Peoria Station

The local rail scene was busy in Tuesday afternoon.  Apparently, CN runs an extra symbol, L500, in the Chicago region. Regular train L557 as already reported through Delavan a few hours ahead of the monster freight I saw this afternoon. The train was heavy with ADM/leaser covered hoppers, both loads and empties. I can only guess that there is a significant volume of traffic exchanged between Iowa Interstate and Canadian National via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, and/or rail-to-barge movements.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L500 (Chicago Region Extra, as needed) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The train stopped here so a BNSF crew could couple two units to the head end of gluten feed pellet train G-PEISMR. Next scene shows L500 moving again. After switching mains at Grove, the whole train is shown entering Pekin. CN 3122 and CN 2226 have 79 cars. I cut back the first sce...

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad's last day as a common carrier. How appropriate to capture an Iowa Interstate train running on former Rock Island track! CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. train PEDAV (Peoria IL to Davenport IA) is shown on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad passing the new (1967) Rock Island depot at Morton Street in Peoria, Illinois and then Fairholm Avenue as it enters the North Limit Yard late-afternoon Monday, March 31, 2025. Later, the train is shown at Peoria Heights on home rails. Further up the Peoria Sub, the whole train is shown twice - at San Koty and then at Mossville. All scenes are on the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, which made its final runs as a common carrier 45 years ago today! IAIS 153 has 105 potash empties for Canadian Pacific Kansas City. - David P. Jordan

I checked United Airlines website this evening and noticed United Express (SkyWest Airlines) has increased service between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare from three to four daily roundtrips. I assume this expansion was recent, perhaps this weekend.  I had feared the Denver service would mean reduction in Chicago-O'Hare service, but it seems the carrier has significantly increased capacity here.  Effective by Friday, American Eagle will be offering two daily roundtrips to Charlotte, three each to Chicago-O'Hare and Dallas/Ft. Worth, for a total of eight. United Express offers four daily roundtrips to Chicago-O'Hare and one to Denver, for a total of five. So the two regionals affiliated with "legacy" carriers now offer 13 daily roundtrips to four major hubs.  Allegiant Air offers anywhere from two to five turnarounds depending on the day of the week, linking Peoria with Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Punta Gorda year-round, De...

This is a typical occurence on Sundays. I neither get it every Sunday nor do I get a heads up every Sunday either, so I can't be sure it happens every Sunday, but it seems to do so.    The short consist is odd, but the nitrogen fertilizer solution shipping season must be slacking off, and interchange with CSX must have light, save for the usual Incobrasa traffic (which would not go west of Gilman). The 13 Incobrasa empties on today's train might be for the KJRY. Four nitrogen empties and one empty salt boxcar are for BNSF at Peoria.  CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train M-EFEP (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL) is shown Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2025. Locations are El Paso, just west of Secor (and again alongside US 24), Eureka, Cruger, Washington (and again at Ernest Street) and East Peoria. CFE 3316 and MQT 3407 have a short 18 cars (all empties). - David P. Jordan

Daily, nonstop service between Peoria and Denver has returned! At 0918 hours, SkyWest Airlines dba United Express Flight No. 5430 departed for the Rocky Mountain metropolis on Runway 22.  In September 2023, Peoria International Airport was awarded Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) funds to entice an airline to link that facility with a western hub. Denver (United), Houston (United), Phoenix (American) and Salt Lake City (Delta) were among considerations, but Denver always stood out as the most likely suitor, given Peoria's historical air service links to that city. HISTORY Ozark Air Lines obtained Peoria-Denver route authority in 1966. A stop at Sioux City, Iowa was required in each direction. Although the airline added Sioux City-Denver later that year, Peoria service would wait nearly a decade. Ozark even asked for nonstop route authority in 1971. Finally, on April 1, 1975 a single-daily roundtrip between Peoria, Sioux City and Denver began. On Seprember 1 of that y...

The local media and airport authority are touting the inaugural departure of United Express' service to Denver tomorrow morning, Sunday, March 30, 2025. But the inaugural arrival was this evening. SkyWest Airlines dba United Express Flight 4755 touched down on Runway 13 at 2032 hours.   Too dark for video or pics, but I did record a couple of highlights at and near the airport. - David