Peoria Station

It is good to see blocks of ADM covered hoppers still moving in the warm weather months. Some of you may recall that shortly after the Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) implemented scheduled SIPE and PESI trains three cycles per week just after Labor Day in 2022, this business suddenly vanished. The newly scheduled freights were abolished after just a few weeks and replaced by as-needed extras.  The Cedar Rapids and Clinton, Iowa (CP) feed pellet traffic returned this past winter as usual, and it appears the year-round mash/DDG business that vanished last September is back!  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by the old San Koty station area a few miles from Peoria, Illinois early evening Wednesday, May 31, 2023. IAIS 515 has 68 cars for the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at East Peoria. - David P. Jordan  

Despite the holiday, Union Pacific's MCLPE came into Adams Street Yard as usual, or at least it was there on Monday afternoon (normally, it arrives before the LDP01 goes on duty at 0800 hours). The local job didn't run Monday so I figured they'd classify MCLPE, work the TZPR, TP&W and KJRY interchanges and build MPECL in time for its regular Tuesday run.  I was correct, but as late as 1630 hours today, it didn't appear that a crew was aboard. Instead, I waited at W. Farmington Road for a BNSF feed train which CN brought into town Monday afternoon, complete with BNSF power. I should have stayed there or checked Adams Street Yard again, as I would have caught MPECL.  I shot the BNSF feed train around 1700 hours. The UP train likely passed by there around 1745 hours. The train had a block of loaded ADM covered hoppers, something unusual which would have been nice to see. Having just one unit (UP 8387), some cars were left behind, so Friday's train should be rather ...

Today's Norfolk Southern local D36 out of Bloomington/Normal had mostly D49 traffic. Seven soybean meal empties on the head end will be set out for DuPont at Gibson City. The CRDX car was an organic corn load pulled from The Andersons facility at Mansfield. Notable traffic from Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard includes corn syrup. gluten meal and scrap metal from the Keokuk Junction Railway, plastic pellets and granulated slag from the Illinois & Midland Railroad, a Komatsu truck chassis, alcohol from BioUrja and/or Alto Pekin LLC or Alto ICP, and carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid from Messer's Pekin facility. Nine loaded autoracks on the rear contained Rivian vehicles assembled at the Normal plant. Such shipments appear to be frequent these days, thanks to significantly higher production levels this year. Present volume isn't what Mitsubishi generated but Rivian expects expects to build 50,000 vehicles in 2023 (double 2022 levels). In 2024 it inte...

I had to work two hours overtime but caught the KJRY on its return run back to Kolbe early this evening. The eastbound arrived Kolbe just after midnight. They may run west to LaHarpe Thursday and perhaps back east Friday before this holiday weekend.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria Turn is shown early evening Wednesday, May 24, 2023 just south of Bartonville, Illinois on its return leg to Kolbe. LTEX 3848, PREX 2003 and LTEX 6437 have 22 cars. - David P. Jordan 

Zinc oxide traffic from TP&W-served Waelz Sustainable Products' Clymers, Indiana plant seems to have dried up or been diverted to another route (Watseka?) for the time being.  MPECL had two of these cars on April 18, seven on April 21, none on April 28, May 5, May 9, one on May 12, and none on May 16 or today (I missed the April 25, May 2 and May 19 trains).  Since last summer, they were almost always part of the consist. Covered hoppers carry SRIX and SIRX markings. Hopefully, this lull is temporary.  CAPTION:   Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) enters the double track at Pottstown, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, May 23, 2023. UP 5682 and UP 8557 have 79 cars. - David P. Jordan

After church, I checked the progress of industry track and siding realignment in Princeville. The contractor must have been working (if at all) on the west end, as there has been no progress by the road crossing for the past month or so. I happened to be there when an eastbound stack train roared by... CAPTION: An eastbound BNSF Railway stack train roars by Princeville, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, May 21, 2023. BNSF 6772, BNSF 4635 and BNSF 6946 were on the point. BNSF 6812 and BNSF 4988 were DPUs. Shortly after shooting the BNSF stack train, I learned that a TP&W-BNSF grain shuttle had departed Cruger for East Peoria. I made it to Ernest Street in Washington with just a few minutes to spare! CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway crew drags a BNSF grain shuttle by Ernest Street in Washington, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, May 21, 2023. BNSF 7032, FXE 4088 and BNSF 3705 were on the point. Train was loaded by Grainland Coop at Cruger.  - David P. Jordan 

Just before leaving work this afternoon, I found out that an Iowa Interstate freight had received permission to leave the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. So I intended to drive up I-74, turn right on NE Adams and head north on Rt. 29 until I caught up to it.  But I heard "Pottstown" on my scanner, and I realized I had a chance to see Union Pacific's MPECL train like I usually do on Friday.  I never found the UP train, so I went into town, decided it best to use I-74 and Route 6 to get north as fast as possible. Sure enough, as I waited to turn left onto Rt. 29, I saw the headlight of an approaching train!  I didn't think my first attempt at video in Mossville was completely satisfactory, so I did it again (this time with my phone) at Rome. I simply combined both videos, raw and unedited. I like the Rome one best, but both are good.  While most of today's PESI was made up of distillers' dried grain (mash) empties, there were quite a few s...