Peoria Station

I caught it again this afternoon. I was already aware that Norfolk Southern train D49 had permission to leave the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard at 1439 hours, so when I left work, I turned on my scanner and turned left on Main Street.  Moments later, I heard the crew tell the dispatcher they were approaching Crandall, and I could see tank cars rolling in the distance. Fortunately, I made it to the Harding Road crossing in time to capture the scene below.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 rolls across Harding Road near Crandall, Illinois on the return leg to Good Yard in Normal. NS 3362 has nine cars.   David P. Jordan

The crew was already talking to the dispatcher when I drove by Adams Street Yard at 1531 hours this afternoon. That is the way I like it, and it cleared W. Farmington Road by 1550 hours!  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, January 30, 2024. UP 5253, wearing a recently modified livery, has 40 cars.   David P. Jordan

Armed with the knowledge that Norfolk Southern train D49 had already departed the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad some 30 minutes prior, I left work and high-tailed it down I-74 which gave me just a few minutes to spare. I knew I couldn't get to the crossing into time, I parked on the overpass. Later, I shot a runby as it entered Good Yard.  So now I caught NS 5199 on Saturday's Iowa Interstate SIPE and on today's Norfolk Southern local! CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49, rolls under Rivian Motorway at Yuton, Illinois as it nears the end of its run from East Peoria mid-afternoon Monday, January 29, 2024. Shortly, the train is shown entering Good Yard in Normal. NS 6343 and NS 6406 have high-hood NS 5199 and 19 cars.   David P. Jordan

A short one today, and all tank cars.  There were cars left behind at Adams Street Yard. I noticed a covered hopper, and there had to be at least one other car. The train was sufficiently short to be left in the yard, rather than on the Low Line, by the LPD01 crew.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by Milepost 80 shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, January 26, 2024. UP 5511 has 24 cars.   David P. Jordan

My first encounter with an Iowa Interstate train in 2024! I heard a horn from inside my house, minutes after returning from work. After a second false report of a TP&W train in Morton (a few truck horns moving to and from the Caterpillar parts department must sound like locomotive horns), I decided to investigate. I had some material to return to the local library, so I grabbed those and headed out. I quickly discovered that there hadn't been any activity on the Morton Industrial Spur since December.  After dropping items at the library, I returned to my car and turned on the scanner. Moments later, I heard the Iowa Interstate dispatcher give IAIS 510 a track warrant from Peoria to Burau Junction at 1520 hours! I wouldn't have known about it, had I not heard the fake locomotive horn, gone to the library, and turned on my scanner at that exact moment!  So naturally, I packed up my laptop (I'd stop by the downtown library after chasing the IAIS) and headed west on I-74. D...

Hopefully, things are back to normal. Friday's Union Pacific MPECL showed no sign of a crew aboard as of 1615 hours, so I left. Today's train radio'ed the dispatcher by 1545.  Two items of note: The 53rd car in the consist, ITFX 150294 is an empty, green, ex-International Bridge & Terminal (Boise Cascade) typically seen in bagged food salt service routed BNSF-Peoria-TPW to Sweetener Supply Corp. at Wolcott (Hoosierlift), Indiana.  I don't know if the car was re-billed empty to a new destination rather than move reverse route or if Union Pacific has snatched a portion or all of this business from BNSF. Watco shortline Kansas & Oklahoma RR, serves the Compass Minerals salt mine at Lyons, Kansas, and can interchange with either Class I. The other item is that radio chatter indicated MPECL would work East Clinton, Illinois. There is a Zen-Noh Grain Co. elevator at this location, but not sure what work this train would do. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifes...

I arrived Wesley Road's south end crossing just in time to see the CN L557's approach. Short train, but good variety. I didn't stick around to see it switch Hanna Steel. CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track mainline through Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois mid-afternoon Thursday, January 18, 2024. GTW 4908 and CN 4803 have eight cars.   David P. Jordan

Almost ten years ago to the week that Iowa Interstate and Norfolk Southern began exchanging unit ethanol trains (and some manifest traffic) via Peoria, the two carriers re-routed one here today owing to weather-related congestion at Chicago!  Back to the present - I wasn't sure I could see 64K, but when I saw on the Peoria, Illinois Railroads Trains & Shortlines Facebook Group that it was only getting a warrant at 1342, I figured I had a chance if I left work immediately and headed east on I-74. When I arrived, the train was paused by Good Yard before getting permission to cross the UP. This gave me time to get to downtown Bloomington... CAPTION: A Norfolk Southern unit ethanol train rolls through downtown Bloomington, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, January 17, 2024. NS 7704 and NS 4180 lead 82 cars (80 ethanol and two buffers) with NS 1158 and NS 4759 as DPUs. Train was loaded at Archer Daniels Midland Co's Cedar Rapids, Iowa facilities and symboled SABI (S. Amana IA ...

I haven't posted one of these in awhile, so here it is. Ask a question on transportation and industry. As always, if I don't know the answer, I'll find one. As a much-needed update, I looked through the archives and realized the last of the "PIA - A History" was posted on December 28, 2022, a little more than a year ago! So with this week's Arctic weather changing my routine, I decided to write the next one. Look for "PIA - A History: Events of 2003" soon.  Two decades have passed, so it is easier to analyze events in historical context. As with the last four write ups, I will include a slide show, focusing on commercial airline traffic during the Prairie Air Show July 5-6, 2003.  - David P. Jordan

The East Peoria Yard looked pretty full at mid-day, so Tthe Tazewell & Peoria Railroad is probably clearing it out. Otherwise, Iowa Interstate's PESI or BUSW jobs would have moved these cars through downtown Peoria. Weather was freezing and I arrived my location with no time to put on my gloves. Video was shot in 4k, so it is sharp! All appear to be empty grain mash cars pulled from the ADM facilities on Wesley Road in Creve Coeur. (The three local Genesee & Wyoming Inc. shortlines - Illinois & Midland RR, Tazewell & Peoria RR and Toledo, Peoria & Western Rwy. - have a locomotive sharing agreement, thus the TP&W GP38-2 is being used on a Tazewell & Peoria RR train.) CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local rolls by Morton Street in downtown Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, January 13, 2024 enroute to the North Limit Yard with grain mash empties for the Iowa Interstate Railroad. TPW 2056 has 59 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Canadian National Railway acquired the Illinois Central Railroad in July 1999, almost a quarter century ago, so it is good to see IC black units still roaming the area.  When I left work, learned that L557 had departed the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard and was working at Pekin. So went to Hanna Drive, arriving in time to watch the train shoving a loaded centerbeam flat car into Amerhart Ltd. An empty coil care car on the head end indicates that the crew had already switched Hanna Steel.  CAPTION: Canadian National train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls across Fifth Street near South Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, January 11, 2024. IC 1036 and IC 1038 have 22 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Since missing it Tuesday for an eastbound daylight TP&W road freight, it was imperative to capture Union Pacific's MPECL on Friday. I'm glad I did. The KJRY made a delivery to UP on Thursday that included TEN boxcars! Added bonus : While waiting for MPECL's departure, a TP&W local, probably EP2 rolled by. CAPTION: A TP&W local is enroute from Collier Yard in Bartonville to East Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, January 5, 2024. TZPR 2133 has nine cars. The MPECL crew finally called the dispatcher just before 1630, so with fading light, I knew that the best spot for video was the former Molitor Junction. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls Milepost 80 shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, January 5, 2024. UP 8831 has 49 cars. - David P. Jordan

I received a heads up that BNSF's M-GALPEI was by Elmwood about 1400 hours this afternoon. Based on past encounters, I correctly calculated that if I left work immediately, skipped going home and went to Peoria's south side immediately, I could capture this train. I got there just as the conductor finished lining the switch to enter the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Darst Street. Lighting was bad, and barge terminal operations were still ongoing by the TZPR Illinois River Bridge so I had to settle for the curve at Sanger Street.  Today's train had a good variety of traffic - nitrogen fertilizer solution, bagged salt, granulated urea and tallow loads for TP&W and molten petroleum asphalt loads for TZPR, along with alcohol, steepwater and DDGS empties.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Sanger Street in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Thursday, January 4, 2024. BNSF 6627 and BNS...

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. Caterp...

When I learned that TP&W was running an eastbound freight this afternoon and that it had stopped to switch Grainland Cooperative at Cruger, I decided to forego Union Pacific's MPECL. To quote myself from March 20, 2023, "If you can catch a TP&W road freight, do it!" Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of Santa Fe's absorption of the original TP&W. The next five years marked declining traffic, and Santa Fe sold it to Gordon Fuller's TP&W Acquisition Corp. on February 3, 1989. Fuller and subsequent owners experienced ups and downs on traffic, some of the downs being self-inflicted and some out of their control. Fortunately, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.-owned TP&W has experienced traffic surges from on-line industrial development the last several years. Many of the cars on today's eastbound are the result of that development.  Note that there are ELEVEN salt boxcars on the head end consigned to Sweetener Supply Corp, which opened near Wolcott,...

I had a family gathering for lunch today, so I was already close by when I got a heads up this train was coming out of South Pekin. CAPTION: An empty northbound Union Pacific grain extra rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, January 1, 2024. UP 7312, UP 7497 and UP 8088 have 108 cars. Train symbol is reportedly GSDURK (Grain Shuttle, Dupo IL to Sterling IL). The Peoria Sub was relatively busy today. A loaded grain left Allen Station around 1300 hours, and a southbound baretable train arrived South Pekin just before the northbound grain empties departed. Train MCLPE is parked on the Low Line by Adams Street Yard with about 50 cars. I assume that it arrived earlier this morning. As with Dec. 26, the local crew will be working Tuesday to classify this train, work interchanges and build MPECL.  I should also note that a BNSF feed train, X-SMRPEI, is tie up on the main short of Darst Street. I don't know the plan for today, a holiday, but a crew will h...