Keokuk Junction Railway Santa Train Schedule



- David P. Jordan

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Union Pacific Re-Routes Freight Down Peoria Subdivision 2-16-18

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Last Friday evening, Union Pacific ran an MMCPR (Manifest, Mason City IA to Proviso IL) down the Peoria Subdivision. It ran an MMTPR (Manifest, Marshalltown IA to Proviso IL) last evening and another MMCPR this Friday evening. All three were enroute to the Alton & Southern Railway's Gateway Yard in East St. Louis, which is probably where these trains' traffic ends up anyway. I caught the latter two, and just after sunset managed to capture video of the latest MMCPR rolling under BNSF's Mendota Sub near Buda. UP motors 5374-5812-2475-5494-6792-5868 had 75 cars of agricultural traffic. Train stopped briefly for dispatcher radio chatter then resumed its journey. MPECL waited at Edelstein Siding for MMCPR's passage.    Word is that Union Pacific is experiencing a traffic meltdown at Proviso Yard (near Chicago), and is detouring or re-routing many trains to unplug the mess. I doubt the problem is anywhere close to being solved so expect more such ...
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PIA - A History: Events of 1980

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To understand events of 1980, we must begin in late-1979. The completion of the Interstate 474 bypass (and Airport Road interchange) on December 20 that year expanded PIA's catchment area, but unfortunately failed to compensate for an increasingly difficult period in local aviation history.  The UAW Local 974 struck area Caterpillar Tractor Company plant on October 1, 1979, forcing a reduction in manufacturing and logistics operations. The walkout ended in mid-December but reduced corporate (and probably leisure) travel, impacting passenger traffic at the Greater Peoria Airport. On October 6, 1979 the Federal Reserve changed its monetary policy as a means to slay inflation, resulting in much higher interest rates. Already suffering from rising unemployment, the national economy plunged into recession from January to July 1980. From May 5 through June 1, Ozark Air Lines was shut down due to a mechanic's strike. As a consequence of each event noted above, PIA passenger...
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PIA - A History: Big Hollow Airport

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In the previous installment, we covered Peoria’s first airmail flights and the fact that they were flown by the soon-to-be famous Charles A. Lindbergh. Now we shift to Peoria’s next airfield, Big Hollow Airport, which was located along then-Illinois Route 30 (north of US 150 and west of Rt. 91 today). There appears to be some disagreement over when this facility opened. Bill Adams wrote in his November 26, 1990 Yesterdays column that  Big Hollow opened in the late summer of 1926 and Kellar Field was closed.   Actually, that is when construction began, but it opened on December 20. Newspaper articles alternatively call it the "Municipal Airport," "Peoria Airport" or "Airport of Peoria." The map below appeared in the Peoria Evening Star on April 24, 1927. Shoppes at Grand Prairie occupies the present location.  AN AIR SHOW AND SCHEDULE AIRLINE SERVICE The Peoria Aero Club organized an air show here on June 10, 1928. It featured stu...
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