Peoria Station

I ran some errands after work, but ended up hearing static on the Union Pacific Peoria Sub road channel (CH. 77 - 161.265), but could not make out any details. So I immediately made my way to W. Farmington Road. The green signal indication for a northbound prompted me to park. Minutes later, MPECL showed up. I guess it is still being called earlier (noon to 1:00pm) most days, but the train does sometimes run later.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, June 9, 2026. UP 3044 has 50 cars. - David P. Jordan

I took a half day from work, knowing Union Pacific's MPECL was going to be unusually big. Turns out, it wasn't called until mid-afternoon! At least I caught BNSF's inbound freight in advance. The 47-car consist included five empty flat cars on the head end (as opposed to the rear for better weight distribution (perhaps it doesn't matter so much on the Peoria Sub?), and ten more brand-new covered hoppers being delivered to Incobrasa Industries via TP&W.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) enters Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Peoria, Illinois shortly before crossing the river into East Peoria mid-afternoon Friday, May 22, 2026. Later, counterpart, M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road. BNSF 7722 and BNSF 9081 arrived with 47 cars and departed with 21. The Union Pacific crew had troubles with their locomotive. It kept dumping the air. Finally, they got going and even made it up Pioneer Hill d...

I figured Union Pacific would run MPECL today, despite being a holiday. After checking out Adams Street Yard around 1:00pm, I had doubts, as the train had not been made up! UP 7955 and UP 5854 were parked in the yard with no cars. The former was bad ordered so the latter led today's train.   Not sure why the short train of just four cars. The Low Line had a string of tank cars (or mostly tank cars) and there were covered hoppers in the yard as well. I saw the LPD01 job switching in the yard late Thursday afternoon, so perhaps having a single operational unit was a factor. I could not tell if the other cars had not yet been delivered to TZPR or if they had been received from them. All four that were on today's train came from TZPR (the coal empty came from a connection, either CN or IMRR), and one was a denatured alcohol load.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls along Edelstein Siding near its namesake Illinois village late-afterno...

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...

I left work early and glad that I did. BNSF's M-GALPEI was waiting at S. Darst Street to enter Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property until TPW 2105, running engine lite, got clear. Radio chatter indicated a high-wide load, which is unusual for M-GALPEI since Caterpillar ceased assembling wheel loaders, wheel dozers and soil compactors at the Montgomery (Aurora), Illinois plant in 2019. While I could not see any markings indicating its manufacturer, the electrical transformer riding on that eight-axle Kasgro heavy-duty flat car was probably manufactured by Asea Brown Boveri in St. Louis.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad Southern Division at Krause Avenue in Peoria, Illinois early afternoon Friday, May 2, 2025. BNSF 4101 and BNSF 5014 have 65 cars. Note the electric transformer load on the head end.   The TP&W local had but five cars to grab from Collier Yard, so it did not take ...

After three misses, I actually got Union Pacific's MPECL today.   I did something different, and photographed the train from the SW Adams Street viaduct. The crew apparently went on duty late due to maintenance-of-way activity north of town, so the scene at W. Farmington Road was shortly after 1800 hours.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) is first shown in a still from the SW Adams Street bridge on Peoria, Illinois' far south edge late-afternoon Friday, October 4, 2024. By early evening, the train rolls by W. Farmington Road and then crests the top of Pioneer Hill. UP 6258 has 34 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Like many days, Union Pacific's MPECL on Friday contacted the dispatcher at 1530 hours for instructions. Train was by Pottstown at 1601. The rear 23 cars are dry sorbent empties from Illinois & Midland Railroad, which were delivered to Union Pacific via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at East Peoria. CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by Milepost 80 at Peoria, Illinois shortly after leaving Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, July 12, 2024. Later, it is shown on the double track at Pottstown. UP 7791 has 60 cars. - David P. Jordan

As usual for Tuesday, I went by Union Pacific's Adams Street Yard after work to check on MPECL's progress (i. e. crew on board, likely to depart shortly) when I noticed BNSF's M-PEIGAL rolling under the Adams Street Viaduct. I turned around and stopped at the Kickapoo Creek truss bridge south of Harman Highway in time to capture the first scene.  I hadn't heard any chatter on the Union Pacific Peoria Sub channel so I decided to risk getting M-PEIGAL a second spot, the new Illinois Route 8 bridge at Edwards. Built just east and south of the old one, it is more open and sufficiently wide shoulders for parking. I think it will be a better spot for eastbounds, but I do like it.  Not sure why M-PEIGAL ran today. Normally, it runs on Monday. If the crew lacks time to complete the run to Galesburg, a new crew is called later in the evening or by morning. M-GALPEI and M-PEIGAL made the cycle on Tuesday last week. I figure it was just late, and not a sign of a new schedule.  CAP...

I just missed IAIS 718 arriving the North Limit Yard this afternoon, but caught its return trip north.  I have to wonder what happened to the ADM grain mash business? There should be another 40-60 empties on this train. Did Union Pacific snatch it from the Iowa Interstate? For many years, the C&NW and successor Union Pacific handled feed pellets from ADM's Cedar Rapids plant to the Clinton Municipal Dock-ADM except in winter, when the Upper Mississippi River closed to commercial navigation (lock repairs, ice) and this traffic, from both Cedar Rapids and Clinton, went to the Illinois River at Peoria. Eventually, the Iowa Interstate was able to grab some of this business (CP, IMRL, ICE, DME handling the Clinton pellets to Davenport). From winter 2006-2007, the IAIS had all of it. Starting around 2010, when ADM "Dry Grind" opened at Cedar Rapids, a large volume of distillers dried grain (DDG, or "mash") began moving to the docks on Wesley Road year round.  Iron...

Each winter, the Upper Mississippi River, from about Keokuk, Iowa north, is closed to commercial navigation for about three months from the second week of December. As a result, a number of all-water movements shift to rail-barge and Peoria-Pekin area terminals experience a surge in volume.  Whereas Grain Processing Corp. (Muscatine, Iowa) and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (Clinton, Iowa) ship gluten feed pellets and/or distillers dried grain supplement (DDGS, or "grain mash") down the Mississippi River from April thru November, they must ship these large volume, bulk commodities to an active barge loadout during December thru March.  The Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) benefits from this seasonal shift in transportation. Grain Processing Corp. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. typically route feed products via the Canadian Pacific Railway to the IAIS at Davenport, Iowa. From there, IAIS hauls this traffic to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard for...