Peoria Station

Before leaving work, I learned that Norfolk Southern local D49 was in East Peoria, and the GoRail unit (NS 6963) was leading. I figured a chance to see it just after work, which is what I did. Five cars on the head end are plastic loads, likely storage-in-transit business from Equistar Chemicals LP on the Illinois & Midland RR.  CAPTION:   Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 (Normal IL to E. Peoria IL Turn) is shown on its return leg mid-afternoon Thursday, October 31, 2024. NS 6963, the "GoRail" unit, and NS 6923, have 20 cars for Good Yard in Normal. Scene is at N. Main Street in Morton. :     - David P. Jordan

Going by past experience, the crew which brings in Iowa Interstate's SIPE late-Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, typically takes PESI out of town on Monday and Wednesday, typically in the mid- to late-afternoon. I learned that IAIS 513 brought SIPE in Tuesday night, so after work checked if PESI was ready to depart East Peoria. Sure enough, 513 was already in the point of the train parked on the West Lead.    Consist was made up of 41 empties - a single ADM corn syrup-type tank car, a longer non-placarded tank car (possibly a tallow empty for Council Bluffs), six empty IAIS covered hoppers and 33 mash or other grain product empties - and seventeen loads - two alcohol, ten grain product (possibly some ADM traffic from the Hilliards barge dock?) and five scrap metal loads for Gary Railway in NW Indiana.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) is shown as several locations after departing East Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesd...

Tuesday's Union Pacific MPECL had to wait on a southbound Powerton-bound coal train, but left a little after 4:00pm. Reportedly, the train stalled on Pioneer Hill and had to double the hill and re-assemble the train to continue. Of note were twelve empty ballast hoppers mid-train.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, October 29, 2024. UP 8055 has 46 cars. - David P. Jordan

I missed BNSF M-GALPEI coming into town early this afternoon, but checked later for the chance the crew would turn back with M-PEIGAL. No such happening. Instead, the crew was driven to Grove where it boarded the feed train brought up by CN yesterday.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train G-PEISMR (Grain, Peoria IL to Summerfield TX) is shown in several scenes departing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and on home rails mid- to late-afternoon Sunday, October 27, 2024. BNSF 4401 and BNSF 3896 had 100 gluten feed pellet loads. Entire train is shown at W. Farmington Road. Final scene is a power runby at Kramm Road, just west of Edwards.    - David P. Jordan

After spending time at the downtown library, I decided to take advantage of a heads up by driving to Lincoln.   Canadian National Railway pulled a loaded gluten feed pellet train out of Decatur in mid-afternoon, so I figured I could intercept it around Lincoln. Turns out, I only encountered it near Mt. Pulaski where it appeared to be crawling. I returned to Lincoln and waited for it, missing its passage in town. I had to drive north on old Route 121 passed the Bell elevator where I found a great country road crossing and harvested fields, enabling a decent view.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train G831 (Grain, Decatur IL to Peoria IL) rolls north of Bell, Illinois near Lincoln along old Rt. 121 late-afternoon Saturday, October 26, 2024. BNSF 4401 and BNSF 3896 had 100 gluten feed pellet loads for BNSF at Peoria. - David P. Jordan

Union Pacific's MPECL left Peoria early, so I missed it. But I was able to capture the Iowa Interstate's PESI train early this evening shortly after it cleared the North Limit Yard.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Peoria Subdivision just out of Peoria, Illinois early evening Friday, October 25, 2024. IAIS 151 has 33 cars. - David P. Jordan

I arrived home from south Florida in mid-afternoon, so I decided to check on Union Pacific's MPECL. Sure enough, it was parked ready to depart on the Low Line when I drove by Adams Street Yard. I heard chatter on the Union Pacific road channel, probably PTC issues. The train did not depart until a half-hour later, around 4:00pm.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road after departing Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, October 22, 2024. UP 8264 has 48 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Someone at the Peoria Journal Star, our newspaper of extremely selective record, must have seen a comment I made recently on Peoria Dot Com, regarding their lack of coverage on local airport passenger traffic.  Well, what do you know, they actually posted an article on August and September records and even talked to the airport director. And not once did the article mention a restaurant! Peoria International Airport handled 57,353 passengers in August, and 53,796 passengers in September, beating 2019 figures for those months. The August figure exceeded by 1.3 percent the previous record for that month, which was set in 2019. Director of Airports, Gene Olson, doesn't believe 2024 passenger traffic will break 2019's record of 689,416 passengers. I hope he is wrong as the numbers are likely close. Unfortunately, the article fails to note that 2023 passenger traffic totaled 638,378. (Figure was posted on the airport's Facebook page on February 15.) Unfortunately, the article i...

I just missed the arriving train, which appeared to be heavy, thus four units. Barely an hour after departure, the local departed East Peoria back west with four cars.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway East Peoria turn is shown running the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in Peoria, Illinois on its return leg to Mapleton late-afternoon Friday, October 11, 2024. Later, it is running on the Union Pacific's ex-Peoria Terminal Company line south of Bartonville. LTEX 3010, PREX 2047, PREX 2003 and LTEX 6437 have four cars.   - David P. Jordan

Shorter days of October mean fewer encounters with local rail action, but I have come across two trains, four days apart, in the same location in East Peoria.    Sunday afternoon, I was driving eastbound Interstate 74 when I encountered an empty Union Pacific grain train (with TP&W crew). On Thursday afternoon, I exited eastbound Interstate 74 onto southbound N. Main Street when I heard a locomotive horn and saw the flashers activitate. Fortunately, I was able to turn left after the train cleared and shot video the same place I did the TP&W-UP train on Sunday. CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway East Peoria Switcher (EP3?) rolls by E. Washington Street shortly before entering the yard late-afternoon Thursday, October 10, 2024. TZPR 2133 has six cars there were picked up at Collier Yard in Bartonville. - David P. Jordan

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

The weather was nice but windy Sunday afternoon as I parked along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision.    The first train to show, an eastbound, was primarily intermodal but with a block of autoracks on the rear. The second, also eastbound, had seven reefers mid-train. I like that kind of variety. After a third eastbound, I moved from North Rice Road to Princeville to check for activity at the Seneca Foods plant (one boxcar on spot, two empties "constructively placed" on the siding). No sooner did the fourth eastbound cleared the crossing did a westbound show its face. After another westbound, I headed for home, and another adventure... Train symbols in order are: S-CLOLPC1-04A (Port Stack Intermodal, Clovis NM to Logistics Park Center IL) Z-STOWSP7 (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Stockton CA to Willow Springs IL) Z-PHXWSP8-04A (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Phoenix AZ to Willow Springs IL) Z-LACWSP4-04U (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Los Angeles/Hobart CA to Willow Springs IL) ...

Late-Saturday morning, I headed for the downtown library but got delayed. Driving on I-74, I glanced toward the TP&W's East Peoria Yard and found a TZPR switch crew building a cut for a return run to their home yard. Short train but no less interesting encounter.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew pulls a transfer from sister Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway toward the East Peoria Yard midday Saturday, October 5, 2024. TZPR 1521 has 12 cars. Later, I found an empty BNSF coal train crossing the river. As I followed it out of town, I learned that a second train would follow, so I stuck around the south end rather than return to the library.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train E-PEKNAM (Coal Empties, Peoria/Kincaid IL to N. Antelope Mine WY) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, October 5, 2024. Later, the whole train is shown at W. Farmington Road. Coal empties came from the Kincaid Pow...

After three misses, I actually got Union Pacific's MPECL today.   I did something different, and photographed the train from the SW Adams Street viaduct. The crew apparently went on duty late due to maintenance-of-way activity north of town, so the scene at W. Farmington Road was shortly after 1800 hours.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) is first shown in a still from the SW Adams Street bridge on Peoria, Illinois' far south edge late-afternoon Friday, October 4, 2024. By early evening, the train rolls by W. Farmington Road and then crests the top of Pioneer Hill. UP 6258 has 34 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I would have stayed home this afternoon, but got a heads up that the southbound signal at Edelstein was green. I had hopes for an early MCLPE, but alas it was a Powerton-bound coal train. I should be happy, because those have perhaps four years left.  CAPTION: A southbound Union Pacific coal train rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, October 2, 2024. UP 5523 and UP 5562 have 135 loads for the Illinois & Midland Railroad at Crescent for delivery to NRG Energy's Powerton Station. UP 5572 is DPU.   - David P. Jordan