Peoria Station

I was stuck at work until 3:00pm today but learned that a Norfolk Southern extra (D09) had been called to fetch 53 grain loads from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria. In late-summer, local grain elevators empty their silos to prepare for the harvest, thus unusual movements like this.     ADM Grain Co's Hilliards (Creve Coeur) elevator loaded these cars during the past week. The elevator can only handle 25 (or so) at a time, so TZPR had to pull one cut and spot more and combine them. I noticed what was probably part of the train sitting on the Nickel Plate on Thursday. Given the train's length, I am assuming it is consigned to an ADM plant in Decatur.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Train D09 (Bloomington District Extra) rolls between Deer Creek and Goodfield, Illinois mid-afternoon on September 6, 2025, a rare Saturday run out of East Peoria. NS 7561 and NS 9747 have 53 cars loaded at ADM Grain's Hilliards, Illinois elevator.   - David P. Jorda...

After work, I caught two area train movements. First, was this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Lead/Yard Job bound for ADM Grain Co. at Hilliards. All were loads, but I'm unsure if these contain distillers dried grain ("mash") or gluten feed pellets.   Mash moves year-round but it is that time of year for the latter, though the short cut suggests that traffic isn't moving down here on the Iowa Interstate (or any carrier), at least not yet.   Usually, feed pellets from ADM in Cedar Rapids and Clinton, Iowa move to the Hilliards barge loadout and terminal elevator when the U. S. Army Corps. of Engineers closes the Mississippi River to commercial shipping for three months from Keokuk north, starting in early December.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Lead/Yard Job pulls out of the East Peoria Yard and through Wesley East enroute to ADM Grain Co. at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, December 23, 2024. TZPR 1352 has 21 cars. I knew a...

I caught Union Pacific's MPECL this afternoon like I usually do. When it's fairly predictable, why not? Today's train was pretty heavy for a single unit. I hope it didn't stall on Pioneer Hill. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road late-afternoon Friday, July 14, 2023. UP 5358 has 66 cars.   Yesterday, Norfolk Southern brought dropped a grain shuttle on Main No. 2 of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Pekin double track at Wesley.  NS 9922 and NS 2717 tied up on the Creve Coeur Team Track. Today, a TZPR Lead Job is switching 25 of 50 cars into ADM Grain Co's Hilliards elevator on Wesley Road. When the other 25 get loaded and the train is combined, it should depart for Decatur in a few days. David P. Jordan