Peoria Station

I just missed IAIS 718 arriving the North Limit Yard this afternoon, but caught its return trip north.  I have to wonder what happened to the ADM grain mash business? There should be another 40-60 empties on this train. Did Union Pacific snatch it from the Iowa Interstate? For many years, the C&NW and successor Union Pacific handled feed pellets from ADM's Cedar Rapids plant to the Clinton Municipal Dock-ADM except in winter, when the Upper Mississippi River closed to commercial navigation (lock repairs, ice) and this traffic, from both Cedar Rapids and Clinton, went to the Illinois River at Peoria. Eventually, the Iowa Interstate was able to grab some of this business (CP, IMRL, ICE, DME handling the Clinton pellets to Davenport). From winter 2006-2007, the IAIS had all of it. Starting around 2010, when ADM "Dry Grind" opened at Cedar Rapids, a large volume of distillers dried grain (DDG, or "mash") began moving to the docks on Wesley Road year round.  Iron...

I saw the crew classifying Friday's M-EFEP late this morning, but missed the TZPR transfer sometime in early afternoon while at the downtown library. I did, however, see them leave with 34 cars for Kolbe (Mapleton). Most are phosphate loads off CSX in Indiana, but the scrap metal-laden CSX gondola on the head end is likely for KJRY, consigned to Hitchcock Scrap Yard's Canton transload.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway extra makes a run from East Peoria to Kolbe (Mapleton), Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, October 29, 2022. TPW 3046, HESR 2107 and TPW 3441 have 34 cars. Scenes are at N. Main Street in East Peoria and crossing the river into Peoria, both of which are on Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (TZPR) territory.  - David P. Jordan

  When you can catch a TP&W manifest...do it! I learned late this morning this train was making its westbound run, and debated taking off work two hours early to intercept. Instead I waited it out, hoping for local switching and a delay crossing the Union Pacific at Chenoa, enabling me to catch the train east of Eureka after work. Turns out, M-EFEP switched Forrest Elvator & Supply and likely had to wait at least a short time to cross the UP at Chenoa. It was not reported at El Paso until well after 3:00.  CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train M-EFEP (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL) is shown approaching Eureka, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, October 28, 2022. TPW 3046, HESR 2107 and  TPW 3441 have 119 cars. - David P. Jordan

I went straight to W. Farmington Road this afternoon without checking Adams Street Yard. I'm glad I did because as I turned left from the Airport Road-Harmon Highway connection onto Kickapoo Creek Road, I saw MPECL's approach. I didn't have to wait long at my favorite spot.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road mid-afternoon Friday, October 21, 2022. UP 6365 has 48 cars, including a Caterpillar tractor load (7th car) and ten boxcars (including a bright yellow UP repaint). Train reportedly stalled about four miles north of here (and may still be there as I post this at 1641). A single unit with many loads will do that... - David P. Jordan  

Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown at several locations between East Peoria, Pekin and South Pekin, Illinois late Thursday afternoon and into the evening. GTW 5852 has 19 cars, including a Caterpillar D11 track-type tractor load, which is exceedingly rare for this train! I can't recall the last time I saw one of these on a southbound CN local here! One possible destination is Atlantic Tractor & Equipment Co. Ltd. in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The whole train is shown at Hilliards on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track, at Pekin after entering home rails and at Fifth Street near South Pekin. In between the last two, L557 delivered one lumber load and four coil steel loads to Amerhart and Hanna Steel, respectively. I should also note that the tank car on the rear, UTLX 671547, was the herbicide empty pulled from Morton by a TP&W crew last Friday.  - David P. Jordan

Patriot Rail's acquisition of Pioneer Lines is already producing fruit! In a letter dated May 17, 2022, M. S. Carver Lumber president Joseph Fontana wrote the Surface Transportation Board requesting a legal change to Pioneer Industrial Railway's lease with the City of Peoria of 3.74 miles between a connection with Union Pacific and Pioneer Industrial Park. There seems to have been a delay in action by Pioneer Industrial Railway but both a 56-page Notice of Exemption and an eight-page Motion for Protective Order were filed with the STB on October 3. The Board granted PIRY's request today. You can read the filings here . Today's decision can be read here . I suspect rising diesel fuel prices may have been a factor in Carver's desire to rail service restored to its Pioneer Park facility. Lack of competitive access notwithstanding, direct rail delivery is cheaper than truck, even if a short distance from a wholesaler or transload site. UPDATE: On page 47 of the main Oc...

I drove by Adams Street Yard this afternoon, finding it empty, so I went to W. Farmington Road where the northbound approach signal displayed green. I didn't have to wait but a few minutes before MPECL showed up.  UP 6679 has 31 cars. The first ten cars are plastic loads, which is unusual, but may have come out of storage on the Keokuk Junction Railway. The next five - all marked RISX - are probably zinc oxide loads from Waelz Sustainable Products' Clymers, Indiana plant, a new industry served by the Toldo, Peoria & Western Railway. There are two likely distillers' grain loads after that. Three corn syrup empties from PMP Fermentation Products and four alcohol loads follow. The next tank car (no haz-mat placard) might be a steepwater load. Five more alcohol loads and a chemical empty bring us to the end.    - David P. Jordan