TP&W Morton Local 2-3-25

The TP&W delivered two herbicide tank cars to Fort Transfer Company in Morton around 9:30pm last Monday, January 27. I heard the horn, but knew the train was leaving then. I would not have reached a crossing with a good street lamp in time anyway. I hoped to catch the TP&W pulling the empties. 

 

And I did. Of course, I was in East Peoria when I learned that a TP&W job was at Crandall Junction heading toward Morton engine lite. I knew BNSF's M-GALPEI was in town and hoped to catch M-PEIGAL going west. But when I was in East Peoria a little after 1530 hours, M-GALPEI was already crawling the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad yard's Long Tracks. Apparently, it had to wait awhile at Darst Street before receiving permission to enter TZPR property.

 

I snapped a couple of images of the BNSF train from Columbia Street, but knew M-PEIGAL would not leave until after dark. Then I received a notification that the TP&W was heading to Morton. Priorities. Priorities. So I got on Interstate 74 and made it to Jefferson Street just in time. 

 

After the TP&W raced back to East Peoria on Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District, I went on a wild goose chase to see Iowa Interstate DAVPE (potash loads), but missed it. Later, I heard radio chatter that it had crossed the river and stopped at Grove. A little after 1800 hours, the crew (on IAIS 519-/IAIS 153) received permission to return north engine lite. 

CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local comes into Morton, Illinois to fetch two empty herbicide tank cars from Fort Transfer Company late-afternoon Monday, February 3, 2025. IMRR 2108 and TPW 2056 do the honors on this trip. Scenes are at Jefferson Street and Nebraska Avenue in Morton, Harding Road and Tennessee Avenue at Crandall and at N. Main Street in Morton on Norfolk Southern Railway's Bloomington District, on which TP&W has trackage rights to reach its Morton Industrial Spur.

David P. Jordan