Iowa Interstate PESI, BNSF M-GALPEI, Canadian National L557 8-3-23

Something about cloud banks or overcast and Iowa Interstate trains! At least it wasn't raining...

Big train today, and likely the first in three days. I saw a Tazewell & Peoria RR crew switching those six steel coil loads Monday afternoon and wondered if they were going to shove them into the rear of the waiting PESI! They had just come in on Norfolk Southern local D49. The four incobrasa cars must have been bad-ordered on TZPR, repaired and are now moving to destination for loading. Grain alcohol shipments seemed to have increased in recent months.


CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and across Persimmon Street in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, August 3, 2023. IAIS 501 has NS 5823 and 124 cars. Most cars are distillers' grain ("mash") empties, as usual, but steel coil and alcohol loads, Incobrasa covered hoppers and a high-sided gondola offer some variety. 

Rather than catch the Iowa Interstate train north of town where mainline speeds are attained (25 mph), I wanted to stay close to Bridge Junction so I could catch the BNSF freight. Shortly after I returned to Darst Street, a TZPR crew on a pair of IAIS GP38-2s (711 and 705) ran down the Southern Division mainline to grab an empty potash train from Mosaic Crop Nutrition. Shortly, the BNSF train had permission to enter TZPR trackage. 


CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) is shown late-afternoon Thursday, August 3, 2023 shortly after entering the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Southern Division at Darst Street for the final leg into East Peoria. Attacked by an ugly insect, I quickly relocated a short distance to Sanger Street. BNSF 6970 and BNSF 6808 have 58 cars. Notably, nitrogen fertilizer solution loads from Iowa Fertilizer Co's Wever, Iowa plant total 27 cars (blocks of 17 and 10). 

Radio chatter confirmed that the CN local had already departed TZPR's East Peoria Yard, so I caught up with it and shot video in Pekin. I didn't stay to watch it pull an empty boxcar from Amerhart as I had hoped to see that TZPR crew with IAIS geeps pull an empty potash. Alas, the sun had set and the crew was still preparing for departure when I left. 


CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) has just entered home rails at IC Junction in downtown Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, August 3, 2023. CN 5732 has 20 cars.

- David P. Jordan

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