Peoria Station

I saw something unusual this afternoon.  I decided to check if Union Pacific was running MPECL a third Sunday afternoon in a row. When I came down W. Farmington Road hill from the west, the gates were lowering! So I decided to head south to the old Molitor Junction area just south of Harman Highway to wait. My hoped for MPECL turned out to be a 133-car train of coal empties led by a single locomotive.  I assume this was a trainset bound for storage. I know it crossed the river, possibly for interchange to the Illinois & Midland RR at Crescent/Powerton, or South Pekin to be taken south by another crew, or storage there temporarily. Wish I knew.  CAPTION: An southbound empty Union Pacific coal train rolls by Milepost 80 at Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Sunday, March 31, 2024. UP 7375 has 133 cars.   David P. Jordan

My first attempt was a little clumsy. Breeze Airways, an Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC), began serving Springfield in early December with twice-weekly nonstops to both Orlando and Tampa. I had to wait nearly four months to see the action. That's because initial service was on weekday mornings. Orlando flights started on Mondays and Fridays but shifted to Wednesdays and Saturdays in mid-January. This gave me hope, but freezing weather or fog thwarted my plans into February.  Then the schedule for Orlando turnarounds switched to evenings. I had to wait until Daylight Savings Time went into affect March 10 before sufficient sunshine would be available.  I got down there too late to capture an American Eagle CRJ200 on approach to Runway 22, and though the Breeze Airways jet might follow the same approach. It was too late to change locations when I discovered it was on final for Runway 31.  Whatever happened afterward required some creativity. Next time, I will do better. ...

Ask a question on transportation and industry. As always, if I don't know the answer, I'll find one. As a much-needed update, I said to look for PIA - A History: Events of 2003, but decided to wait until I've obtained airline schedules for this period. If I can do so, look for the post in May or June.  - David P. Jordan

Today's train left later than usual. In fact, it departed Adams Street Yard before the crewed radioed the dispatcher. When I saw it moving around 1630, I drove to W. Farmington Road to wait for it. In the back of mind, I wondered if the train was only moving to switch out a car.  Fortunately, this wasn't the case, and MPECL received the green signal around 1645, passing my location at 1702. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, March 29, 2024. UP 7099 and UP 8950 have 51 cars. - David P. Jordan

Enroute to the downtown library this afternoon, I picked up some radio chatter on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad yard channel. I couldn't make out much of what was said, so I had to investigate. Turns out, the Keokuk Junction Railways East Peoria turn was building its outbound train in the East Peoria Yard. I went ahead to the library, but left a little early, figuring I could shoot video of it after pulling Union Pacific interchange at Collier Yard.  I should have left earlier for that, because I found the train crossing Cilco Lane at Sommer. Notably, the train had 19 boxcars dominating a 26-car pickup from UP.  The train headed west a short time later, reported going through Canton at 2050 hours.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's Mapleton-E. Peoria Turn is shown  on its return leg at the Route 9 crossing near Hollis, Illinois early-evening Wednesday, March 27, 2024. A short time later, it is shown at Kolbe (Mapleton) where it stops for switching before h...

Late afternoon last Sunday, I noticed Union Pacific's MCLPE switching its train into Adams Street Yard. I've seen or heard of an early trip happening for this train in recent months. Normally, it is called at Clinton late Sunday PM and runs overnight, arriving at Adams Street before sunrise. Now if a Decatur coal train has to get through, MCLPE ties up at Edelstein. In that case, the LPD01 crewbrings it in later in the day.  So I wondered if I could catch MCLPE this Sunday afternoon. Sure enough, an empty northbound coal train pulled into Edelstein Siding to await passage of a southbound... CAPTION: An empty northbound coal train enters Edelstein Siding late-afternoon Sunday, March 24, 2024. UP 6649 and UP 5658 have 118 cars. UP 5364 is DPU. This train will wait for the passage of MCLPE, which came by shortly. ...which happened to be MCLPE. I caught it at the Oertly Road crossing and again off Kickapoo Creek Road by the Harman Highway overpass. I don't know if this is a ne...

I had to work today, so I missed another TP&W M-EFEP moving in great afternoon light. But I did manage to capture an Iowa Interstate SIPE, having a heads up that it was coming.  I left the downtown library early, drove up Rt. 29 and encountered the train before Mossville. Consist had the usual distillers dried grain loads and alcohol empties.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by the old San Koty Station area near Peoria Heights, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, March 23, 2024. By early evening, it enters the North Limit Yard and the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad. IAIS 508 and IAIS 708 have 47 cars.   - David P. Jordan