Peoria Station

Finally, I caught one of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's old "Kickapoo Job" locals (possibly "Industry 2") this afternoon with loaded OZIX twin-bay covered hoppers! I have yet to confirm which railroads hauls these out of the city, though BNSF is possible.    CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria, rolls by Sanger Street in Peoria, Illinois as it enters Bridge Junction before crossing the river mid-afternoon Monday, March 2, 2026. TPW 2056 has eleven cars, including seven loads from Ozinga Cement Co's new facility on BioUrja Renewable LLC's Belt Line.   - David P. Jordan

With such a huge consist, there was a good chance this train was going to stall. Fortunately, it did not. 😀 CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway local is shown crossing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge into Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, February 16, 2026. Shortly, it rolls by Krause Avenue and Darst Street. LTEX 3836, LTEX 3010 and LTEX 6437 have just two cars, both empty. (Train will grab UP interchange at Collier Yard in Bartonville before tying up at Mapleton.) Monday's M-PEIGAL was unusually lengthy but it had no loaded OZIX 2-bay covered hoppers as I had hoped. (I'm leaning toward the idea that Ozinga Cement Co's new TZPR-served barge-rail transfer facility on BioUrja's Riverside Track, ex-Rock Island Belt Line, may be sending coal ash and/or slag to a ready mixed concrete facility via BNSF at Montgomery, Illinois. Can't confirm yet.) CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) curves...

I just came across a publication at my local library called Choose Greater PEORIA Illinois , produced by livability dot com. On page 23, a community profile lists "transportation assets," which include two items which caught my eye- Five Class 1 railroads for hauling cargo Six short line railroads Both are incorrect. Greater Peoria, a designation that based on the magazine's other content matches the five-county official metropolitan area, is served by four Class Is, one Regional and four shortlines.  American common-carrier railroads are designated as Class I, Class II ("Regional") and Class III ("Shortlines"). These are broken down using annual revenue by the then-Interstate Commerce Commission critieria introduced in 1992 - $504,803,294 minimum for Class Is and $40,384,263 minimum for Class IIs. Carriers with annual revenue below the Class II minimum standard are designated as Class IIIs.  The Class Is are BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, No...

Like last Friday, I took a half day off work with the intent of capturing some local Union Pacific action - believe it or not - for the first time in 2026! Unlike last Friday, I succeeded, but barely. On my way to Peoria I knew Union Pacific's MPECL had already left Adams Street Yard (call time seems to be getting earlier), so I intended to set up and wait at W. Farmington Road. But when I turned left from the Harmon Highway/Airport Road connector onto Kickapoo Creek Road, I saw the train's end in the distance! I quickly turned around and hightailed it up I-474 and decided it safe to go to Fox Road, off Rt. 91. Turns out, I could probably have beat it to the top of Pioneer Hill (but why take the chance?). Lighting was poor, but at least I got it.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) races across Fox Road just north of Peoria, Illinois early-afternoon Friday, February 13, 2026. UP 5962 and UP 8215 have 30 cars. I knew Norfolk Southern (ano...

After work, I decided to check East Peoria for any activity, i. e. Norfolk Southern train D49. No sign of Thoroughbreds, but I did see this TP&W transfer ready to pull out of the TZPR at W. Washington Street.    I left my camera on "auto" mode so video setting defaults to 1080p vs. 4k, so details are not as good, especially in late-afternoon sun. I believe the 12 TP&W covered hoppers on the head end were empty, and probably pulled from BioUrja Renewables LLC's South Yard (which crews and dispatchers still call "ADM South Yard") across the river.   The rest of the train include five tank cars, four with grain alcohol placards and loaded. A boxcar loaded with bagged salt, eight nitrogen tank cars and a methyl chloride tank car represent receipt from BNSF.   The CAIX covered hopper was empty. Next were five empty RISX covered hoppers, likely from CPKC-IMRR, last containing zinc oxide. The CKIX covered hopper was also empty. It is possible that all se...

I learned that Union Pacific's MPECL departed Adams Street Yard a little before 3:00 Friday afternoon, so I took the chance and caught up with it. A possible misunderstanding over a meet with a southbound (which I never saw, but may have been a southbound grain train) at Pioneer (where I stopped and waited, hoping it had not yet ascended the hill) or Edelstein (where radio chatter indicated the train was already past my location).   I may have only caught up to it because the crew had to set out the seventh car, a loaded alcohol tank car, on the old fertilizer spur at Morse. I shot a little video of the train pulling away, and then waited for it to roll by me at the new El Camino station area.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) set out a loaded alcohol tank car on the old fertilizer spur at Morse (near Bradford, Illinois) then pulls away to reconnect with the rest of the train. Later, it rolls by El Camino, future site of a Bartlett Gra...

Friday afternoon after work, I crossed the river on I-474 and then headed toward the downtown library. I picked up barely discernible radio chatter from the TZPR St. Albans dispatcher that prompted investigation. East Peoria traffic nearly prevented me from seeing the rear of Norfolk Southern train D49 shortly after clearing the TP&W Peoria Sub at Farmdale.   And East Peoria traffic kept from from getting ahead of it.   So I backtracked to Morton and got on I-74. I caught a glance of D49 at Crandall, but my decision to get ahead of it at Goodfield was the correct one. I actually shot this video about half way between Deer Creek and Goodfield.    The second time I've seen D49 this week, I was hoping wire rod shipments from Liberty Steel & Wire would resume, but apparently, at least on Norfolk Southern (if at all). The first three covered hoppers may have contained organic grain. That a CUBX pressure-aid covered hopper and corn syrup tank car followed, ma...

By 1530 hours Thursday afternoon, radio chatter indicated numerous train operations on both sides of the river. I shot video of three, but missed an empty Union Pacific-TP&W grain train heading east, BNSF's M-GALPEI (waiting on the Levee for space in the East Peoria Yard) and TZPR 1351 (possibly Industry 4) heading out of the Creve Coeur diesel shop to the Limit Yard to grab mash loads from the Iowa Interstate (after 1521 was working Biourja!). Of course, the KJRY train returned west after dark with a reported 51 cars. I don't know if BNSF's train crew had time to flip back west with M-PEIGAL.    I did see TZPR 1521 finishing up work at BioUrja Renewables LLC's alcohol tracks, putting together a train of nine cars (four empties, then five loads). The fifth car, SHPX 201915, was loaded, but lacked a haz-mat placard. I believe BioUrja is shipping "Distillers Corn Oil" regularly in tank cars.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local is seen at Le...

This morning, not long after I woke up, I received a heads up that BNSF's M-GALPEI was getting close to Peoria.  The regular train ran (along with M-PEIGAL) on Thursday afternoon/evening, so this would be a THIRD cycle for the week.  This seems to have become a regular occurrence on Saturdays, though I'm unsure if it is due to seasonal volume (TP&W-bound nitrogen fertilizer solution traffic is in its heavy season again) or if BNSF has decided to make three weekly cycles year-round. I assume the former, but wish for the latter... CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls through Pottstown, Illinois late-morning Saturday, August 17, 2024. Later, the train approaches yard limits at Peoria, and then enters the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad for the trip across the river to the East Peoria Yard. BNSF 6503 and BNSF 8372 have 40 cars. The regular M-GALPEI/M-PEIGAL flip ran Thursday, so this one is a third cycle for the week!   I re...

I left work two hours early this afternoon so I could visit the Illinois State Library in Springfield. It seems to be the last one which possesses a copy of both the 1985 and 1987 Illinois Rail Plan Updates.  I left around 4:00 and followed CN's Gilman Sub to Mount Pulaski. I knew northbound local L556 often can be seen here in late-afternoon, so I decided it was worth a shot.  When I arrived town, there was no sign of the train having been there (a few cars for Gilman Sub customers were parked near the Rt. 54 overpass, but I figured I was early anyway.  I went to Casey's gas station for a little bit and then headed south of Rt. 121. The train appeared before I even reached Latham... CAPTION: A northbound Canadian National Railway train out of Decatur, Illinois rolls northbound near Mount Pulaski, Rt. 121 near Lincoln, Delavan and 5th Street near South Pekin late-afternoon Wednesday, April 24, 2024. CN 8009 and KCS 4185 have 100 gluten feed loads for BNSF via the Tazewel...

CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western road freight M-EFEP (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL) is shown at locations at or near Weston, Chenoa, Gridley, El Paso, Eureka and Washington, Illinois Saturday afternoon, November 11, 2023. The entire train is shown at each. TPW 2070, IORY 5007, TPW 5010, and IORY 5014 have 121 cars from on-line industries and CSX and CN interchanges.   A nice sunny late-morning and early-afternoon in November is a good time to get a westbound TP&W freight!  A lot of typical TP&W freight business is represented on today's train. - The first 15 cars are loaded with limestone shipped from The Rogers Group/Newton County Stone in Perkins, Indiana and consigned to East Peoria Materials, located on the east end of the TP&W yard (and to celebrate 20 years in January 2024!). - Fourteen TPW-marked cyclindrical covered hoppers might have been pulled from the Ludlow Co-Operative Elevator Company at La Hogue. (Crescent City is possible, but newer, 2...

Here's action representing the three shortlines which make up Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Central Illinois Empire in one video. Early this evening, Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew went east engine lite to fetch 15 cars from the TP&W's East Peoria Yard I shot this video at N. Main Street in East Peoria as the train was running on TP&W's Peoria Sub mainline. This is the location of "P&PU Junction," which you will hear discussed as a control point between dispatchers and train crews. So we have a TZPR train running on TP&W track using IMRR power!  The first eight cars are loaded, and as the first displays MOCX (Mosaic Crop Nutrition) markings, I'd guess these contained dry bulk fertilizer (phosphate, urea, etc.) bound for BNSF or Iowa Interstate.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew pulls a transfer from TP&W to their home terminal early evening Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Shown running on TP&W's Peoria Sub mainline at Ea...

Two hours, 24 minutes in length - It literally took all day, New Year's Eve, to merge the video files, save the video and then upload to YouTube. The audio is a little inconsistent for the first hour, and I'm sure I'll need to clarify some information in the comments, but... Peoria, Illinois and its suburbs boast nine common carrier railroads, heavy industry and an exciting variety of facilities and operations sure to please visitors. But some train operations are unpredictable, and the rail lines confusing for those unfamiliar with the territory. Hopefully, maps, scenes and narration will help you navigate this exciting and historical railroad town! Excerpts of videos already posted on my channel, mostly in 2021, are used to describe the current railscene.   - David P. Jordan

Thanks to an agreement between Republic Steel and ERP Iron Ore LLC, unit ore pellet trains like this one (CSX K502 on 6/26/16) will resume running in about a year.  This news has a Peoria connection, so bear with me!  First, Lorain County, Ohio's The Morning Journal announced July 25 that Republic Steel's Lorain, Ohio steel mill, idled since early 2016 when markets declined, will be producing up to 1 million tons of pig iron annually beginning in July 2018.  The news was good for another shuttered plant - the former Magnetation LLC ore pellet facility in Reynolds, Indiana. According to linked article,  ERP Iron Ore will send iron ore pellets to Lorain via rail from its plant in Reynolds, Ind. ERP Iron Ore LLC purchased some of Magnetation's assets, including the Reynolds plant, in February 2017. Before Magnetation ended operations in October 2016, CSX delivered unit trains of hematite ore (loaded on BNSF in Minnesota) and received unit ore pe...