TZPR Local 9-24-25

No sign of Norfolk Southern's D49 local on any late-afternoon this week. It must be turning early. I assume that it has come up to East Peoria at least once this week. I did, however, catch BNSF 9100 and BNSF 6728 at the north end of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard, having just dropped an inbound train (M-GALPEI).

 

I could only glance at the yard as I drove the Cedar Street Extension, but the consist appeared to have been on A-41. Shortly, they received permission to cross W. Washington Street and then run down the Nickel Plate. I did not see whether they tied up on the Creve Coeur Team Track or coupled to M-PEIGAL and went west. When I checked again around 6:00pm, lighting was too blinding to really see much. 

 

We know M-GALPEI/M-PEIGAL already turned here on Monday, and the next regular cycle is usually Friday (unless late, like last week when Friday's train ran just after sunrise on Saturday). Perhaps they had sufficient traffic to run on Wednesday and/or the Galesburg Yard was filling up and something needed to move. I would like to think that BNSF has increased frequency to tri-weekly, but that would probably is too good to be true. 

 

Anyway, heading toward the river, I caught radio chatter in which TZPR 1351 received permission to run from the West Yard in Peoria to East Peoria. As reduced lanes due to construction backs up traffic on the Cedar Street Bridge these days, I did not even try to beat 1351 to Leland Street, though I believe I could have. Instead, I shot video of it crossing BioUrja Renewables LLC's Riverside Track. 

CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local rolls through Bridge Junction and then crosses BioUrja Renewables LLC's Riverside Track enroute to East Peoria mid-afternoon Wednesday, September 24, 2025. TZPR 1351 has seven cars (three empties/four loads) from BioUrja's Alcohol Tracks.

- David P. Jordan