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Norfolk Southern D49 7-15-25

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Given the length of today's Norfolk Southern local on its return leg to Normal, it is obvious it did not run on Monday. The train's 57 cars are an interesting study. 1 GAMX 25133/tank car/liquid feed 2 ADMX 636112/covered hopper/grain product 3 ADMX 636008/covered hopper/grain product 4 NS 170173/coil care car/ L/C coil steel (empty) 5 TILX 642137/covered hopper/grain product 6 ADMX 64252/covered hopper/grain product 7 CTCX 730860/tank car/denatured alcohol 8 TILX 20052/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 9 TILX 402459/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 10 TILX 402161/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 11 MWCX 481003/covered hopper/grain product 12 ADMX 635975/covered hopper/grain product 13 TILX 641597/covered hopper/grain product 14 ITFX 650041/covered hopper/grain product 15 TILX 194307/tank car/industrial alcohol 16 UTLX 209299/tank car/industrial alcohol 17 MBKX 190038/covered hopper/grain product 18 TILX 642177/covered hopper/grain product 19 MWC...
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United Express to Add 5th PIA-ORD frequency!

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Videocapture shows a United Express CRJ200 on final approach to PIA on July 22, 2023 United Airlines' United Express regional partners will be offering five daily roundtrips between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare on August 20! At present, four roundtrips are operated daily by SkyWest Airlines using 50-seat CRJ200 equipment. A fifth departure begans the evening of August 19 with a full schedule the next day. Three of the roundtrips, will be operated by CRJ550 equipment, which is a CRJ700 modified with a premium cabin configuration, but with 50 seats.  Two of the CRJ550 cycles will be operated by GoJet Airlines, the other by SkyWest Airlines. And it gets more interesting. The schedule prior to the expansion in frequency calls for the following -  Dep. 6:15am to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 10:19am from Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Dep. 11:00am to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 3:03pm from Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Dep. 1539pm to Chicago-O'Hare CRJ200 Arr. 4:43pm from Chicago-O'...
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Peoria Int'l Airport Air Service Detail & Analysis - July 2025

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It is time for my annual update on local airline service.  A summer month is best for this update. I used July for 2024's update, and I have every reason to do so again this year. Barring last minute changes, the schedules and route map below are accurate. So let us delve into the present situation.  ALLEGIANT AIR Like last year, schedules for July 2025 show most flights operated with Airbus A320 equipment. They do not discern between 177-seat A320s or brand-new 186-seat A320SEOs. Smaller A319s, configured for 156 seats, are now only used on some Las Vegas and Punta Gorda flights. Brand new Boeing 737 Max 8-200 aircraft began appearing on St. Petersburg/Clearwater nonstops as early as February 2025 and are now also used on Orlando-Sanford nonstops. These aircraft are equipped with 190 seats.  Seasonal nonstops to Destin/Fort Walton Beach and year-round nonstops to Phoenix-Mesa and Punta Gorda have gained one weekly roundtrip each as compared to last year. So there are now...
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TP&W EP2 Light Engine 7-11-25

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I usually don't pay much attention to light engine movements, unless it is rare (Morton) or something special like four units moving all elephant-style.  CAPTION: The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway's EP2 crew ran TPW 2056, IORY 3472, TPW 5013 and TPW 2105 engine light to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Creve Coeur diesel shop late-afternoon Friday, July 11, 2025. They are shown moments before crossing W. Washington Street and entering the Nickel Plate Division at East Peoria. - David P. Jordan
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Iowa Interstate SIPE 7-10-25

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Due to working a lot of overtime last month, I missed some local action, including some Iowa Interstate trains. My last encounter was on May 24 when I saw both SIPE and PESI trains.    Today's SIPE was made up of mostly ADM grain products (DDGS, or "mash") out of Cedar Rapids, but also an empty industrial alcohol tank car and three empty STSX corn syrup tank cars, which are owned by Primient (formerly Tate & Lyle Americas, nee A. E. Staley Mfg. Co.). I can only guess they were used by ADM out of Cedar Rapids and may now be returning to their owner at Decatur, Illinois. CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Mossville, Illinois early evening Thursday, July 10, 2025. Shortly, the train is shown at San Koty, a few miles from entering Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property. IAIS 151 and IAIS 716 have 55 cars.   - David P. Jordan
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Norfolk Southern D49 7-8-25

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It took long enough for Liberty Steel & Wire to begin shipping coiled wire rod by rail. Workers were recalled to both the steel and rod mills and wire mills in March. Maybe regular rod traffic will prompt NS to improve service on the Bloomington District? My last encounter with a D49 handling coiled wire rod was slightly more than a year ago, on July 1, 2024!    I heard two weeks ago that Norfolk Southern did not run a D36 (Normal to Decatur) for three days in a row! Decatur's yard has been a mess for years now, and crew shortages continue. In the past, Norfolk Southern has bounced back from either a self-inflicted traffic meltdown (post Conrail split in 1999) or loss of business due to recession (2008-2009), but business seems to have stagnated and then dropped off the past six years.   Although D49 is carded to run Monday thru Friday, an East Peoria turn may happen at most three times a week. Unpredictable service, higher pricing, and lack of crews to run trains...
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Union Pacific MPECL 7-8-25

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I was able to capture Union Pacific's MPECL early this afternoon.    The long cut of tank cars look like what I saw on the Low Line since last Thursday. Friday's train had only four cars, so perhaps they mostly empties for today's run? Basic make-up:   SIX corn syrup empties THREE industrial alcohol (UN 1170) loads TWO steepwater loads ONE denatured alcohol (UN 1987) load ONE industrial alcohol (UN 1170) load ONE plastic pellet empty THREE corn syrup empties ONE corn gluten meal/feed/DDGS? load THREE plastic pellet empties  ONE scrap metal empty ONE beverage alcohol (UN 3065) load THREE corn syrup empties  ONE industrial alcohol (UN 1170) load ONE beverage alcohol (UN 3065) load ONE corn gluten meal/feed/DDGS load? ONE plastic pellet empty TWO beverage alcohol (UN 3065) loads TWENTY-NINE trona (dry sorbent) empties THIRTEEN grain product empties   Origins are Alto Ingredients, BioUrja Renewables, Alter Metal Recycling/Liberty Steel ...
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