Peoria Station

Just before 1:00 this afternoon, I learned that a TP&W job was leaving East Peoria for Crandall and then Morton. So I headed out to Crandall and waited. The TPW 5009 and a single tank car (which I assume was a herbicide load, though the coil springs weren't pressed as one would expect for a load) stopped, the conductor detrained.   The usual routine is to pull up to Crandall on Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District, pull past the switch, then the conductor lines it for the train and the train shoves into the siding. After that, they line the switch into the connection, pull onto the TP&W's Morton Industrial Spur, and then shove toward Morton.    Something must have been wrong with the mainline switch. The crew shoved west of it and waited for awhile. By mid-afternoon, the crew shoved the train back to Farmdale and into the East Peoria Yard.   At least I saw the train come as far as Crandall, and a rare instance of shoving back to East Peoria on the NS...

It wasn't long ago that TP&W made a Morton trip to pull two empty tank cars, leaving one load. So I was surprised to see then again so soon.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local runs engine lite across Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District at Crandall, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Shortly, HESR 2107 will run along the connecting track and then race toward Farmdale Switch to return to home rails in East Peoria. Last scene shows tank cars at Fort Transfer Company in Morton. One was left from the previous trip, and two more loads were brought in this day. - David P. Jordan

As usual, I only hear the TP&W leaving town.   Recent movements indicate the emptied tank car(s) are fetched within 7-8 days, maybe a bit longer.  CAPTION: On National Train Day, May 10, 2025, late-afternoon Saturday, a Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway crew dropped off a single tank car for Fort Transfer Company in Morton, Illinois. TPW 2105 is shown on its lite engine run out of town to Crandall Junction and then on Norfolk Southern Railway's Bloomington District at the N. Main Street crossing. In the final scene, UTLX 671550 is shown on spot for unloading.   - David P. Jordan

Like usual, I went to Peoria after work. Enroute to the downtown library, I hoped to see the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria turn. With no sign of it, I crossed the river and found CN 2541 and CN 8892 on the Creve Coeur Team Track. A couple of vehicles parked nearby indicated the L557 crew had arrived.   About that time, I learned the Norfolk Southern local D49 had already been cleared to depart the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, and that the TP&W would follow with a lite engine move to Crandall and then Morton to fetch the tank car spotted at Fort Transfer on March 8.    I knew I was too late to see the NS, but I never miss a chance to catch a train where I live!   Intrerestingly, as I waited along the NS at N. Main Street, just outside of Morton, for the TP&W train heading back to East Peoria, I learned that the KJRY local had been cleared to enter Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property at Iowa Junction...   ...and as I drove I-474, I c...

The TP&W delivered two herbicide tank cars to Fort Transfer Company in Morton around 9:30pm last Monday, January 27. I heard the horn, but knew the train was leaving then. I would not have reached a crossing with a good street lamp in time anyway. I hoped to catch the TP&W pulling the empties.    And I did. Of course, I was in East Peoria when I learned that a TP&W job was at Crandall Junction heading toward Morton engine lite. I knew BNSF's M-GALPEI was in town and hoped to catch M-PEIGAL going west. But when I was in East Peoria a little after 1530 hours, M-GALPEI was already crawling the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad yard's Long Tracks. Apparently, it had to wait awhile at Darst Street before receiving permission to enter TZPR property.   I snapped a couple of images of the BNSF train from Columbia Street, but knew M-PEIGAL would not leave until after dark. Then I received a notification that the TP&W was heading to Morton. Priorities. Priorities. ...

After church, I went trackside to BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision, and found some action almost immediately. CAPTION: Action at N. Rice Road (just east of Princeville, Illinois) early afternoon Sunday, August 11, 2024. A eastbound BNSF intermodal, westbound manifest (probably H-IHBGAL) and an eastbound autorack train passed my location in a 20-minute period (1235 to 1255 hours). I left just in time to miss another eastbound BNSF intermodal and Union Pacific Z-G4CI, which met at Edelstein! Mid-afternoon Saturday, I noticed while driving eastbound Interstate 74 through East Peoria that a locomotive and tank car were parked at the west end of the TP&W yard. So I knew a train was coming to Morton soon.   Turns out, it was just afternoon noon on Sunday.   I wasn't home until after 2:00pm, when the train was already in town. And as usual, I didn't hear the horn until it was leaving (probably Jackson Street, as I found it coupling to the empty tank car already pull...

The tank car TP&W delivered to Fort Transfer Company in Morton on February 28 was pulled Tuesday, April 2. This morning, they delivered one car to Fort Transfer and returned to East Peoria engine lite.  As usual, I didn't hear it until it blew for the crossings on the way out of town... CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway crew used IORY 5007 to deliver a single tank car to Fort Transfer Company in Morton, Illinois late-morning Saturday, April 6, 2024. I couldn't hear the horn blowing until it departed engine lite. Various scenes at Nebraska Ave in Morton, and at Harding Road, Crandall Junction and along Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District at N. Main Street. Final view shows the tank car at Fort Transfer.   - David P. Jordan

The horn woke me up this morning, but the crew had already delivered three tank cars and leaving engine lite before I could dress and head out to investigate. Fort Transfer Company hasn't received liquid herbicide since March 2022. The seven tank cars delivered this year have probably contained de-icer or dust control chemicals. At there is more activity in 2023 than in 2022!  CAPTION: The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway actually delivered three tank cars to Fort Transfer Company in Morton, Illinois Saturday morning, November 11, 2023. After doing so, TPW 5008 is shown at Crandall Junction, switching from the Morton Industrial Spur to Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District for the trip back to East Peoria. None of the tank cars (GATX 37385, UTLX 681632 and UTLX 224856) display a haz-mat placard, so they must contain a de-icer chemical. David P. Jordan

  Norfolk Southern Railway local D32 (Decatur IL to Normal IL) is shown rolling through the west side of Bloomington, Illinois early this evening. NS 3299 and NS 6975  had 14 cars. Normally, D32 passes this spot before sunrise. There are three organic corn loads on the head end (pulled from The Andersons at Mansfield) and two BNGX soybean meal empties for DuPont's Gibson City soybean processing plant (all five "turned" at Good Yard) but most or all of the other nine are for the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at East Peoria. These will be forwarded there Monday by local D49, which is on duty at 6:00am.    - David P. Jordan

Seven years ago today, I saw a most unusual occurrence (to me at least) with  Norfolk Southern Train D49. I'm replying to the original post I made to the  group but with a link to video I shot of the action. My original comments about this from the PeoriaRails Yahoo! Group on September 15, 2010. I set out early Wednesday morning to see if I could catch Norfolk Southern's  departing D49D train. When I arrived at East Peoria about 6:45am, it had  already left the TZPR yard. So I raced east on I-74 to Bloomington-Normal. A  drive by Good Yard revealed I'd beat the train (as with earlier adventures  with the same train). Where was it? As with most of these adventures, I drove Rt. 150 expecting to  see it roll through Carlock, forcing a quick turn around and then a race  back to a good location offering time to set up my tripod/video. But no D49D  as I drove through Carlock. It hadn't been through Congervill...