Canadian National L557, Union Pacific MBNAS, Norfolk Southern D36 4-16-26

I had a heads up that Canadian National's L557 local was about to, or already had. left East Peoria, and decided to take Rt. 98 and then a left on Rt. 29. This was a good decision because the train had entered Pekin just ahead of me. 

CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls enters home rails at IC Junction in downtown Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, April 16, 2026. Steel coil and lumber loads, for Hanna Steel and Amerhart, respectively were "turned" at the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard rather than being set out at Pekin (perhaps L556's crew was short on time?). CN 3192 has 37 cars.

 

I normally don't post UP Joliet/Springfield Sub action here, but something stood out with a possible local connection. 

 

There were nine RISX covered hoppers on today's MBNAS (in groups of six and three). All empties. Those markings are familiar to me because similar RISX-marked cars are assigned to zinc oxide shipments out of (and EAF bag dust to) TP&W-served Waelz Sustainable Products at Clymers, Indiana. TP&W delivered zinc oxide loads to Union Pacific at Peoria in 2022-2025 but then the routing shifted to IMRR-CPKC. The crew made a setout at Ridgely for IMRR, and probably included these cars. 

CAPTION: Union Pacific MBNAS (Manifest, Bloomington IL to Alton & Southern) rolls out of the Bloomington, Illinois yard late-afternoon Thursday, April 16, 2026. Train crawled most of the time it passed my position, but I kept filming. To make up for the glacial pace, I caught it again racing by E. 750 North Road between Shirley and Funks Grove. UP 2235 and UP 2236 have 62 cars.

 

This is the Norfolk Southern train which forwards D49's traffic to Bement (for pickup by an eastbound manifest) or Decatur (for classification). I saw it parked on the main track adjacent Good Yard this afternoon with no crew. After capturing MBNAS, I returned there to find a crew onboard. 

This was the first D36 since Monday, thus the monster consist of 108 cars. The first 19 cars are for International Flavors & Fragrances' (IFF) soybean crushing plant at Gibson City. These are empties brought north by D32 and "turned" at Good Yard then spotted by D36 on the trip south. A couple of plastic cars might be for Urbana. The CRDX covered hopper appeared loaded, and is probably an organic corn load pulled from The Andersons at Mansfield. After four MOW cars, there are 16 empty ethanol tank cars (probsably for the Bloomer Line at Gibson City) and 16 covered hoppers with CRDX, AEX, GCOX markings, and may be empties for Mansfield. The next 29 cars are off D49 from East Peoria. Bringing up the rear were 21 autoracks, some loaded with Rivian vehicles, others empty. 

The first three units brought that empty grain train into East Peoria for Iowa Interstate on Tuesday. 

CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Train D36 (Local, Normal IL to Decatur IL) rolls by Abraham Road near Bloomington, Illinois early evening Thursday, April 16, 2026. NS 4459-1021-4050-6968-6972 have 108 cars.

- David P. Jordan