TP&W Local/M-Train 6-28/29-26

After a family reunion in Indiana Sunday afternoon, I caught a TP&W local moving from Effner to near Gilman. The consist of 88 cars could have been entirely for Incobrasa Industries' Gilman plant complex (which opened a second soybean crushing facility last week, and was dedicated on June 22). This includes three methanol loads (UN 1230) near the end, but it is the TP&W, so I'll include it here. 


CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local journeys westward from Effner to Gilman, Illinois late-afternoon and early-evening Sunday, June 28, 2026. The crew had earlier worked from Gilman to Effner with the first two units, adding TPW 5008 and flipping back with what appears to be a solid train for Incobrasa Industries. Scenes are at Sheldon, 2500 East Road, Watseka and Crescent City. MQT 3407, IORY 3492 and TPW 5008 have 88 cars.

Monday morning's "M-Train" had 32 Incobrasa covered hoppers on the head end. It is possible that some are soybean meal loads, but I couldn't get close enough to tell. I missed the best lighted spot at Washington. Ernest Street was no good with shadows. Had to be Farmdale. Notably, the CIGX gondola with the usual RISX zinc oxide covered hoppers is probably an iron oxide load for IAIS. I haven't seen any of those for a few months (or iron oxide in steel hoppers for BNSF). 


CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway westbound freight rolls along the famed Farmdale Trestle in East Peoria, Illinois late-morning Monday, June 29, 2026. BERX 6908, CFE 3316, TPW 5009, TPW 3441 and IORY 5013 have 57 cars. The train came from Gilman, and set out 100+ cars at Cruger for Incobrasa soybean unit train loading.

- David P. Jordan

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