Peoria Station

As usual, I only heard the horn as these units blew across W. Jefferson Street heading out of town. Just one tank car, UTLX 671525, was left for Fort Transfer Company.  CAPTION: Saturday morning, March 8, 2025, a TP&W local crew out of East Peoria, Illinois ran down Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District to Crandall Junction and thence the Morton Industrial Spur to deliver a tank car to Fort Transfer Company. Video shows TPW 2056 and TPW 5008 returning engine lite. - David P. Jordan

Just before leaving work this afternoon, I learned that the Union Pacific-TP&W grain MTs that I missed Thursday afternoon was loaded at Chenoa and headed west. I caught it between Cruger and Washington, in Washington and again (the whole train) at Ernest Street.  CAPTION: A Union Pacific grain train loaded on the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway at Prairie Central Co-Operative's Greenfield (Chenoa), Illinois rail loop is shown just west of Cruger, in Washington and at Ernest Street late-afternoon Friday, March 7, 2025. UP 5908, UP 2563 and UP 8124 were on the point.   - David P. Jordan

By 1530 hours Thursday afternoon, radio chatter indicated numerous train operations on both sides of the river. I shot video of three, but missed an empty Union Pacific-TP&W grain train heading east, BNSF's M-GALPEI (waiting on the Levee for space in the East Peoria Yard) and TZPR 1351 (possibly Industry 4) heading out of the Creve Coeur diesel shop to the Limit Yard to grab mash loads from the Iowa Interstate (after 1521 was working Biourja!). Of course, the KJRY train returned west after dark with a reported 51 cars. I don't know if BNSF's train crew had time to flip back west with M-PEIGAL.    I did see TZPR 1521 finishing up work at BioUrja Renewables LLC's alcohol tracks, putting together a train of nine cars (four empties, then five loads). The fifth car, SHPX 201915, was loaded, but lacked a haz-mat placard. I believe BioUrja is shipping "Distillers Corn Oil" regularly in tank cars.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local is seen at Le...

Today's train was reported to have 45 cars (30 loads/15 empties) when it left Silvis. By the time it headed south from Bureau Junction, it had 43 cars.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) is first shown at Mossville, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, March 3, 2025. Additional runbys are at San Koty and on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Alexander Avenue in Peoria. IAIS 150 has NS 5194 and 43 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Busy morning.    I bagged three and missed one. I knew that a loaded Powerton-bound coal train was racing down the Peoria Sub, so I pulled off I-474 at Bartonville, headed down US 24 and set up at Mendenhall Road. The train showed up minutes later.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train CNRPW (Coal, N. Rochelle Mine WY to Powerton IL) rolls by Mendenhall Road south of Bartonville, Illinois late-morning Sunday, March 2, 2025. UP 8139 and UP 6239 were on the point, with UP 6730 bringing up the rear as DPU.   While the UP Powerton coal train approached, I heard a locomotive horn, but in the other direction. I figured a TP&W train was running along the parallel ex-Peoria Terminal Co. line. Sure enough, shortly after the UP coal train cleared my position, a TP&W local out of Mapleton rolled by. It stopped at Collier Yard to pick up two zinc oxide empties from the Union Pacific. This gave me time to shoot video of a monster 270-car train of coal empties that Union Pacif...