Peoria Station

After work, I headed to Adams Street Yard and found Union Pacific's MPECL on the Low Line main. I didn't see a crew though. The LPD01 job reportedly worked later than usual today, hence MPECL got called at a later time than usual. It finally left a little before 6:00pm. More on that later.  As I parked at a nearby lot to wait for signs of life on MPECL, BNSF's M-PEIGAL rolls by, so I got ahead of it in the old Molitor Junction area and shot this video around 4:00pm.  BNSF 3196 and HLCX 3889 have 51 cars (21 loads, 30 empties). Note four Komatsu truck chassis loads.  I decided to return to Adams Street to see if the Union Pacific train showed signs of leaving soon. It didn't, so I spent a little time at the downtown library.  Enroute to my parent's home (the reason I head out on Tuesday), I caught radio chatter on the UP channel and when I crossed the tracks at West Farmington Road a few minutes before 6:00pm, I found the signal lit green. I only waited a few minutes...

I stepped out of the downtown Peoria library and heard a distant horn. Naturally, I had to investigate... I first got lunch then chased Iowa Interstate manifest PESI to Mossville, Illinois. Today's train was a monster. IAIS 518 and IAIS 506 have 129 cars (14 loads, 115 empties). Alcohol and coil steel make up most of the loads. There appears to be an odd, loaded CRGX (Cargill) marked tank car as well. It seems soybean oil could be shipped back north for some reason? - David P. Jordan

The Keokuk Junction Railway local was reported at Bartonville at 5:00 this afternoon. When I left the downtown library, I decided to check it out, and found it after 6:00 having just finished making a set out at Collier Yard. The crew received permission from TZPR to make the run to East Peoria, noting a restriction on handling empty cars due to a wind advisory in effect until 7:30. Of course, they wouldn't leave East Peoria with the mostly (or all) empty train.  CEFX 2014 and CEFX 2022 have 24 cars. The 5th through 7th cars are loaded ALAB-marked covered hoppers, which I hope contain corn germ consigned to ADM's West Plant in Decatur. I understand that earlier this year, corn germ was being trucked from Keokuk! I had hoped this was a temporary situation due to unknown (to me) issues. Volume is something like 900 or so carloads per year, so that would be a huge blow to KJRY to lose this business.  Also of note, the 9th and 10th cars are probably loaded with organic grain shipp...

On my way home from the downtown library early this evening, I came across a TP&W crew building a train at East Peoria for Collier Yard in Bartonville. TZPR 2133 and HESR 3485 had 55 cars of traffic for Union Pacific, Vistra Energy's Edwards Power Station and Mapleton industries.  Scenes are on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at East Peoria (W. Washington Street) and Peoria (crossing the Illinois River and also approaching Krause Avenue and Darst Street).  Union Pacific is getting more of those potash empties being routed back to Bethune, Saskatchewan. Two TP&W-marked cyclindrical covered hoppers on the rear were loaded. An earlier Union Pacific MPECL had them as well, but until tonight, I wasn't sure if they originated dry fertilizer (urea?) from Growmark's Mapleton Terminal or organic grain from Forrest Elevator & Supply Co. at Forrest, Illinois. I now believe they come from the latter. Both represent new traffic on the Union Pacific as well as interchange ...

Adams Street Yard was empty when I drove by, but moments later I heard the crew talking to the dispatcher. Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by Milepost 80 just before 4:00pm this afternoon. UP 5632 has just 14 cars. Looks like Union Pacific merchandise traffic on its Peoria Sub has gone from one extreme (longer trains than usual) to the other (shorter than usual). The temporary surge in corn syrup traffic coming off the Keokuk Junction Railway has apparently ended, and it appears there were no dry sorbent empties from the Illinois & Midland.  - David P. Jordan

I learned that Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE arrived East Peoria before sunrise Sunday so I knew there was a chance PESI would depart in late-morning. I was correct. PESI is shown in several locations between Peoria and Mossville. There are three scenes on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (West Yard, RI Morton St. Depot, Limit Yard) and Iowa Interstate (Peoria Heights and Mossville). IAIS 504 and IAIS 507 have just 30 cars - three loads (tank cars) and 27 empties. The tank cars were carrying a non-hazardous material. One had CRGX (Cargill) markings, so it is possible that soybean oil is being shipped back north.  I'm also starting to wonder what happened to the ADM grain mash business. For a long time, this traffic out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa moved almost year-round. It seems to have dried up the past week or two.  - David P. Jordan

I learned that Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) was called for 1100 this morning and correctly calculated that it would be in Peoria by mid-afternoon. I was driving I-74 westbound when I heard the crew release its track warrant from Bureau Junction to the North Limit Yard in Peoria. So with the sun directly lined up with the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad mainline along the downtown rivefront, I decided to capture it at Persimmon Street, where it jogs a bit to enter the West Yard. Video shows it polishes TZPR's rusty rails late this afternoon. IAIS 515 has just 29 cars. - David P. Jordan