEI. Turns out, the train had already arrived East Peoria and the crew had coupled their units to M-PEIGAL. But minutes after my arrival, I caught the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's old "Kickapoo Job" (now one of those "Industry" jobs) going by.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria RR local is shown at S. Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois early evening Monday, July 10, 2023. TZPR 1351 is pulling twelve cars from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria. I waited long enough for the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad dispatcher to give M-PEIGAL permission to leave East Peoria for S. Darst Street. Due to fading sunlight, I shot the train coming across the river, but decided to shoot the whole train at S. Darst Street. I knew it needed to stop so the conductor could line the switch, but this action was brief. Hoping to capture a final runby, I waited ...

This may have been the first PESI since before the July 4 holiday.  When I went to Bloomington/Normal July 4 to see ALS 2204 lead Union Pacific MBNAS, I noticed Norfolk Southern D32 sitting in Good Yard unclassified. There were probably nine coil steel loads embedded in the short consist. I would bet that these arrived TZPR on Wednesday and seven of these are only now moving towards the consignee in Perry, Iowa via transload at Altoona. The number of empty grain mash cars would make up two PESIs!  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) is shown crossing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge shortly after leaving East Peoria, Illinois mid-day Saturday, July 8, 2023. IAIS 513 leads NS 5242 and 124 cars. Later, the train crawls by the new (1967) Rock Island depot at Morton Street, and finally, rolls along home rails at San Koty. At the North Limit Yard, the crew moved the first covered hopper ahead of the steel coil loads. ...

Glancing north from I-474, I could see that this one had already left Kickapoo Yard. I drove to Krause Avenue with only a few minutes to spare. CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria is shown at Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, July 7, 2023. TZPR 1521 has nine cars. While hoping MPECL would depart shortly, I noticed the southbound signal at W. Farmington Road was green, indicating a train was near. MPECL would have to wait. It turned out to be a loaded grain train, probably from Rock River Lumber & Grain at Sterling.  I watched the video twice to make sure I didn't miscount. There were 99, not 100, cars on this train. CAPTION: A Union Pacific grain extra rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, July 7, 2023. UP 7517 and UP 4219 have 99 loads with UP 3014 as Distributed Power Unit. I waited awhile and decided to check on MPECL when I discovered that what I thought was an em...

I saw M-PEIGAL's consist sitting on TZPR's West Lead this afternoon, so I knew M-GALPEI would be coming this evening. Sure enough, it was, but I learned of it when I was in Shirley, Illinois shooting video of a Union Pacifics MBNAS (Manifest, Bloomington IL to Alton & Southern), which appropriately was led by Alton & Southern RR SD60 2204! So I hightailed it up I-55 and then west on I-74 to I-474 turning right on onto W. Farmington Road in time to see M-GALPEI roll by in the distance! I shot the train just south of Harman Highway and again (after a lengthy delay) at S. Darst Street while entering the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad for the final leg into East Peoria.   Today's train had blocks of six and twelve scrap metal loads. The latter included nine cars of mixed NOKL, TZPR and COER marks, indicating a possible backhaul movement on cars assigned to wire rod service out of Liberty Steel & Wire Co's Bartonville steelworks. The other three in this block dis...

I learned that this train had departed East Peoria, so I left home and drove up N. Main Street in time to hear it roaring up East Peoria Hill. It was still raining so I ducked under a tree and used my camera phone for the first scene. I barely caught it at Deer Creek but couldn't set up in time, so I got ahead of it at Carlock.  A number of empty covered hoppers near the head end are unusual. Perhaps these are storage cars coming off the KJRY? CAPTION: Norfolk Southern train D49, operating the return leg from East Peoria to Normal (Good Yard), Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, July 5, 2023, is shown at N. Main Street on the outskirts of Morton, Illinois and again at Carlock 30 minutes later. NS 6108 and NS 6173 have 60 cars. Note Komatsu chassis load and two Caterpillar tractor loads near the front.   David P. Jordan

Wednesday, July 5, is the last full day for Embraer 175s on the Dallas/Ft. Worth-Peoria route. On Thursday, save for the morning departure, PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900s takeover. Seating capacity is the same (76 seats), but variety will be less. CAPTION: Mid-afternoon at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport, July 4, 2023. An Envoy Airlines dba American Eagle Embraer 175, operating Flt. # 3599 from Dallas/Ft. Worth, followed by a PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900, operating Flt. # 5187 from Charlotte, arrived Runway 13 at 1447 and 1519 hours, respectively. Later, the E-Jet departs 13 at 1530 hours as Flt. # 3599 for Dallas/Ft. Worth. - David P. Jordan

It is time for my annual update on local airline service.  A summer month is best for this update. I used July in last year's update, and I have every reason to do so this year. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let's delve into the present situation.  ALLEGIANT AIR Like last year, schedules for July 2023 show most flights operated with Airbus A320 equipment. They do not discern between 177-seat A320s or brand-new 186-seat A320SEOs. Smaller A319s, configured for 156 seats, are used on Denver, Las Vegas and Nashville routes. Subsititutions do happen and due to complexity with Allegiant Air schedules, the equipment shown may be oversimplified in a few places.  FUTURE - Fuel shock following sanctions against Russia for its February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine quickly caused a steep increase in aviation fuel prices just as the last states were ending COVID restrictions. I predicted last summer that this fuel shock, reminiscent of...