Peoria Station

Late Sunday afternoon, I caught this TP&W westbound manifest at Cruger. HESR 2107, IMRR 1550 and HESR 3485 have 68 cars. This train is running from Effner to East Peoria. Train is slowing for a 10 mph speed restriction west of Cruger. Notable traffic on this train includes head end blocks of twelve and five phosphate loads separated by two empty tank cars. Four more empty tank cars and there's a 25-car block of grain, presumably for ADM (Bio Ujra) in Peoria. After a plastic empty, there is a block of mostly loaded tank cars of various commodities, including methylamine anhydrous, fuel oil, herbicide and maybe one corn syrup car. Bringing up the rear is a CSX gondola loaded with scrap metal, probably consigned to Liberty Steel & Wire in Bartonville.  The herbicide (or insecticide?) tank cars are interesting. They look bigger than the ones normally consigned to Fort Transfer Co in Morton and those are routed CN-Peoria-TPW. Perhaps these are for Mapleton, or Fort Transfer is g...

Sunshine, warmer weather and the Iowa Interstate! Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) pulls through Wesley late morning Sunday, February 27, 2022. By early afternoon, it departs the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. Scenes show it crossing the TZPR's Illinois River Bridge, rolling across Main Street in downtown Peoria and finally, the whole train is shown rolling by San Koty (MP 154.2). IAIS 516, IAIS 702 has NS 5077 and 81 cars. Six were loads - four steel pellet and two beverage alcohol. - David P. Jordan

Peoria International Airport handled nearly a half million passengers in 2021! According to a post made to the airport's website February 14 , the local facility handled 480,006 passengers last year. That's an improvement over 2020's depressed 326,861 but still far below 2019's record 689,416. It is unclear if PIA will ever reach this volume again as recent "pandemic" restrictions may have permanently reduced business travel in favor of videoconferencing. Experts are often wrong, but recovery will take years if at all.  I should also note that air cargo volume increased from 17 million pounds in 2020 to 20 million pounds in 2021. Almost all of this traffic was handled by United Parcel Service flights operating most nights between Rockford, Peoria and Louisville.  - David P. Jordan

Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolled across W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois late afternoon Friday, February 25, 2022. UP 5394 has 56 cars. Adams Street Yard was empty when the train departed. So unlike recent weeks, Tonnage Per Axle (TPA) restrictions didn't require cars were left behind. Usual traffic like coiled wire rod, distillers' grain mash, corn syrup and locomotive wheels were absent, creating a train of almost all tank cars. The last car, an empty centerbeam flat car, is odd to see on the Peoria Subdivision and doesn't appear to be used as a haz-mat buffer.  Now this was no unit train - alcohol loads were joined by empties of different dimensions and capacities last containing corn syrup, inedible beef tallow, molten petroleum asphalt and phosphoric acid.  - David P. Jordan

Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) has just entered the Peoria Sub main at Peoria Junction late-afternoon Tuesday, February 22, 2022. UP 7765 has 51 cars. The lone boxcar, mid-train, belongs to Ferrocarril del Sureste, a Mexican carrier better known as "Ferrosur." The line links Mexico City with Veracruz. The car probably contains locomotive wheels shipped from Amsted Rail/Griffin Wheel Corp's Keokuk, Iowa foundry but whether the destination is on FSRR isn't clear.  - David P. Jordan

After work today, I decided to check out that newly-rebuilt elevator siding at Forrest. I knew TP&W's eastbound M-Train was likely to be running so I thought it best to take I-74 to Bloomington, then I-55 to Chenoa, guaranteeing my arrival at Forrest with sufficient daylight for photopgraphy. Boy did my plans change! As I neared Normal, I caught some brief chatter on Norfolk Southern's radio channel (161.145 MHz). I missed the exit for Rivian Motorway, which was fortunate, because after entering I-55 southbound, I could see an NS freight departing Good Yard. I heard the crew tell the Union Pacific dispatcher that they'd be at BN Target in "ten or fifteen minutes," so I parked near Market Street (good afternoon lighting) and waited but a few minutes before Decatur-bound D36 went by. NS 3338 and NS 3375, running elephant-style, have 49 cars. The train slowed as it approached BN Target, but the Union Pacific dispatcher has given permission to cross his mainline. ...

This was unexpected. A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local delivers a short transfer to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (TZPR) late Sunday morning, February 20, 2022. TPW 5010, TZPR 2133 and TPW 3443 have two 89' flat cars laden with SDI USA stick rail for an unknown project. Norfolk Southern has trackage rights to serve SDI USA's Columbia City, Indiana mill from Fort Wayne so this traffic could have been routed NS-direct to East Peoria. For some reason (lower rates?), these cars were routed NS-Logansport-TPW instead. This is a more direct route anyway... I hope to find out what this rail is for. It is enough for a siding, yard track or industry spur of decent length. Grade crossing replacement is possible as well. It will be interesting to know whether these loads are consigned to TZPR or are going further (Illinois & Midland RR). - David P. Jordan