Peoria Station

Like earlier this year (February 8-9), six TZPR gondolas up front on this afternoon's KJRY local returning to Mapleton from East Peoria likely contain scrap railroad wheels for Amsted Rail's Griffin Wheel Div. at Keokuk, Iowa.    I have not been able to confirm the origin of these scrap wheel loads, but TZPR-marked gondolas confirm thart they were loaded locally, probably at Alter Metal Recycling's W. Clarke Street processing facility or Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. The TZPR's RIP facility there and two local firms which refurbish, assembly and supply railcar wheels - Alliance Wheel Services at Washington and Wheelworx North LLC at Pekin - seem likely sources for these wheels.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's "East Peoria turn" is shown on its westbound (return) leg at Cilco Lane south of Bartonville and at Mapleton early-evening Friday, April 24, 2026. LTEX 3836-3010-3837-6437 have 20 cars. Train reportedly had 12 car...

Canadian National's Peoria Sub was busy today. An empty grain train was delivered to Iowa Interstate, local L557 worked south as usual on Thursday, and a weed sprayer train ran north, entered the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at IC Junction in Pekin, turned at Wesley and headed back south to home rails this afternoon.  CAPTION: A Canadian National weed spray train is shown mid- to late-afternoon Thursday, April 23, 2026 rolling along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois. Later, it is shown on home rails at IC Junction in downtown Pekin, at 5th Street near South Pekin, and again at the intersection with Main Street in South Pekin. CN 5289, an SD40-2W, has six cars.   - David P. Jordan

After work, I learned that Norfolk Southern's D49 local had already left East Peoria. I decided to go after it, catching just before Carlock. I knew I could not set up in time there, but exited I-74 (due to construction) onto US 150 (waiting on the train in town) and just barely beating it to Yuton, where it had slowed before pausing for the conductor to line the switch into the "make up" track and into Good Yard's Track 5.    This was a good one. Three Caterpillar tractor loads (one D10 and two D11s), four coiled wire rod loads, a plastic load (from IMRR), an alcohol load and the usual ADM traffic from the Iowa Interstate. Two empty coil steel cars from IAIS, and a scrap metal empty. Two probable steel billet empties (also from IAIS), brought up the rear. CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway Train D49 (Normal IL to E. Peoria IL Turn) is shown slowing at Yuton, Illinois as it approaches its home terminal, Good Yard, in Normal late-afternoon Wednesday, April 22, 2026...

After work, I headed into town on I-474 and exited on SW Adams Street for the chance that Union Pacific's MPECL was late, as it is on occasion. Unfortunately, Adams Street Yard was empty. So I crossed the river to check out the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. While in the vicinity, I heard radio chatter about a TZPR 2133 seeking permission from Iowa Junction to East Peoria. I retraced my earlier journey on I-474 (construction on the Cedar Street Bridge would have delayed me too long), and found a train moving toward the bridge. Although a TZPR unit was on the point, all cars made it obvious that this was a TP&W train.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local, EP1, is heading toward the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge at Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, April 21, 2026. TZPR 2133 has 20 cars (most if not all are from Mapleton).   While heading for Peoria the second time, I noticed the tail end of Canadian...

I finally got the loaded CN-bound soybean train this afternoon! Boy were those units growling going through Chillicothe!  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad train ZENOE (Zeh Noh Grain, Eastbound) rolls by the former Rock Island depot at Chillicothe, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, April 18, 2026. Later, the whole train is shown at E. Knox Street in Rome. IAIS 503 and IAIS 153 have 109 soybean loads for Canadian National on TZPR's Pekin double track main.   I caught TP&W's westbound road freight at Gridley Saturday evening. I'm glad I did. There was one empty OZIX twin-bay covered hopper and a lumber load (for Morton Buildings' East Peoria Transload?) that must have come off CSX.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway westbound freight, sometimes known as "M-EFEP" (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL), pulls six grain loads from the Ruff Brothers Grain elevator on the east side of Gridley, Illinois early evening Saturday, April 18, 2026. S...

While in the area, I noticed BNSF's M-GALPEI moving on the south end of the TZPR yard. Later, it was coupled to an outbound. It eventually departed, but as thunderstorms entered the area. Amazingly, the train showed up at W. Farmington Road during a lull in showers... CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road a few miles after leaving Peoria, Illinois early-evening Friday, April 17, 2026. BNSF 4462 and NS 9901 have 45 cars.   - David P. Jordan