Norfolk Southern D49, Union Pacific MPECL 8-1-25

I left work this afternoon with some hope that Norfolk Southern's D49 local would still be in East Peoria. Thursday, I noticed a couple strings of cars in the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's yard that looked like NS outbound traffic (wire rod loads from Liberty Steel & Wire being one clue). Sure enough, when I drove by the north end of the yard, two NS motors were on the point of a healthy-looking train. 

 

Notable traffic included twelve wire rod loads from Liberty Steel & Wire and 17 plastic pellet loads from the Illinois & Midland RR. The four AEX-marked covered hoppers were the empties. 

CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway Train D49 (Normal IL to E. Peoria IL Turn) is shown departing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, August 1, 2025. NS 7034 and NS 6923 have 53 cars (49 loads/4 empties).

While waiting for the NS train's departure, I kept hearing radio chatter indicating a BNSF freight was in the yard waiting on a TZPR switch job to get out of its way. I never saw the BNSF train but did happen to hear chatter on the Union Pacific channel. So I made my way to W. Farmington Road and noticed the green signal indication for a northbound. I assumed MPECL had already left about four hours earlier, but guess what?

 

Some usual traffic traffic like alcohol and DDGS/gluten feed from Alto Pekin but also some empty covered hoppers used for grain products. Five ex-C&NW covered hoppers with MWMX markings (Midwest Mud Co./Golden Leasing) were on today's train as were similar cars on Tuesdays. 

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 Friday, August 1, 2025.

- David P. Jordan