BNSF M-GALPEI/M-PEIGAL, BioUrja Industrial Job, TZPR Local 8-17-24

This morning, not long after I woke up, I received a heads up that BNSF's M-GALPEI was getting close to Peoria. 

The regular train ran (along with M-PEIGAL) on Thursday afternoon/evening, so this would be a THIRD cycle for the week. 

This seems to have become a regular occurrence on Saturdays, though I'm unsure if it is due to seasonal volume (TP&W-bound nitrogen fertilizer solution traffic is in its heavy season again) or if BNSF has decided to make three weekly cycles year-round. I assume the former, but wish for the latter...


CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls through Pottstown, Illinois late-morning Saturday, August 17, 2024. Later, the train approaches yard limits at Peoria, and then enters the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad for the trip across the river to the East Peoria Yard. BNSF 6503 and BNSF 8372 have 40 cars. The regular M-GALPEI/M-PEIGAL flip ran Thursday, so this one is a third cycle for the week!
 
I returned to Peoria in the afternoon in time to catch M-PEIGAL depart. Short train, but that's okay. 


CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge mid-afternoon Saturday, August 17, 2024. BNSF 8372 and BNSF 6503 have 18 cars (11 loads, 7 empties).
 
Before M-PEIGAL departed, a BioUrja Renewables LLC crew ran ADMX 932 engine lite across the TZPR main at Bridge Junction to fetch 15 corn loads just delivered by TP&W. After M-PEIGAL cleared the crossing, the ADMX 932 pulled these cars uptown to the distillery grain dump. 


CAPTION: A BioUrja Renewables LLC crew works at the South Yard in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, August 17, 2024. ADMX 932, formerly belonging to ADM Transportation Co., pulls 15 corn loads recently delivered by TP&W to the distillery uptown.
 
I had missed the TP&W train shove out of South Yard with empties (also 15, I think) because I was waiting for a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad job, probably Lead 2, coming out of Kickapoo Yard. 

I realized too late, they wanted enter BioUrja's Riverside Track and run through the South Yard to switch Seneca Petroleum, to which it delivered loads and pulled empties. 

After the BioUrja industrial job cleared, the TZPR job shoved out and onto home rails, and then crossed the river. 


CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, probably Lead 2, shoves out of BioUrja South Yard in Peoria, IL mid-afternoon Saturday, August 17, 2024. TZPR 1351 and TZPR 1352 have 14 cars. Enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria, the train had earlier pulled onto BioUrja's Riverside Track so it could switch Seneca Petroleum Co.'s asphalt terminal at the South Yard's other end.
 
David P. Jordan

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