Peoria Station

The area's tall trees along the railroad rights-of-way block good lighting in most areas by evening now, so I had to be picky on my video location along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track. Worley Lake seemed the best, especially since L557 was running Main 2 instead of the usual Main 1.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track mainline into Pekin, Illinois early-evening Thursday, August 31, 2023. UP 2660, probably borrowed off a coal train unloading at Decatur, has 16 cars.   David P. Jordan

I had scheduled an appointment for my car at the dealership this morning, so when I learned this train was heading through downtown Peoria around the time I left, I knew what my plans were for the next hour or so... CAPTION: Iowa Interstate train PEDAV (Peoria IL to Davenport IA) rolls through Rome, Illinois shortly after noon Wednesday, August 30, 2023. IAIS 708, IAIS 701 and IAIS 707 have 105 potash empties for CPKC at Davenport, Iowa.   David P. Jordan

Norfolk Southern finally delivered the first of two F-7As to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad late this morning! I took Thursday off from work just to catch D49 do this, but the crew spent its day switching Rivian, classifying D32 and building D36. On Friday, NS 7014 and BUGX 402 were involved in a minor derailment at Good Yard. Finally, they made the run on Monday. An added present was NS 5194, a high-hood GP38-2, bound for Des Moines, was hauled to TZPR with the F-7A! Today's TZPR delivery had typical traffic: steel coil loads for the Iowa Interstate but mostly empties for Liberty Steel & Wire, Caterpillar, Komatsu, Alto, BioUrja, Linde or Messer, and the KJRY.  The appearance of Incobrasa Industries covered hoppers is this month. It seems the time I saw one on D49 (August 7), it was empty. But they're empty coming into East Peoria as well. Apparently, my glance at the pressed truck coil springs on the August 7 train was insufficient to confirm it as a load, but that is...

The TP&W must have brought in an M-EFEP (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL) last night or this morning. I believe I heard the crew to the dispatcher (or yard controller) that they had 14 loads. I can identify an Incobrasa covered hopper, ten TP&W covered hoppers and one tank car as loads. Two other tank cars must have been loads.   CAPTION: A TP&W local, possibly an EP-X (East Peoria Extra Switcher), rounds the curve moments before crossing W. Washington Street and entering the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard late-morning Sunday, August 27, 2023. TPW 2070 and TPW 3440 have 71 cars. Later, power returns to the TP&W yard engine lite.   David P. Jordan

MPECL stalled on the double track shortly before noon today. I waited, left for awhile and then returned. I only had to wait a short time before seeing UP 2670 approach N. Brauer Road and then stop, and shove back south to clear the crossing. Shortly, the train departed.  I didn't see how the crew managed to get the train up the hill, but the dispatcher gave them a work between covering MP 71.3 and 71.9. The north end of the double track is at 71.6. I assume they broke the train and re-assembled it near the top of the hill.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA), running a day late, makes a partial runby atop Pioneer Hill on Peoria, Illinois' northwest side early afternoon Saturday, August 26, 2023. The train shoved back across N. Brauer/W. Ridgeview Road before heading north again. I shot the whole train here from my car due to rainshowers but caught up to it again at Oertly Road near Edelstein a short time later. UP 2670 has 49 cars. David P...

Union Pacific's MPECL did not run Friday afternoon. Word is its sole locomotive was "borrowed" for use by this Sterling grain train. Whether MPECL runs Saturday or Sunday is unclear. CAPTION: A southbound loaded Union Pacific grain extra rolls by W. Farmington Road early evening Friday, August 25, 2023. UP 7718 and UP 6593 were on the point of 109 cars. UP 6162 was DPU. Train was loaded at Rock River Lumber & Grain Co's Sterling, Illinois facility.   David P. Jordan

I took a floating holiday Thursday in hopes of chasing Norfolk Southern local D49 to East Peoria with one of the BUGX F-7As. Alas, time spent switching Rivian Automotive, classifying inbound local D32 and building outbound D36 took all the crew's time. But I did capture, for the first time, switching operations at Rivian! I shot eight scenes, but only included four to avoid duplication. In the final scene, D49 has pulled 15 cars, all loaded except the first (at least that is how it appeared). These were shoved into a cut of 15 loads pulled earlier.  Rivian Automotive Inc.'s production has surged this year. The large number of autoracks at Good Yard and at the adjacent ramp today shows preference for rail transportation to more distant points, primarily western states. The company produced 10,020 vehicles in 4th Quarter 2022, 9,395 in 1st Quarter 2023 and 13,992 in the 2nd Quarter. Since the company fabricates much of its own components onsite, it may be logical to hope that som...