BNSF M-GALPEI 9-7-23

I left home late this afternoon when I received a heads up that Canadian National's L557 local was on duty. When I drove by Wesley, CN 8888 was coupling to a UP unit and also CN 8908 on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Creve Coeur Team Track. Shortly, they ran down Main 1 and then reversed to enter the yard on Wesley 11.

About that time, I received a heads up that BNSF's M-GALPEI had just passed Elmwood, so I headed over to W. Farmington Road. I waited maybe ten minutes before it showed up.


CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road a few miles before entering Peoria, Illinois yard limits early-evening Thursday, September 7, 2023. BNSF 7743 and BNSF 5019 have 73 cars. 

After seeing M-GALPEI, I went back to Wesley but couldn't confirm whether L557 had departed. I went to Pekin and found a loaded centerbeam flat for Amerhart and several coil steel loads for Hanna Steel on the Pekin siding, so I realized L557 was still at East Peoria. On my way back north, the CN dispatcher was talking to an empty northbound coal train. No doubt L557 was waiting on it to get in the clear, probably Main 2 on Tazewell & Peoria's double track. But it was getting dark, so I left. 

David P. Jordan

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