Peoria Station

On a whim, I decided to head to Bloomington-Normal to catch Norfolk Southern's D36 train, which typically leaves Good Yard by late-afternoon or early evening. The EOT on the rear car was flashing when I arrived, so I knew it would depart shortly. I had time to check on Union Pacific's MBNAS. Normally, it would have left by now, but turns out it had just left the yard but was paused just to the south. I crossed the Springfield Sub at 6 Points Road and then heard the horn. I immediately turned around. With no time to park and set up, I just shot the train through my windshield. Better than nothing (or chasing it, and missing the NS train!) CAPTION: Union Pacific MBNAS (Manifest, Bloomington IL to Alton & Southern) rolls across 6 Points Road on Bloomington, Illinois' southwest side early evening Thursday, May 21, 2026. UP 2184 and UP 2205 have 37 cars. D36 forwards D49 traffic out of East Peoria to Bement (setout for an eastbound manifest) and Decatur (for classification)...

Not sure what is with CSXT units leading local freight trains, but I don't mind. Notably, CSXT 775 was involved in that near-collision April 2 in Bushnell Florida. It was leading the train that scraped the rear of a school bus after the bus driver decided to cross in front of it. She was fired and arrested for her stupidity.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin mainline late-afternoon Tuesday, May 19, 2026. CSXT 775 and CN 3192 have 40 cars. CSX coil steel car is for Hanna Steel. Two FSR gondolas are loaded with scrap metal from KJRY-served Hitchcock Scrap Yard in Canton. Tuesday was one of those rare occasions that Union Pacific's MPECL is called late, and I can see it. I actually stumbled on it accidentally, and by chance got it after missing its departure. Consist is surprisingly short since Friday's train reportedly was made up of just 49 empty plastic pellet covere...

On Wednesday, May 6, I went up to check the Bartlett Grain elevator under construction at El Camino, just north of Interstate 80 along Union Pacific's Peoria Subdivision. I learned too late that I had missed a BNSF M-GALPEI which had a 20-car block of brand new Incobrasa Industries covered hoppers. This evening, I actually caught M-GALPEI with a 19-car block! The CSX leader is interesting too.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls through Pottstown shortly before arriving Peoria, Illinois early evening Monday, May 18, 2026. CSXT 806 and BNSF 7742 have 56 cars, including a 19-car block of brand new covered hoppers for Incobrasa Industries (via TP&W). - David P. Jordan

The Iowa Interstate's Bureau Switcher (BUSW) ran SIPE to Peoria today and took PESI to a point just north of Chillicothe for a relief crew. I learned of PESI's departure from East Peoria and decided to head over to see it. An accident on westbound I-74 forced a detour that delayed my encounter but I'm happy I got it where I did. Behind the two geeps were 19 loads (ADM traffic from...CN???), two loaded alcohol tank cars and 34 ADM empties.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis) rolls through Rome, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, May 14, 2026. Shortly, it passes W. Moffitt Street on Chillicothe's north side. After another crew relieved BUSW, the whole train is shown again north of Chillicothe. IAIS 708 and IAIS 710 have 55 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I went to Deer Creek and waited, then chased to Carlock and Yuton. Five Caterpillar D9 tractor loads were worth the chase. Four OZIX (Ozinga) 2-bay covered hoppers were loaded, but based on their appearance on a D49 in July 2025 (before Ozinga's Peoria transfer dock was built) they might contain granulated slag from Harsco's Powerton plant (they are with EQUX plastic cars and other slag loads that most certainly came from IMRR).  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Railway train D49 (Normal IL to E. Peoria IL turn) is shown at Deer Creek, Illinois on its return leg from East Peoria to Good Yard in Normal, Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, May 11, 2026. Later, it rolls through Carlock and pauses at Yuton so the conductor can line the switch into the make up track at Good Yard. NS 6968 and NS 6923 have 50 cars. Note five Caterpillar D9 track-type tractor loads.   M-PEIGAL will have 2? locomotives picked up from the Creve Coeur Team Track.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-GALPEI (Manifest,...

The Peoria Journal Star is really getting interested in the Detweiller Marina controversy. As there are no restaurants involved, this might be an accidental act of journalism.    Yesterday (May 8, 2026), Peoria's newspaper of record ran a story with a lot investigative research. It revealed that O'Brien Steel and City of Peoria were discussing closure of Caroline Street as far back as August 2023 "with the approval of the Detweiller Playground trust." Tim Herold, a member of the Peoria Park District Board of Trustees, obtained emails between the parties as part of a FOIA request. It says this contradicts statements by O'Brien Steel president J. P. O'Brien.    Herold provided nearly five years of communications between Detweiller and O'Brien regarding plans for expansion. This included expanded administration offices and and a new maintenance building. That information goes back to June 1, 2022. What is most interesting is that closure of Caroline Street re...

I went to the Wesley Road crossing at Hilliards, and the flashers and gates activated briefly then went back up. I looked both ways and just saw a feed train cut at crossing. No sign of L557. I headed south on Rt. 29. The CN-IAIS grain train (not sure if loaded or empty) was at Pekin. I went into Pekin, got gas at Circle K (40 cents off 4-7pm this evening!) and headed back north. I encountered L557 at Grove so I turned around and found a spot at IC Junction. Lighting was poor, but can't have everything...   I should note that the CSX coil steel car was brought up to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard by last night's L556 and left with the two units on the Creve Coeur Team Track. They seem to be doing this with cars for local industries (Hanna Steel, Amerhart) instead of leaving them at that siding in Pekin.    The empty hydrochloric acid tank car is interesting. Perhaps the Iowa Interstate Railroad received this car when loaded and it has returned ...

I'm not sure the last time Norfolk Southern D49 ran before today, but it must have been awhile. Monday's return trip had 89 cars! Besides five Caterpillar D10 tractor loads, the train had seven plastic loads from the Illinois & Midland, 24 ADM grain product loads from Iowa Interstate, 10 corn syrup tanks from the Keokuk Junction Railway and possibly some other interchange business.    I came home from work unaware if the train had left, then received a tip, and headed out. I decided to try to capture the train rolling across the Mackinaw River east of Goodfield. Turns out, I should have just waited for it at Goodfield, and then gone on to Carlock. But I missed it at Yuton as I did not want to risk construction delays on I-74 east of Carlock. Fortunately, the D36 crew had already arrived and took the train on east after adding 43 more cars.   Recent reports have D32 (Decatur to Normal) running Sunday during the day (a wide window) and Monday through Friday during ...

As expected, the Federal Aviation Administration's cap on flights at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, effective from May 17 until October 24, will delay introduction of United Express service to both Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana.  Both Central Illinois cities were to receive service by the airline - four roundtrips daily - starting May 7 and April 30, respectively. Champaign-Urbana's flights were already delayed to June 1. Now, both routes will begin on October 24, the day flight caps end.  Confirmation of the delay for United Express service out of Champaign-Urbana's Willard Airport can be found here.  for Bloomington-Normal's Central Illinois Regional Airport, see here .  - David P Jordan

I caught Iowa Interstate's ZENOE about midday today. The crew stopped at the North Limit Yard to drop 22 manifest on the head end, so I left.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate train ZENOE (Grain Loads, [Varies] to Peoria IL) rolls through Mossville, Illinois midday Saturday, May 2, 2026. IAIS 701, IAIS 152 and IAIS 519 have 130 cars (22 manifest, 108 grain loads). The manifest cars were set out at the North Limit Yard and the grain train was delivered to Canadian National on TZPR's Pekin mainline.   I was on the east side of the river when I heard BNSF's M-GALPEI get permission from Darst Street to East Peoria. Friday's train was a day late. This one was made up mostly of loads, including ten-car and eight-car blocks of ADM grain product traffic (perhaps BNSF has the Clinton, Iowa to TZPR business now??? If not, Marshall, Minn. and Columbus, Neb. plants might send corn germ to Decatur), three plastic loads and some nitrogen tank cars. There were eight OZIX (Ozinga) 2-bay co...

I learned that two end cab switchers were on an East Peoria-Powerton turn, and knew I needed to capture it somewhere. I was coming from the downtown Peoria library so I barely got to my spot in time. We see the usual dry sorbent loads for NRG Energy at Powerton and zinc oxide loads for CPKC at Springfield mixed with a few liquid feed, plastic and slag empties. CAPTION: Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's "Industry 4" job rolls across N. 2nd Street in Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, May 1, 2026 with transfer business for the Illinois & Midland Railroad at Powerton. TZPR 1352 and TZPR 1351 have 27 cars.   - David P. Jordan