Norfolk Southern D49 and D32 8-24-23

I took a floating holiday Thursday in hopes of chasing Norfolk Southern local D49 to East Peoria with one of the BUGX F-7As. Alas, time spent switching Rivian Automotive, classifying inbound local D32 and building outbound D36 took all the crew's time.

But I did capture, for the first time, switching operations at Rivian!

I shot eight scenes, but only included four to avoid duplication. In the final scene, D49 has pulled 15 cars, all loaded except the first (at least that is how it appeared). These were shoved into a cut of 15 loads pulled earlier. 

Rivian Automotive Inc.'s production has surged this year. The large number of autoracks at Good Yard and at the adjacent ramp today shows preference for rail transportation to more distant points, primarily western states. The company produced 10,020 vehicles in 4th Quarter 2022, 9,395 in 1st Quarter 2023 and 13,992 in the 2nd Quarter.

Since the company fabricates much of its own components onsite, it may be logical to hope that someday, raw materials such as steel may arrive by railcar. Rivian "skateboard" chasses use a combination of aluminum, carbon fiber and ultra high-strength steel.


CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway's Good Yard-based Roadswitcher, D49, switches Rivian Automotive Inc's Normal, Illinois EV assembly plant late-morning Thursday, August 24, 2023. NS 7014 pulls loads and re-spots empties before pulling 15 cars into the adjacent yard. 

Eight cars on this morning's D32 were for TZPR, one for Midwest Fiber and another for DuPont's Gibson City soybean processing plant ("turned" at Good Yard, and then placed on outbound D36). 


CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway local D32 is minutes away from arriving at Good Yard in Normal, Illinois, completing a trip from Decatur. NS 6173 and NS 3266 had 41 cars. Thirty-one of these are empty autoracks assigned to Rivian Automotive Inc. By mid-afternoon, D49 has shoved outbound D36 onto the mainline adjacent Good Yard and is pulling up to a spot across from the yard office. 

David P. Jordan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bartlett Grain Co. LP to Build Elevator on UP Peoria Sub!

Image
Bartlett Grain Co. LP's Bureau County facility will be similar to its Canadian Pacific Kansas City-served South Jacksonville, Illinois facility, shown May 2, 2020.  Bartlett Grain Co. LP is planning to build a $50 million grain loading facility in Bureau County, Illinois. Media reports here and here  tells us Bartlett Grain will build on 155 acres east of Rt. 40 and north of Interstate 80 between County Roads 1700 and 1745 East. The complex, complete with a rail loop capable of loading up to 120 cars, will employ 25 to 30.  Rail service will be provided by the Union Pacific on its Peoria Subdivision, which runs from Nelson south to Barr. Grain will be shipped to Mexico.  - David P. Jordan
Read more

Black Band Distillery Expands to ex-Cat Tire!

Image
Black Band Distillery, presently operating at 1000 SW Adams Street, is planning to expand to the vacant property at 2400 SW Washington Street. That is according to WCBU News .  Although the article omits it, this property has a long history with the local distilling industry. National Cooperage & Woodenware Co. constructed a plant there in 1900, though a predecessor apparently had begun barrel making operations there c. 1885. This firm survived Prohibition (1920-1933) because the barrels could also be used for packing corn syrup, condensed milk, cider, vinegar, liquid chemicals, flavoring extracts, etc. Hiram Walker & Sons, which purchased one-third to one-half of its production, gained control of National Cooperage in 1946. A new four-story expansion began in the fall of 1964 only to be destroyed by a tornado on September 14, 1965. Operations resumed at the start of 1966 and the entire plant was replaced in 1967-1968.  Changing economics led to closure in 1972. Caterpillar Tra
Read more

PIA - A History: Chicago & Southern Airlines Crash Oct. 21, 1971

Image
The only fatal Peoria-area plane crash involving a scheduled air carrier occurred October 21, 1971 when Chicago & Southern Airlines Flight #804 went down while attempting to land in poor weather conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident report can be viewed here , but I'll summarize the crash, what led up to it and the aftermath.  ILL-FATED FLIGHT #804 Chicago & Southern Airlines began flying between Peoria and Chicago's Meigs Field on July 7, 1969. Beech 18S and DHC-6 "Twin Otter" aircraft were used for its flights, the former type at Peoria. In 1970, C&S introduced an aircraft known as the ATECO Westwind II. It was a Beech 18S with heavy modifications including a seven-foot fuselage extension, two turboprop engines and a tri-cycle landing gear. An ATECO Westwind II operated ill-fated C&S Flight #804. It departed Meigs Field at 11:20 a. m. October 21, 1971 for Peoria and Springfield with 14 passengers. Airline pres
Read more