Peoria Station

Looks like TP&W runs its westbound "M-Train" from between Gilman and LaHogue on Wednesdays and Sundays for now.    I'm glad I went after it tonight. I had heard that Ruff Brothers Grain Co., which acquired the old McKey & Roegge (JBS United) elevators on the west side of Gridley in 2011, was rehabilitating an elevator track, and figured that they had purchased the old Myer Crop Center, which apparently hasn't shipped by rail since being purchased by Brandt Consolidated in 2009. I noticed seven covered hoppers spotted there for loading (eight more were at the west side elevators).  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway westbound "M-Train," sometimes called "M-EFEP" (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL), rolls by Prairie Central Coop's Greenfield rail loop just west of Chenoa, Illinois early evening Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Later, power is shown at Meadows and again at Gridley with 20 cars behind them preparing to switch R...

Friday afternoon after work, I crossed the river on I-474 and then headed toward the downtown library. I picked up barely discernible radio chatter from the TZPR St. Albans dispatcher that prompted investigation. East Peoria traffic nearly prevented me from seeing the rear of Norfolk Southern train D49 shortly after clearing the TP&W Peoria Sub at Farmdale.   And East Peoria traffic kept from from getting ahead of it.   So I backtracked to Morton and got on I-74. I caught a glance of D49 at Crandall, but my decision to get ahead of it at Goodfield was the correct one. I actually shot this video about half way between Deer Creek and Goodfield.    The second time I've seen D49 this week, I was hoping wire rod shipments from Liberty Steel & Wire would resume, but apparently, at least on Norfolk Southern (if at all). The first three covered hoppers may have contained organic grain. That a CUBX pressure-aid covered hopper and corn syrup tank car followed, ma...

The Peoria Int'l Airport handled 71,988 passengers in March 2025. That's 5 percent higher than the previous record - 68,447 in July 2019. WMBD TV-31 posted a story earlier this afternoon . Unlike most airports in downstate Illinois, Peoria airport officials provide passenger traffic data to the media. Usually, this is limited to records, but sometimes they report figures regardless. United Express' new service to Denver, which began March 30, is getting great loads, according to Gene Olson, Director of Airports. So I predict April will see excellent passenger figures whether a record or not. The article says passenger traffic has exceeded pre-COVID numbers since June 2024. Monthly records were broken in August, September, November and December. In January, another record was set, and February figures were short 500 of the record due to weather-related flight cancellations (perhaps Leap Year's extra day in 2024 was also a factor?). - David P. Jordan

Seven plastic loads and six likely granulated slag loads were from the Illinois & Midland RR. I was hoping to see wire rod loads from Liberty Steel & Wire Co, but there were none. CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 (Local, Normal IL to E. Peoria IL) is shown at N. Main Street in East Peoria, Illinois on its return leg back to Good Yard in Normal late-afternoon Wednesday, April 23, 2025. NS 6963 and NS 7035 have 21 cars (19 loads/2 empties).   - David P. Jordan 

This was probably the neatest BNSF manifest out of Peoria in awhile. Notable items in the consist include:   - Four flatcar loads of Caterpillar equipment (two D10s, with undercarriage components on separate cars) bound for Caterpillar Japan Ltd. via the ports of Tacoma, Washington and Yokohama, Japan.    - Five boxcars returning empty from Sweetener Supply Corp in Wolcott, Indiana. The first one, HKRX 6807, was on TP&W's westbound road freight to East Peoria on Wednesday (April 16). Four more - CIBX 101096, ITFX 150290, ITFX 150293 and ITFX 150345 - were the TP&W's westbound on Sunday (April 13). All are assigned to bagged salt service, probably out of Compass Minerals' Lyons, Kansas "mechanical evaporation" facility on the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO).    - Also on Sunday's westbound was BNSF 646171, a steel hopper laden with iron oxide shipped from Waelz Sustainable Products' Clymers, Indiana plant.    - Right behind the BNSF...

On a whim, I went north on Rt. 29 this evening after receiving heads up that SIPE was at Tiskilwa, and somehow missed it (probably at Henry), nearly hit a deer and finally turned back at Bureau Junction.   After dark, while going through Mossville, I caught up with it.   Not sure if this was worth it. I guess if I see the trio of EMDs on PESI on Friday it might be. There was nothing unusual behind the power except for the two twin-bay covered hoppers up front.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by the old (1900) Rock Island depot in downtown Peoria, Illinois Thursday evening, April 1, 2025. IAIS 711, IAIS 153 and IAIS 151 have 64 cars.   - David P. Jordan

While at work, I learned that a TP&W westbound was on the move, so I hoped to see it after work. I was able to capture it at Cruger and at Ernest Street just southwest of Washington. Unlike recent encounters, today's was a long train.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway westbound road freight, sometimes called "M-EFEP" (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL), rolls by the first Union Pacific-bound grain train to be loaded at Grainland Co-Op's Cruger, Illinois elevator late-afternoon Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Later, the train is seen at Ernest Street just southwest of Washington. IORY 5013, HESR 2107 and RCPE 3481 have 95 cars (the first seven were pulled from Piper City).   I was hoping to capture Iowa Interstate's next PESI. As I hoped, the two iron oxide loads that were on Sunday's TP&W westbound into East Peoria were on it. Look for the 71st and 72nd cars in the video.   A dozen scrap metal loads on the rear are also notable.   ...