Peoria Station

I shot a couple of eastbounds on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision this afternoon, but traffic was slow (or late due to the time change). CAPTION: Action on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision between Princeville and Edelstein, Illinois early Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025. Both trains were eastbounds. The first, had BNSF 6796 and BNSF 1073 on the point with 58 autoracks. The second, had BNSF 3276, BNSF 7107, BNSF 8389 and BNSF 4694 on the point with 115 intermodal platforms.   An eastbound was lined up per signal indication at Edelstein but I decided to head for home. I'm glad I did, because I just happened to be driving through East Peoria when a TP&W switch crew was preparing to deliver interchange to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local, possibly EPX1, delivered to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Sunday, November 2, 2025. TZPR 2133 had nine empties. S...

The weather was nice but windy Sunday afternoon as I parked along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision.    The first train to show, an eastbound, was primarily intermodal but with a block of autoracks on the rear. The second, also eastbound, had seven reefers mid-train. I like that kind of variety. After a third eastbound, I moved from North Rice Road to Princeville to check for activity at the Seneca Foods plant (one boxcar on spot, two empties "constructively placed" on the siding). No sooner did the fourth eastbound cleared the crossing did a westbound show its face. After another westbound, I headed for home, and another adventure... Train symbols in order are: S-CLOLPC1-04A (Port Stack Intermodal, Clovis NM to Logistics Park Center IL) Z-STOWSP7 (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Stockton CA to Willow Springs IL) Z-PHXWSP8-04A (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Phoenix AZ to Willow Springs IL) Z-LACWSP4-04U (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Los Angeles/Hobart CA to Willow Springs IL) ...

Peoria County is part of the Peoria metro area so I've always included BNSF's Chillicothe Sub in area operations. Today was a good day.  CAPTION: Nine trains on BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision at N. Rice Road, Princeville and Chillicothe, include Union Pacific's Z-G4CI and BNSF trains with Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and Ferromex units.   David P. Jordan

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...

It has been nearly a decade since I've seen Amtrak detouring along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision east of Galesburg, and that was a planned shift to due a bridge replacement project on the Mendota Subdivision. So when I learned that Amtrak Nos. 4 and 6 would be combined at Galesburg and rerouted over the ex-Santa Fe this afternoon, I had to be trackside. Amtrak Nos. 3 and 5 are expected to run the usual route later today.  CAPTION: Due to a coal train derailment near Somonauk, Illinois, Amtrak No. 4, the Southwest Chief (Los Angeles CA to Chicago IL), and Amtrak No. 6, the California Zephyr (Emeryville CA to Chicago IL) were combined at Galesburg and detoured along the Chillicothe Subdivision at its namesake late-afternoon Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The ex-Santa Fe route was used by Amtrak's Southwest Chief regularly through July 1996. AMTK 147 and AMTK 199 led No. 4 while AMTK 72 and AMTK 29 were on No. 6, turned backwards when combined at the Amtrak depot in Galesburg.   ...

I don't sit trackside along BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision as much as I did when I lived 5-6 miles away, but managed to do so Sunday afternoon. I just missed Union Pacific's westbound Z-G4CI, but did see five eastbounds, the fourth of which was Z-CIG4.  By September, I'll likely make more trips to Princeville to check on boxcars at Seneca Foods Corp. Rebuilt track last year led to a surge in rail shipments, and the local that services them seems to appear in late-afternoon and early-evening.  CAPTION: Intermodal movements on BNSF Railway Chillicothe Sub action at N. Rice Road, a few miles east of Princeville, Illinois, early- to mid-afternoon Sunday, July 7, 2024. During this period, three BNSF eastbounds, Union Pacific's Z-CIG4 and another BNSF eastbound passed my location.   On my way home, I captured a Powerton-bound Union Pacifc coal train at Brauer Road at the top of Pioneer Hill.  CAPTION: A Powerton-bound coal train rolls by the old Pioneer Station ...

Union Pacific's Peoria Subdivision was relatively busy today. This morning, I learned that an empty northbound and a loaded southbound grain train would meet at Pottstown, so after comfirming a favorable signal indication at W. Farmington Road, and rejecting the increasingly poor lighting, I moved to Pottstown. As soon as I arrived, Union Pacific train GSPGRK-10 was approaching the double track.  I waited another 20 minutes for train GSRKCP-12 to show. Apparently, it was parked well north of Reservoir Boulevard, and ran at 10mph on Track 2 until the crew could confirm the green signal at the end of the double track. (I'm sure I've caught similar meets there in less time before.) Both were Sterling grain trains, empties returning for more loads and a loaded train having just departed from Rock River Lumber & Grain Co. there earlier this morning. A third movement, a ballast train, likely appeared by mid-afternoon, but I didn't see it.  CAPTION: An empty northbound gr...

Labor Day 2022 was a little overcast and rainy, so I didn't go up to Princeville to see BNSF switch Seneca Foods Corp's cannery. My previous encounter with this action had been on Labor Day 2017. I knew there was a chance to see it again on this holiday, but figured it would be raining. I don't know how many raindrops fell, but BNSF did switch Seneca Foods that day. I didn't see it, but learned about it later.  Fast forward to Labor Day 2023. Although BNSF switched Seneca Foods early evening Friday (I was close at Edelstein, but found out too late, the third time this year on a Friday such as happened), I wondered if there would be a repeat on Monday. Initially, I planned to stay home. But in late-afternoon, I just decided to chance it. I'm glad I did because I arrived the crossing just east of the cannery and started shooting stills of the boxcars at the plant... ...and then the eastbound local pulled up. I believe many (if not all) of these pumpkin loads are going...

I  checked Princeville this afternoon for progress on track reconfiguration and found the north stub had been laid, but still needs much work before it can be used. The crossing has not been built yet either.  I saw three BNSF eastbound intermodal trains while in the area, but was only in position to shoot the daily Union Pacific eastbound intermodal, Z-CIG4.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train Z-CIG4 (Expedited Intermodal, City of Industry CA to Global 4) rolls by N. Rice Road, between Princeville and Edelstein, Illinois, early afternoon Sunday, April 9, 2023. UP 7135, UP 6376, UP 6722 and UP 8927 have 96 platforms, followed by DPU's UP 4549 and UP 9020 and 81 more platforms. - David P. Jordan 

After church, I returned to Princeville to check progress on track re-arrangement, and caught quite a bit of action. Description below. The two hot UP intermodals which play this route daily must have met around Williamsfield... CAPTION: Early-afternoon Sunday, April 2, 2023 was busy on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision between Princeville and Chillicothe. I missed an eastbound BNSF vehicle train but managed to capture Union Pacific's Z-G4CI at Princeville. I then chased counterpart Z-CIG4 to Blue Ridge Road, just west of Chillicothe. It passed a westbound BNSF vehicle train at Edelstein. I headed back west only to encounter an eastbound BNSF intermodal train at Edelstein which cleared just in time to capture a second westbound BNSF vehicle train!  (1) Z-G4CI - UP 7230, UP 2721, UP 5509 and UP 2596 have 120 platforms (2) Z-CIG4 - UP 2731, UP 5061, UP 6579 and UP 6183 have 95 platforms, UP 5375 and UP 5640 as mid-train DPUs, and 91 more platforms. (3) EB BNSF IM - BNSF 424...

A cloud bank killed good lighting, but at least I bagged this train!  BNSF Railway's H-IHBGAL the only pair of daily manifests running on the Chillicothe Subdivision east of the Cameron Connection, just southwest of Galesburg. A pair of locals, L-CHI104 and L-CHI105, work most weekdays between Galesburg and Willow Springs. On weekends, M-GALCHI and M-CHIGAL perform 104/105's work. All other movements are intermodal trains, with a few vehicle trains and  sprinkling of grain trains.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train H-IHBGAL (High Priority Manifest Indiana Harbor Belt to Galesburg IL) rolls by N. Rice Road just east of Princeville, Illinois early-afternoon Sunday, March 26, 2023. BNSF 608, BNSF 1118 and CP 2304 have 84 cars. - David P. Jordan

Better late than never... Sunday afternoon, I sat by BNSF's Chillicothe Sub and short video of eight of the ten trains I saw in a two-hour period.  Although this line doesn't serve the Peoria-Pekin Industrial District, it does pass through the metro area, and has been the region's busiest line for well over a century. So it is definitely included in local rail operations and history.  CAPTION: Eight trains in two hours at Princeville, Illinois on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision, early afternoon Sunday, January 15, 2023. Highlights include a westbound vehicle train, Union Pacific's Z-G4CI and a westbound BNSF baretable train. - David P. Jordan

I usually don't post anything here on BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision, because it doesn't really serve the immediate metro area, but I make an exception today because I had no idea a caboose would bring up the markers on this afternoon's M-GALCHI. BNSF Railway train M-GALCHI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Chicago IL) rolls by N. Centerville Road just east of Edelstein, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, May 22, 2022. BNSF 1409 and BNSF 3100 have 78 cars, including an ex-Santa Fe caboose! - David P. Jordan

BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision is the busy railroad (by far) in the Peoria area. It doesn't serve the city directly, rather it passes through the northern fringes of Peoria County, serving Chillicothe, Edelstein and Princeville. Only one industry - Seneca Foods at Princeville - is served. So the line's value is to serve as a link between Chicago, Kansas City and markets south and west.  Sunday afternoon, December 16, 2018, I spent about three hours trackside (mostly Blue Ridge Road, just west of Chillicothe) and captured some amazing action! Recorded in this 16 minute, 38 second video are two meets - one between two intermodal trains and a second between two manifests. Final scenes record a chase I made on a westbound freight which left the Chillicothe Yard.  - David P. Jordan

Until late Thursday morning, July 12, I had never been able to capture a rail movement of military equipment. By Sunday afternoon, I had done so twice. The first was a movement of Illinois Army National Guard vehicles to Fort Polk, Louisiana. According to a news release on the Illinois National Guard's Facebook page , About 200 vehicles from the Illinois Army National Guard will load onto rail cars at the Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) July 9-13, as part of a deployment to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The Iowa Interstate Railroad, which has access to the rarely-used Rock Island Arsenal trackage, assembled the train and placed on the rear of an already lengthy Blue Island, Illinois to Council Bluffs, Iowa freight, BICB. Union Pacific will handle the train from Council Bluffs to Fort Polk, Louisiana. I shot video of the 160-car train shortly after it departed the Silvis, Illinois Yard at 1115 on Thursday. Military loads began at the 9:...

I've seen this unit before, but it led on my second encounter. Norfolk Southern ES44AC #8114 displays the colors of the original Norfolk Southern Railway . I got word this afternoon that it was leading a westbound baretable train on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision. There are advantages living close to a major mainline and this is one of them. Video shot just east of Princeville.  My first encounter occurred on August 9, 2013 on Norfolk Southern Train D46. Second unit behind NS 2700, the 22-car train was departing East Peoria for the return trip to Normal. Video (above) shot in East Peoria, at Farmdale Trestle, Goodfield and Carlock.  - David P. Jordan

If you wish to see a train, stay trackside somewhere along BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision.  It is that time of year that the Christmas merchandise rush requires extra sections of many of the regularly scheduled trains. I parked at a country road crossing (Milepost 141.55) just east of Princeville late Sunday morning and captured five train movements in an hour. I just missed a westbound autorack train. Train information as follows: - EB w/BNSF 7949-984 and 106 platforms - EB w/BNSF 7671-4334-7125-3835 and 69 platforms - WB w/BNSF 4425 & NS 7558-2511-8860 and 101 platforms - EB w/BNSF 7863-6399-8036-6043 and 85 platforms - EB w/ BNSF 5246-1114 & NS 9898-2584-8125 and 73 cars The last train was H-GALNSI (High Priority Manifest, Galesburg IL to Norfolk Southern Interchange), which BNSF will hand off to Norfolk Southern at Streator, Illinois. There, the train becomes Train 10R for Elkhart, Indiana.  - David P. Jordan