Norfolk Southern D49, BNSF M-GALPEI 5-11-26

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, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River life bridge early evening Monday, May 11, 2026. BNSF 5974 and BNSF 6826 have 27 cars.
 
On a historical note, I should mention that 30 years ago today, May 11, 1996 (an overcast but dry Saturday), I caught a westbound Burlington Northern freight (13816) rolling between Yates City and Douglas with a solid 51-car block of Norfolk Southern interchange traffic. An SD60M and LMX B39-8 were on the point. Interestingly, I had seen the same set bring a 41-car eastbound for Norfolk Southern on Friday, May 10. I don't know if this set had tied up at P&PU and ran west the next day, or if had just made a roundtrip two days in a row. 
 
(When I arrived home Saturday afternoon, I heard the news that a Valujet Airlines DC-9-30 had crashed in the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami.)
 
- David P. Jordan

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