Iowa Interstate PESI, TP&W M-EPEF 5-30-26

I noticed Iowa Interstate's PESI as I crossed the river on Interstate 74, so I did not have to drive far out of town to catch up to it. 
 
Notably, the first 17 cars are empty and the next 26 are loads. Both blocks are ADM owned/leased. At least 25 of the latter one (not sure on the GBRX car) might be from Decatur via CN. I'm guessing that ADM is sending corn screenings to Cedar Rapids "dry grind" but I can't confirm. Can't think of another reason to send loads from Decatur to IAIS via Peoria, as loads routed IAIS-Peoria-CN/NS seem to be corn germ and corn meal for Decatur. 


CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Grant Street in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, May 30, 2026. Later, early-evening, the train is on home rails at San Koty, a few miles out of Peoria. IAIS 516 and IAIS 150 have 46 cars.

Tonight's run was made up of 25 soybean loads (not sure if from Iowa Interstate or another origin) and 24 zinc oxide empties. And guess what, eight of them (the first, and then from fourth thru tenth, were the same ones I saw on Union Pacific's MBNAS on Thursday, May 21! 

Apparently, not all of the zinc oxide shipped from Waelz Sustainable Products' Clymers, Indiana plant that is routed TPW-TZPR-IMRR to Springfield is going to CPKC. Union Pacific is getting a lot of it too. 

I've only seen empties on MBNAS when it leaves Bloomington so loads are pulled from IMRR at Springfield, returning empties first move to Bloomington on MASBN. Train MBNAS then peddles the empties to IMRR at Springfield. 

Now the first zinc oxide empty on MBNAS May 21 was mid-train, and the other seven were blocked on the rear. Perhaps everything in between (plastic covered hoppers) was also for IMRR? (It seems the IMRR set out should be on the head end.)


CAPTION: An eastbound Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway "M-Train," sometimes referred to as M-EPEF (Manifest, E. Peoria IL to Effner IL), rolls by Ernest Street shortly after leaving East Peoria, Illinois early-evening Saturday, May 30, 2026. A short time later, the train crawls through Washington. TPW 3441, TPW 2070 and TPW 5010 have 49 cars.

- David P. Jordan

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