Peoria Station

I took today off from work. Despite the rain, I decided to check on Union Pacific train MPECL. Sure enough, as I drove by Adams Street Yard shortly before 1:00pm, it was just moving toward Peoria Junction.  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 early afternoon Friday, June 20, 2025. UP 6452 has 46 cars. I got home this afternoon thinking Union Pacific's MPECL was the only local movement I'd record today, but not long after uploading the video, I learned that a TP&W eastbound manifest was cleared to depart East Peoria for Milepost 52 (just west of Fairbury). Possible mechanical issues delayed the train's departure by more than an hour, but I was able to capture its passage at Cruger, Illinois. CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway eastbound, often referred to as MEPEF (handled by the EPX2 crew), rolls by Grainland Cooperative's Cruger...

Minutes after arriving home from work, I got a heads up that a TP&W eastbound received permission from East Peoria to Milepost 30, which is just west of LaHogue. So I decided to head to Washington, where I had just a few minutes to spare before it arrived.  The EP2X crew was in charge of today's decent-sized train.  CAPTION: The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway's eastbound M-Train rolls through Washington, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, June 13, 2025. TPW 5010, HESR 2107, TPW 3443 and TPW 3440 have 88 cars. - David P. Jordan

It wasn't long ago that TP&W made a Morton trip to pull two empty tank cars, leaving one load. So I was surprised to see then again so soon.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local runs engine lite across Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District at Crandall, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Shortly, HESR 2107 will run along the connecting track and then race toward Farmdale Switch to return to home rails in East Peoria. Last scene shows tank cars at Fort Transfer Company in Morton. One was left from the previous trip, and two more loads were brought in this day. - David P. Jordan

TP&W-served elevators at Cruger and Greenfield (Chenoa) have been loading a lot of grain trains for CSX in recent weeks. I was finally able to catch an empty westbound for Cruger today. Even better, the CSX unit honoring 9-11 first responders was the leader! CAPTION: A TP&W crew ran this westbound empty CSX grain train to Grainland Cooperative's Cruger, Ilinois elevator late-morning Sunday, June 8, 2025. Scenes are between Secor and Eureka, and at Cruger. CSXT 911 and CSXT 724 have 89 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Running a day early for some reason.    The block of 29 empty flatcars on the head end look like the kind used to haul concrete crossties, but why they are moving empty to Peoria is not clear.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Rockhill Road near Oak Hill, Illinois early evening Sunday, June 1, 2025. BNSF 9237 and BNSF 5655 have 51 cars. Note 29 BNSF flat cars on the head end.   Also notable is that late this afternoon, I noticed three loaded ballast hoppers and two rip-rap loaded air-dump cars parked on the east end of the New Long Main in Peoria. I'm thinking a bridge replacement project is planned somewhere along the Peoria Subdivision.    - David P. Jordan

I learned that Union Pacific's MPECL departed Adams Street Yard a little before 3:00 Friday afternoon, so I took the chance and caught up with it. A possible misunderstanding over a meet with a southbound (which I never saw, but may have been a southbound grain train) at Pioneer (where I stopped and waited, hoping it had not yet ascended the hill) or Edelstein (where radio chatter indicated the train was already past my location).   I may have only caught up to it because the crew had to set out the seventh car, a loaded alcohol tank car, on the old fertilizer spur at Morse. I shot a little video of the train pulling away, and then waited for it to roll by me at the new El Camino station area.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) set out a loaded alcohol tank car on the old fertilizer spur at Morse (near Bradford, Illinois) then pulls away to reconnect with the rest of the train. Later, it rolls by El Camino, future site of a Bartlett Gra...