Peoria Station

While out this evening, I happened upon a BNSF train of coal empties that had just crossed the river into Peoria on its way west. I caught it near Harmon Highway a little later.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train E-PEKNAM (Coal Empties, Peoria/Kincaid IL to N. Antelope Mine WY) rolls out of Peoria, Illinois early evening Sunday, May 31, 2026. BNSF 7666 and BNSF 6402 have 135 cars. BNSF 6029 is DPU. - David P. Jordan

I noticed Iowa Interstate's PESI as I crossed the river on Interstate 74, so I did not have to drive far out of town to catch up to it.    Notably, the first 17 cars are empty and the next 26 are loads. Both blocks are ADM owned/leased. At least 25 of the latter one (not sure on the GBRX car) might be from Decatur via CN. I'm guessing that ADM is sending corn screenings to Cedar Rapids "dry grind" but I can't confirm. Can't think of another reason to send loads from Decatur to IAIS via Peoria, as loads routed IAIS-Peoria-CN/NS seem to be corn germ and corn meal for Decatur.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Grant Street in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, May 30, 2026. Later, early-evening, the train is on home rails at San Koty, a few miles out of Peoria. IAIS 516 and IAIS 150 have 46 cars. Tonight's run was made up of 25 soybean loads (not sure if f...

When I learned D49 had permission to depart the Nickel Plate this afternoon, I decided to head it off at Farmdale Trestle area, got impatient and was on the wrong side of the Farmdale Road crossing in East Peoria when I saw it. I had to use I-74 to Goodfield to make sure I did not miss it again. Looks like I missed a CN monster L557 though... I can't complain. It is good to see that heavy Iowa Interstate interchange (mostly ADM) swelling consists. NS is delivering both steel coils and steel billets to IAIS, so regular loads are interchanged in both directions! Btw, when I first saw the train in East Peoria, about 1532, radio chatter mentioned D47. That train, as far as I know, has been an extra job for years. First I've heard it in awhile. With Rivian Automotive introducing the R2 model along with a new, dedicated assembly building on the main plant's east side (former test track), perhaps an afternoon job has been established to finish D49's work?  CAPTION: Norfolk ...

Had Facebook been better at allowing me to see posts from the Peoria group, I would probably have caught Norfolk Southern D49 after work. I also wish I had checked Adams Street Yard, but I assumed MPECL had already left. For the third time in a row, the train left late.  But I did get one local movement on Tuesday. I heard the chatter and encountered the train at Hilliards, so I turned around and waited for it at Wesley. The flat car loaded with leftover dunnage from wind turbine components was interesting. I missed its departure because I did not expect it to flip so soon.  CAPTION: An Illinois & Midland Railroad Powerton Roadswitcher delivered interchange to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad late-afternoon Tuesday, May 26, 2026. The train is shown at Wesley minutes before entering the East Peoria Yard. CFE 3316 and TPW 5015 have 14 cars. - David P. Jordan

I searched and can't find a prior post on this, so I'll do one now.  I found a WGLT 89.1 FM web article on CIRA's 2025 performance. It was posted on February 13 .  Director Carl Olson told WGLT's Charlie Schlenker that his facility handled about 325,000 passengers last year. This is a slight decline from 2024 (329,648) and 2023 (334,888).  But at the time of Olson's interview, CIRA's future looked bright, and that recent airline service announcements pointed to growth. He cited strong load factores in the upper 80s and lower 90s, and hoped new service for the spring of 2026 - Allegiant Air to Phoenix-Mesa, a 3rd daily Atlanta frequency on Delta Connection and new service by United Express (four daily Chicago-O'Hare roundtrips) - would keep fares down.  Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to cap Chicago-O'Hare flights from May 17 through October 23 this year will stunt CIRA's growth in 2026. It may grow, but not as much. ...

I caught a little action at Peoria Int'l Airport this evening. I arrived my spot with just seconds to spare for the Allegiant Air 737 MAX-8. The American Eagle retrojet returned, and I stayed awhile to record more action, including the MAX-8's departure. Judging by the passenger terminal parking lot, business is good at PIA! CAPTION: Five commercial airliner movements are shown at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria Int'l Airport Monday evening, May 25, 2026.  -Allegiant Air Flt 2904, Boeing 737 MAX-8 from Orlando-Sanford -SkyWest Airlines (United Express) Flt 6047, CRJ200 from Chicago-O'Hare -Envoy Airlines (American Eagle) Flt 3740, Embraer 170 to Chicago-O'Hare -PSA Airlines (American Eagle) Flt 5340, CRJ900 to Dallas/Ft. Worth -Allegiant Air Flt 2920, Boeing 737 MAX-8 to Orlando-Sanford - David P. Jordan