Peoria Station

I awoke earlier than usual this morning, and was glad that I did.   I thought I heard a faint horn sound to the northeast, which made me think a Morton-bound TP&W local was in the Crandall Junction area. So I left my house and headed in that direction. When I crossed Harding Road, I saw the train in the distance, shoving my way!   (Usually, I hear the train at Jefferson Street when it is leaving town.)   As usual, the crew delivered another liquid herbicide load to Fort Transfer Company. Today's encounter was routine until the TP&W power departed engine lite. Crossing Jefferson Street, a driver in a Toyota pickup ignore the flashers and passed right in front of TPW 3440, with a mere split second to spare!  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western East Peoria Extra switch crew shoves along the Morton Industrial Spur Sunday morning, September 29, 2024. Note at 4:05 as the power crosses Jefferson Street, a Toyota clears with but a split second to spare! T...

I went to Bloomington this afternoon to catch the A&S twins (2205 and 2204) on Union Pacific's MBNAS. It took the crew awhile to build its rather lengthy (81 cars) train. As soon as it cleared B-N Target, the signal indication changed to green for Norfolk Southern Train D36. I hsd not bothered to capture any video or stills of MBNAS prior to D36's passage, so I drove down I-55 to Atlanta. The train raced by me just minutes later.    Train make up included three [probably loaded] potash covered hoppers and three empty denatured alcohol tank cars for the Bloomer Line at Gibson City, ten autoracks loaded with Rivian vehicles, 27 cars from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (eleven corn germ/grain product, nine corn syrup/sorbitol and one scrap metal load) and ten empty gondolas moving to/from storage.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Train D36 (Local, Normal IL to Decatur IL) crosses W. Washington Street in Bloomington, Illinois' west side early evening Thursday, Septembe...

Before heading to the downtown library, I intended to intercept an eastbound BNSF coal train. A friend called me around 1100 to tell me it was just leaving Galesburg, so I calculated it might appear in the area by 1300.  On my way up there, I caught a Union Pacific coal train just south of Farmington Road, turned around and waited at Cilco Lane south of Bartonville once I confirmed it to be a Powerton train (a Decatur-bound coal train would enter the Low Line at Peoria Junction). Although skies remained blue to the north and east, a cloud bank blocked the sun before just prior to the train's arrival.  CAPTION: A Powerton-bound Union Pacific coal train rolls by Cilco Lane at Sommer, Illinois midday Saturday, September 21, 2024. UP 5523 and UP 5562 have 135 loads. UP 6572 is DPU. After the Union Pacific coal train had passed, I headed toward Peoria and then west on Route 8. I encountered the BNSF train at Edwards a little after 1230, earlier than expected. I'm assuming the cr...

I drove by Adams Street Yard around 3:30 this afternoon to find Union Pacific train MPECL sitting in the yard. I had already heard some radio chatter (static, nothing audible) set to the UP channel, so I knew the crew was communicating.  Turns out, they were having trouble logging in to the PTC system, getting times out on several tries. Finally, they got it. The train finally departed and rolls by W. Farmington Road just before 5:00pm.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road late-afternoon Friday, September 20, 2024 shortly after leaving Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois. UP 2681 has 21 cars. - David P. Jordan

This afternoon's encounter was quick, which I like.   I drove by Adams Street Yard at 3:30pm and noticed it was empty. But I had been hearing chatter on the Union Pacific Peoria Sub channel for a few minutes already, and suspected MPECL was at Peoria Junction waiting for dispatcher's instructions. Sure enough, the green signal indication at W. Farmington Road confirmed my suspicion, so I waited. Minutes later, the gates and flashers activated and MPECL rolled by my position.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls aby W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, September 17, 2024. UP 2681 has 39 cars. - David P. Jordan

Sunday's PESI met SIPE at Bureau Junction in the evening. SIPE had 153 and 715, and NS 3022 from Des Moines enroute back to NS for its 92-day inspection. So we had a second PESI in as many days on Monday.    CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) is shown at several locations along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, September 16, 2024. The whole train is shown at San Koty on home rails. IAIS 153 and IAIS 715 have 62 cars.   - David P. Jordan

This morning, I learned that Iowa Interstate's PESI was in town with IAIS 507. So I checked it out and saw the train string out on East Peoria Yard track A-41 and out onto the West Lead. But 507 was not yet on the point (it was on the Creve Coeur Team Track).   After church, I headed toward Rt. 29 and drove south toward Peoria in case the Iowa Interstate's PESI train. I did not yet see it, but when I arrived the Bridge Junction area, a TP&W local crossed the river on its way to Collier Yard (or Mapleton). All cars appeared to be for Mapleton industries.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local, probably an EPX, crosses the Illinois River into Peoria, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, September 15, 2014. Shortly, it rolls by S. Darst Street. The train stopped short of the BNSF switch so the conductor could line it for continued movement along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Kickapoo Main. TZPR 2133 has 15 cars.   In mid-afternoon, I returned to East ...