Peoria Station

I noticed the yellow signal indication for Main 1 at Wesley, so I lingered betweent her and Hilliards. The train finally came. The short consist reflects the recent holiday.  CAPTION: The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin Local (possibly Industry 3) rolls by Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois on the double track main. Shortly, it enters the East Peoria Yard area at Wesley. IMRR 43 has eight cars. I arrived too late to see M-GALPEI before crossing the river, but did notice its power heading through the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. The train probably ran a day late due to the holiday. Perhaps M-GALPEI was a big train, otherwise four units is odd.  I tried to capture M-PEIGAL a third time, but left W. Farmington Road only to see the gates activate through my rearview mirror. I ended up catching a going away scene at Pottstown. CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls across the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's...

I happened to see the train on the TP&W "Peoria Sub" (West Main) preparing for departure, so I waited near W. Washington Street. Sure enough, the crew asked for permission to deliver to the "hump." I decided to return home to change clothes and get something to eat, and when I returned to East Peoria, I caught the tail end of the return trip, which had grabbed those 25 cars off the Nickel Plate from yesterday.    I missed this move, expecting it to take longer. Hopefully, it will become a regular deal. I can confirm that the 25 cars were loaded at Western Grain Marketing's Atterberry elevator, and pulled Friday. That TP&W grabbed them and took them to its home terminal in East Peoria tells me they will head east soon on the "M-train" with a Gilman destination.   Most likely, the cars contain soybeans for Incobrasa Industries. WGM-Atterberry is likely to send corn to Alto Pekin. If not trucked (or shipped by rail) to the Peoria-Pekin area fo...

Given the length of today's Norfolk Southern local on its return leg to Normal, it is obvious it did not run on Monday. The train's 57 cars are an interesting study. 1 GAMX 25133/tank car/liquid feed 2 ADMX 636112/covered hopper/grain product 3 ADMX 636008/covered hopper/grain product 4 NS 170173/coil care car/ L/C coil steel (empty) 5 TILX 642137/covered hopper/grain product 6 ADMX 64252/covered hopper/grain product 7 CTCX 730860/tank car/denatured alcohol 8 TILX 20052/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 9 TILX 402459/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 10 TILX 402161/tank car/carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid 11 MWCX 481003/covered hopper/grain product 12 ADMX 635975/covered hopper/grain product 13 TILX 641597/covered hopper/grain product 14 ITFX 650041/covered hopper/grain product 15 TILX 194307/tank car/industrial alcohol 16 UTLX 209299/tank car/industrial alcohol 17 MBKX 190038/covered hopper/grain product 18 TILX 642177/covered hopper/grain product 19 MWC...

On my way to the downtown library early this afternoon I checked out the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria and noticed an Illinois & Midland RR transfer that had just arrived. I stuck around for signs that it would return south shortly, and it did.  CAPTION: An Illinois & Midland Railroad Powerton Roadswitcher is shown on its return trip from sister Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard early afternoon Saturday, May 17, 2025. Locations are Wesley, Hilliards and Pekin, Illinois. A fourth scene shows a runby of the train's power at Distillery Road in Pekin. IORY 5014 and IMRR 2108 have 43 cars.   I missed BNSF's M-GALPEI Friday afternoon, and assumed that when the crew parked their power on the Creve Coeur Team Track, a relief crew might take it M-PEIGAL west later in the evening. Turns out, M-PEIGAL ran Saurday afternoon. I was at the downtown library when it departed, but since I knew it could not be too far west, searched for and enc...

On the first weekday of the time change I ended up seeing BNSF's M-GALPEI as well as turn back west as M-PEIGAL!   This afternoon's M-GALPEI was short - just twelve cars - but that happens from time to time, even with the usual two cycles per week. CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) has just entered Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property at Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois on an unseasonably warm mid-afternoon Monday, March 10, 2025. Minutes later, the train crosses the Illinois River on the way to East Peoria. BNSF 5654 and BNSF 6231 have twelve cars.   I left the downtown library this afternoon a little earlier than usual, and found M-PEIGAL doubled up and close to departure at the south end of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. This one had a more typical length. The added bonus was the Komatsu and Caterpillar loads.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) crosses t...

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...

I happened to be in range of radio chatter between TZPR's St. Albans dispatcher and a train this afternoon in East Peoria but did not hear many specifics, other than loads, empties and permission to depart on Wesley 8, and cross the Nickel Plate to IC Junction (Pekin). It was either an Illinois & Midland RR train or Canadian National's L557 local.    Turns out, it was the latter, becoming my first encounter (outside the confines of the East Peoria Yard) this year! Today's train must have had some seasonal ADM traffic (gluten feed pellets?) coming off the Iowa Interstate.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad double track through Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, February 4, 2025. CN 5795 and CN 8002 have 43 cars.   - David P. Jordan

After a wild goose chase thinking a late-MPECL might be climbing through Pottstown toward Pioneer on the double track, I learned that Iowa Interstate PESI had permission to depart East Peoria.    Typical of recent PESIs, seven scrap metal loads bring up the rear. There were also two industrial alcohol (UN 1170) loads, probably two gluten feed or meal loads, and an empty tank car with ADM markings. The rest were likely mash empties, though the Mississippi River is on its seasonal shut down (probably from Keokuk north) so gluten feed empties are possible as well.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls by Morton Street in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, January 3, 2025. Running on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Uptown Division, IAIS 707 and IAIS 153 have 68 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Monday afternoon, I saw Union Pacific's MPECL parked on the Low Line adjacent Adams Street Yard and decided to check in case it might be late. No luck on that but the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria turn was waiting at Iowa Junction to enter Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property. Short train, but always a nice one to catch.  CAPTION: The Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria Turn rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Krause Avenue in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, December 17, 2024. LTEX 6437, PREX 2003 and LTEX 3836 have 15 cars for TZPR's East Peoria Yard.   - David P. Jordan

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) ...

Late-Saturday morning, I headed for the downtown library but got delayed. Driving on I-74, I glanced toward the TP&W's East Peoria Yard and found a TZPR switch crew building a cut for a return run to their home yard. Short train but no less interesting encounter.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew pulls a transfer from sister Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway toward the East Peoria Yard midday Saturday, October 5, 2024. TZPR 1521 has 12 cars. Later, I found an empty BNSF coal train crossing the river. As I followed it out of town, I learned that a second train would follow, so I stuck around the south end rather than return to the library.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train E-PEKNAM (Coal Empties, Peoria/Kincaid IL to N. Antelope Mine WY) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge in Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Saturday, October 5, 2024. Later, the whole train is shown at W. Farmington Road. Coal empties came from the Kincaid Pow...

Shortly after I drove by Adams Street Yard, I picked up quite a bit of radio chatter on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's yard channel (160.500), indicating Norfolk Southern D49 and Canadian National's L557 might have been in the East Peoria Yard. I crossed the river and heard a TP&W-BNSF grain train get permission from Farmdale to P&PU Junction, by W. Washington Street, the Nickel Plate and across the river. I saw nothing while there, though I believe the NS local had just cleared Farmdale when the grain train received instructions.    BNSF's M-PEIGAL actually crossed the river ahead of the grain train, but I did not shoot any video, as did not realize what it was in time. Too bad bcause CN 3061 and CN 3334 are on the point! I stuck around to catch a Tazewell & Peoria RR local. CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, probably Industry 3, rolls by Krause Ave enroute from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria late-afternoon Tuesday, August 13, 2024. TZPR 1352...

Had I checked the Peoria, Illinois Railroads, Trains & Shortlines Facebook Group as soon as I arrived home, I would have caught Norfolk Southern train D49 heading back to Good Yard with HRZX 5003 behind the power. I did not, so I settled for a short Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local running from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, probably Industry 3, rolls toward the Illinois River Bridge at Sanger Street late-afternoon Wednesday, August 7, 2024. IMRR 43 has just three empty gondolas.   David P. Jordan

I got a pleasant surprise this morning on my way to the downtown library. Train was strung out on the Peoria Sub short of E. Washington Street. The TZPR end cab unit on the point told me a TZPR crew was aboard. The two trailing units must be needed due to the train's size and/or are heading to the diesel shop for maintenance. Train includes nine zinc oxide loads, which TP&W has been interchanging to Union Pacific via TZPR at East Peoria rather than directly via Collier Yard at Bartonville. There are 27 cars of mixed traffic and 50 Incobrasa covered hoppers. CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad crew pulls a lengthy transfer home from the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway 's East Peoria Yard. TZPR 1351, TZPR 2133 and TPW 3443 have 77 cars (11 loads, 66 empties). David P. Jordan

Last week was a dud for catching Union Pacific's MPECL trains. Both days, it ran late and I wasn't going to wait around not knowing if and when a crew was called. Despite MCLPE's late arrival on Monday, MPECL departed Peoria around the usual time (4:00pm).  Tuesday's train had a typical consist, including those wheel shipments in boxcars from the KJRY. It is always good to see boxcars on any merchandise train, especially blocked right behind the locomotives! CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road late afternoon Tuesday, June 18, 2024. UP 5767 and UP 7113 have 47 cars.   As I waited just off Krause Avenue on Peoria's south side for Union Pacific's MPECL to receive dispatcher's instructions, a pair of BNSF units rolled by me engine lite, heading west toward homes rails at S. Darst Street. I assumed the crew had just dropped off an empty feed pellet train (X-SMRPEI) for Canadian National on the Tazewe...

After locomotive issues forced a retreat late-Sunday afternoon, TP&W tried again Monday.  I caught it at Washington, but decided a power runby at the Route 8 overpass would do so I had to time to capture the train again a few miles west at Ernest Street. I missed it crossing the Farmdale Trestle but managed to capture it entering yard limits, cutting off the eight crushed limestone loads on the head end and spot them at The Rogers Group/East Peoria Materials quarry! The other cars are for interchange via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, including three tank cars (probably containing corn oil), eight DDGS loads for the Illinois & Midland, and 14 zinc oxide loads for Union Pacific.  CAPTION: An East Peoria Switcher crew went east engine lite Monday to fetch 33 manifest cars left just east of Secor late Sunday afternoon. Scenes are at the Route 8 underpass in Washington, nearby Ernest Street (whole train) and the approach to the East Peoria Yard, where the crew cuts o...