Union Pacific MPECL 1-23-24

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 (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, January 23, 2024. UP 8811 and UP 8006 have 65 cars. Radio chatter indicated the train would work East Clinton, Illinois. 

David P. Jordan

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