Peoria Station

Driving eastbound on Interstate 74 just before the bridge, I just happened to see the SW-10 and a few flat cars, so I exited onto Riverfront Drive and on the Bob Michel Bridge back across the river. Grant Street had too much snow, so I opted to wait at Alexander Avenue while the crew spotted two or three empty flat cars into Komatsu and pulled two truck chassis loads.   After pulling across Alexander Avenue, the crew left the train on the main and ladder track in the North Limit Yard, used the pocket to runaround the train and then pulled back south across Alexander Avenue. My hands were hurting (despite wearing gloves), so I decided to warm them up instead of sticking around to shoot switching operations at PMP Fermentation Products.    This will be the train that switches Viridis Chemical between BioUrja Renewables LLC and the West Yard, if and when rail facilities are built.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local pulls northbound across Alexander ...

I learned Monday that Union Pacific's MPECL would be unusually lengthy, owing to block of 31 plastic pellet covered hoppers on the rear. I would also note eight scrap metal loads mid-train. Liberty Steel & Wire seems to suspend operations for maintenance at least two weeks prior to Thanksgiving, so that may account for the latter.    I took a half day from work Tuesday and found the train ready to depart around 1130.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by Milepost 80 shortly after entering the Peoria Subdivision mainline mid-day Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Later, the train crests Pioneer Hill. UP 5863 and UP 8135 have 79 cars.   After returning home, I learned that a westbound TP&W road freight was by Piper City shortly after 1300 hours, so I took off, tracing the TP&W along US 24 until I encountered the train at Gridley. Notables include 14 limestone loads for East Peoria Materials, five gondolas loaded wi...

I learned that Norfolk Southern's D49 local left East Peoria around 3:00pm, just as I was leaving work. So I went home, grabbed my camera and set up at N. Main Street. I did not have to wait for long. I decided to grab another shot at Deer Creek, but by then it was raining so I switched to my phone camera.    Today's train was nothing special, other than having the GoRail unit (NS 6963) a second unit.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 (Normal IL to E. Peoria IL turn) is shown on its return leg back to Good Yard in Normal, Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, November 24, 2025. Scenes are at N. Main Street in Morton and again at Deer Creek. NS 7021 and NS 6963 have 17 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Bloomington-Normal is on a role. Radio station WGLT 89.1 FM is reporting that Delta Connection will resume a third daily nonstop to Atlanta on March 8, 2026. Online schedules show departures at 0600, 1200 and 1559 on that date. Flights are operated by Endeavor Air's 76-seat CRJ900s. The airport authority has been trying to persuade the carrier to restore the third frequency, dropped during the COVID-19 lockdown. Rivian Automotive's decision to resume work on its Stanton Springs, Georgia plant might be a factor in Delta Connection's decision to increase service, though the easing pilot shortage and softening fuel prices most certainly play into this decision. After Allegiant Air's twice-weekly nonstop service to Phoenix-Mesa, slated to start February 13, Delta Connection's increased Atlanta service is the second new air service announcement in a week. These announcements will increase service out of Central Illinois Regional Airport to 7 to 9 daily, depending on...

While out Sunday afternoon, I decided to check on a few things. Nothing new to report on Ozinga Cement Co. or Viridis Chemical, but I did happen to see a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local building a train at Kickapoo Yard. Shortly, it received instructions to East Peoria and I caught it at two locations.   Coiled wire rod loads are from Liberty Steel & Wire and scrap metal is from Alter Metal Recycling (Clarke Street facility and/or or the one on Liberty property in Bartonville). A gondola or two in between might have been loaded with steel billets. The tank cars were asphalt empties pulled from Interstate Asphalt Corp's Peoria River Terminal and the covered hoppers were likely DDGS loads from BioUrja South Yard.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, indicated to be "Lead 2" by radio chatter, runs from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria, mid-afternoon Sunday, November 23, 2025. Shown working upgrade toward Darst Street and again crossing the river, TZPR ...

After work, I went into East Peoria to check for local rail action. TZPR radio chatter immediately tipped me off to a Keokuk Junction Railway local waiting at Iowa Junction for instructions into the East Peoria Yard. A pair of BNSF units had just cleared TZPR property at Darst Street on their way west. I assume the crew had just dropped an empty Decatur-bound gluten feed train on the double track for Canadian National. I stuck around to catch the KJRY local.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria turn runs on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Krause Avenue and then at Bridge Junction mid-afternoon Wednesday, November 19, 2025. LTEX 6437, LTEX 3837 and LTEX 3836 have seven cars. Despite the short days, I stuck around to capture the Iowa Interstate train. Overcast stole even more light. Soon, I will only be railfanning on weekends... CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad train of potash empties, PEDAV (Peoria IL to Davenport IA), rolls along the Tazewell & Peo...

I returned home Monday evening but still had another day off, so I took advantage of the situation for a little exploring.    I noticed five covered hoppers of various markings (CITX, three SCGX, one AMFX) at the old South Yard. These must be assigned to distillers dried grain service out of BioUrja Renewables LLC.    I also checked the new Ozinga Cement Co. facility at the lower end of the old Peoria Barge Terminal. A covered hopper was spotted under a spout, which appears to enable loading of bulk materials from barge to rail. I'd guess there is an undertrack pit on site to enable rail-to-barge transfer as well. Perhaps this facility is being installed to support the new slag cement mill being built on the Indiana Harbor Belt RR at East Chicago, Indiana? The Tazewell & Peoria RR is the serving carrier, and it will be exciting to find out what line haul carriers will be handling this traffic.    I checked Adams Street Yard where I found a short M...

A look at Allegiant Air's schedules show that Bloomington-Normal's Central Illinois Regional Airport is getting Phoenix-Mesa nonstops on Mondays and Fridays beginning February 13, 2026. The new service out of CIRA apparently does not appear to cannabilize Peoria's existing service. Starting February 17, PIA gets Tuesday flights in addition to Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. And business over the upcoming holiday periods requires nonstops daily from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 and also Dec. 17-Jan. 5! - David P. Jordan

I took a half-day off work, and decided to check on Union Pacific's Tuesday/Friday MPECL, which has been called as early as 1100 hours lately. Sure enough, when I drove by Adams Street Yard around 1130, the crew was already on board. Minutes later, they called the dispatcher for instructions to go north.    As soon as I noticed MPECL moving, I headed toward Kickapoo Creek Road. The midday November sunlight is actually pretty terrible on north-south oriented rail lines, but Pottstown offers decent lighting due to the curve just south of the crossing.    But then I caught up to BNSF's M-PEIGAL, which was gained speed too quickly to beat to Pottstown, so I opted for Edwards. I only had a minute to spare on that one. Interestingly, 14 of 19 cars on Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Industry Job returning to East Peoria from Kickapoo Yard were on this train, including those six covered hoppers.  CAPTION : BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg I...

Ozinga Cement Co. has built this facility at the lower end of the old Peoria Barge Terminal property. It appears to be a barge-rail-truck transfer operation.   The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad is serving carrier, providing connecting service to BNSF, Canadian National, Illinois & Midland RR, Iowa Interstate, Norfolk Southern, TP&W and Union Pacific.   At least two tracks are in use, one probably being the old rail spur which served the barge terminal. The other was built new. A trackmobile is on site to move railcars on spot for loading or unloading.    It is unclear whether bulk cement, slag or both will be handled here. Lack of a loading spout makes me think all railcars are loaded inbound, empty outbound.  - David P. Jordan

I caught this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Industry Job enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria. Highlights include an empty CN boxcar that is likely in zinc ingot service from British Columbia to Liberty Steel & Wire Co., and four empty ex-CN gondolas marked EMRX (Northern Metals Recycling), indicating a Minnesota origin for scrap metal.   CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Industry Job (2 or 3) rolls by Sanger Street in Peoria, Illinois toward the Illinois River enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria mid-afternoon Wednesday, November 5, 2025. TZPR 1352 has 19 cars.   The Keokuk Junction Railway local followed close behind from Iowa Junction with a short train. I stuck around long enough to catch the local on its westbound run back to Mapleton. The 19 ALAB-marked covered hoppers on this one are presumably in corn germ service from Keokuk to Decatur (via Norfolk Southern) as we don't normally see them loaded with corn or soybeans at Sciota, but being blo...

I shot a couple of eastbounds on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision this afternoon, but traffic was slow (or late due to the time change). CAPTION: Action on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision between Princeville and Edelstein, Illinois early Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025. Both trains were eastbounds. The first, had BNSF 6796 and BNSF 1073 on the point with 58 autoracks. The second, had BNSF 3276, BNSF 7107, BNSF 8389 and BNSF 4694 on the point with 115 intermodal platforms.   An eastbound was lined up per signal indication at Edelstein but I decided to head for home. I'm glad I did, because I just happened to be driving through East Peoria when a TP&W switch crew was preparing to deliver interchange to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local, possibly EPX1, delivered to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Sunday, November 2, 2025. TZPR 2133 had nine empties. S...