Peoria Station

I would have missed it entirely if it hadn't stopped at Akron Services to pull an empty anhydrous ammonia tank car! Looks like Union Pacific train MPECL left Peoria early so they could get out of the way of a loaded Decatur-bound coal train parked at Edelstein. Reportedly, Canadian National is bringing an empty coal train from Decatur for UP this evening.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) pulls an empty anhydrous ammonia tank car from Akron Services Inc's facility at Akron just north of Dunlap, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, June 30, 2023. UP 7815 left Adams Street Yard in Peoria with 41 cars.    - David P. Jordan

The Iowa Interstate brought an SIPE train into the area early this afternoon and parked it on Main 2 of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track along Wesley Road.  A relief crew, I assume, boarded the train's power (715 and 500), ran to Grove so they could cross over to Main 1 and head up to the East Peoria Yard and grab a 29-car PESI.  I saw PESI downtown while driving I-74.  I caught up to it at the North Limit Yard and shot video of it running by the Illinois Valley Yacht Club and the San Koty area.  The last seven cars were loaded, possibly with distillers' mash from BioUrja's Peoria distillery bound for eastern connections at Chicago, or perhaps an odd movement from Decatur to Cedar Rapids. ADM owned or leased equipment could be used for either one.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls by the Illinois Valley Yacht Club early evening Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Minutes later, it passes the old San Kot...

I left the CIncinnati, Ohio area (Florence, KY actually) early this morning, stopping to photograph the inbound Central RR of Indiana (CIND) autorack train that stopped short of Valley Junction, Ohio after coming from Honda's Greensburg, Indiana assembly plant, probably overnight.  It wasn't moving, but at least I got it after a few failed attempts. So I was tired when I arrived back home in mid-afternoon, but managed to capture the Union Pacific freight today! It is good to see zinc oxide traffic from the TP&W still moving on MPECL. Today's train had seven loads.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls across W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, June 27, 2023. UP 8806 has 42 cars. - David P. Jordan 

I took today off, and contemplated how to spend it. As events unfolded Thursday, I decided to stay in the area...well almost. First, I checked Good Yard in Normal for any sign of Norfolk Southern local D49. Lately, it seems this train is spending more days of the week pulling loads and spotting empties at Rivian Automotive Inc's adjacent ramp. This means that the East Peoria run is put off until later. But not today. When I arrived, I found D36 made up and parked on the Rivian ramp "balloon" track. No power was in sight. Then, my scanner picked up radio chatter. Moments later, I saw inbound train D32 stopped across College Avenue with NS 3228 and NS 3410 and about 15 cars. I quckly assumed that D49's crew had to pull it in, as D32 usually arrives well before sunrise. Activity died off as soon as the train pulled into and stopped in the yard, so I headed back to Peoria.  As I exited I-74 onto East Washington Street, I caught the tail end of a train which looked suspici...

Even with the long summer days, I can still miss train movements. BNSF's M-GALPEI came into town in late-morning with  BNSF 1766 and BNSF 2922 and a healthy train, including scrap metal loads (like Monday's train, which I also missed) and salt boxcars for the TP&W. Tonight, three motors that likely came off an empty feed train (X-SMRPEI) were added to the other two and after 7:00pm, a crew went into Track A-15 to begin building M-PEIGAL. They still had to double over and pull from A-14 as well. But it wouldn't leave until well after dark... Oh well, I got something!  This cut of cars that was left on Main No. 2 at Wesley came from the TP&W. It included empty salt boxcars and empty nitrogen tank cars fro BNSF. Most if not all of the Incobrasa covered hoppers were loaded, so they're probably for BNSF as well. But zinc oxide loads are for Union Pacific, with which TP&W interchanges directly at Collier Yard in Bartonville. There were sme Mapleton cars on it as w...

I rushed into town this afternoon after work because I figured Union Pacific MPECL was going to be a decent-sized train, including that boxcar traffic from the Keokuk Junction Railway.  Boy was it! When I swung by Adams Street Yard, the train was strung out onto the Low Line from one end of the yard to well west of the SW Adams Street/US 24 viaduct. I waited and waited, but not activity. But I heard the CN local get permission to depart East Peoria so I crossed the river and found it leaving the yard. I shot this video at Hilliards. today's train had a decent mix of covered hoppers, tank cars and gondolas.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track Pekin mainline at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, June 20, 2023. CN 8892, CN 5799 and UP 7637 have 36 cars.   I had to wait until almost 1930 hours for the Union Pacific freight to leave. After bidding adieu...

After working two hours overtime, I went into town hoping to catch a Iowa Interstate train SIPE. I learned this train departed Silvis shortly after noon today. I figured it would be in town around the time I left work (5:00pm). Turns out, I had plenty of time as I encountered it in downtown Peoria a little after 6:00pm.  SIPE had 25 soybean loads blocked on the head end, followed by four potash loads. The soybeans are going to Gilman, Illinois via TP&W. The potash cars might be going to TP&W as well. Two alcohol empties and six coil steel empties sprinkle a train made up mostly of ADM distillers' mash loads (and possible corn screenings, germ, etc. mixed in). The 18 covered hoppers on the rear (after the steel coil empties) are probably from a western Iowa ethanol plant.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) is first shown early-evening Wednesday, June 14, 2023, running on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (TZPR) by the "old" ...