Peoria Station

Shorter days of October mean fewer encounters with local rail action, but I have come across two trains, four days apart, in the same location in East Peoria.    Sunday afternoon, I was driving eastbound Interstate 74 when I encountered an empty Union Pacific grain train (with TP&W crew). On Thursday afternoon, I exited eastbound Interstate 74 onto southbound N. Main Street when I heard a locomotive horn and saw the flashers activitate. Fortunately, I was able to turn left after the train cleared and shot video the same place I did the TP&W-UP train on Sunday. CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway East Peoria Switcher (EP3?) rolls by E. Washington Street shortly before entering the yard late-afternoon Thursday, October 10, 2024. TZPR 2133 has six cars there were picked up at Collier Yard in Bartonville. - David P. Jordan

Bartlett Grain Co. LP's Bureau County facility will be similar to its Canadian Pacific Kansas City-served South Jacksonville, Illinois facility, shown May 2, 2020.  Bartlett Grain Co. LP is planning to build a $50 million grain loading facility in Bureau County, Illinois. Media reports here and here  tells us Bartlett Grain will build on 155 acres east of Rt. 40 and north of Interstate 80 between County Roads 1700 and 1745 East. The complex, complete with a rail loop capable of loading up to 120 cars, will employ 25 to 30.  Rail service will be provided by the Union Pacific on its Peoria Subdivision, which runs from Nelson south to Barr. Grain will be shipped to Mexico.  - David P. Jordan

The weather was nice but windy Sunday afternoon as I parked along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision.    The first train to show, an eastbound, was primarily intermodal but with a block of autoracks on the rear. The second, also eastbound, had seven reefers mid-train. I like that kind of variety. After a third eastbound, I moved from North Rice Road to Princeville to check for activity at the Seneca Foods plant (one boxcar on spot, two empties "constructively placed" on the siding). No sooner did the fourth eastbound cleared the crossing did a westbound show its face. After another westbound, I headed for home, and another adventure... Train symbols in order are: S-CLOLPC1-04A (Port Stack Intermodal, Clovis NM to Logistics Park Center IL) Z-STOWSP7 (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Stockton CA to Willow Springs IL) Z-PHXWSP8-04A (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Phoenix AZ to Willow Springs IL) Z-LACWSP4-04U (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Los Angeles/Hobart CA to Willow Springs IL)

Late-Saturday morning, I headed for the downtown library but got delayed. Driving on I-74, I glanced toward the TP&W's East Peoria Yard and found a TZPR switch crew building a cut for a return run to their home yard. Short train but no less interesting encounter.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew pulls a transfer from sister Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway toward the East Peoria Yard midday Saturday, October 5, 2024. TZPR 1521 has 12 cars. Later, I found an empty BNSF coal train crossing the river. As I followed it out of town, I learned that a second train would follow, so I stuck around the south end rather than return to the library.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train E-PEKNAM (Coal Empties, Peoria/Kincaid IL to N. Antelope Mine WY) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, October 5, 2024. Later, the whole train is shown at W. Farmington Road. Coal empties came from the Kincaid Powe

After three misses, I actually got Union Pacific's MPECL today.   I did something different, and photographed the train from the SW Adams Street viaduct. The crew apparently went on duty late due to maintenance-of-way activity north of town, so the scene at W. Farmington Road was shortly after 1800 hours.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) is first shown in a still from the SW Adams Street bridge on Peoria, Illinois' far south edge late-afternoon Friday, October 4, 2024. By early evening, the train rolls by W. Farmington Road and then crests the top of Pioneer Hill. UP 6258 has 34 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I would have stayed home this afternoon, but got a heads up that the southbound signal at Edelstein was green. I had hopes for an early MCLPE, but alas it was a Powerton-bound coal train. I should be happy, because those have perhaps four years left.  CAPTION: A southbound Union Pacific coal train rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, October 2, 2024. UP 5523 and UP 5562 have 135 loads for the Illinois & Midland Railroad at Crescent for delivery to NRG Energy's Powerton Station. UP 5572 is DPU.   - David P. Jordan