Norfolk Southern D49, Iowa Interstate PESI 2-7-24

Sometime late-Monday or Tuesday morning, a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad switch crew pulled the eight Caterpillar tractor loads (and an empty flat car ahead of them) into one of the A Yard's short tracks. That only seven of the tractor loads moved on Wednesday's D49, offers a possible explanation: one was bad ordered. Today's train was short, and just like on January 29 and 30, I began my chase minutes after leaving work! 


CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 rolls toward Deer Creek, Illinois mid-afternoon Wednesday, February 7, 2024. Later, it rolls through Carlock shortly before ending its run at Good Yard in Normal. NS 3362 and NS 7014 have 18 cars including SEVEN Caterpillar tractor loads. 

I returned west and went into East Peoria to check on the Iowa Interstate crew with IAIS 711 reported to be grabbing Des Moines-bound Norfolk Southern high-hood GP38-2 5199 (which I saw on Norfolk Southern D49 January 29 - it came back following an inspection at Decatur). One GP38-2, IAIS 708, had been left on the Creve Coeur Team Track (another crew was to go on duty at 2100 to get an empty potash train at Wesley) but couldn't immediately see IAIS 711 and NS 5199 coupled to an outbound in the yard. A second pass yielded a possible sighting but I couldn't be sure. 

I waited at Sanger Street in Peoria until the bridge was lowered. Though my scanner didn't pickup any radio chatter between the IAIS crew and TZPR St. Albans Dispatcher, I soon caught the approaching headlight of an IAIS geep!


CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) is first shown crossing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge shortly after leaving East Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, February 7, 2024. Later, it is shown rolling by BioUrja Renewables LLC (ex-ADM, nee Hiram Walker & Sons) distillery, the "old" (1900) Rock Island depot, the "new" (1967) Rock Island depot) and Grant Street as it approaches the North Limit Yard. IAIS 711 has high hood NS 5199 (bound for Des Moines) and 34 cars (20 loads, 14 empties). 

David P. Jordan

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