Peoria Station

I came across this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local waiting by BioUrja Renewables LLC's plant for the bridge to come down, which happened shortly. Train had four corn syrup empties (probably from PMP Fermentation Products, though those usually have ADMX markings), two other empty tank cars (possibly buffer cars), a beverage alcohol load, two denatured alcohol placarded tank cars which appear empty (second one has a home shop decal), a corn syrup tank car that appears to be loaded, and two truck chassis loads from Komatsu.   CAPTION: The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's "Industry 1" job diverges toward Bridge Junction in Peoria, Illinois early afternoon Friday, July 31, 2026. IMRR 43 has 12 cars, including two Komatsu truck chassis loads for the East Peoria Yard. A good substitute for missing Union Pacific's MPECL Friday afternoon. I have been working a lot of overtime lately, so I have less time for these encounters. I assume BNSF is still trying to run its G...

When I was in Bloomington-Normal Thursday evening, I noticed that D32 had brought in quite a few cars for TZPR and connections, including steel coils for IAIS and steel scrap for Liberty Steel & Wire. I figured they'd run D49 on Friday. But when I decided to head into East Peoria this morning, I was seconds from missing it. Driving US 150 from Morton, I noticed the tail end on TP&W's West End. Fortunately, I head a green light at E. Washington Street. I pulled into the left of two turn lanes at the N. Main Street intersection just in time to shoot a going away video. It took an hour for D49 to turn around and depart with the outbound. Midday lighting this time of year can be a challenge, but Carver Lane proved to be a good location.  Besides three steel coil loads for Iowa Interstate and 13 NS/WRWK gondolas that I believe contained scrap metal for Liberty Steel & Wire (I've seen TZPR locals handling these to and from Kickapoo Yard), there were two empty BNSF cov...

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...

While in the area, I noticed BNSF's M-GALPEI moving on the south end of the TZPR yard. Later, it was coupled to an outbound. It eventually departed, but as thunderstorms entered the area. Amazingly, the train showed up at W. Farmington Road during a lull in showers... CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road a few miles after leaving Peoria, Illinois early-evening Friday, April 17, 2026. BNSF 4462 and NS 9901 have 45 cars.   - David P. Jordan

The radio chatter between crew and dispatcher was garbled thanks to interference from abundant local plant life, so I don't know if this is Industry 4 or Lead 2. I'd think the regular job would have already run to Kickapoo Yard and back today. Eight of the train's cars are OZIX empties for Ozinga Cement Co.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local crosses the Illinois River into Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, April 13, 2026. It will diverge left for Iowa Junction and Kickapoo Yard. TZPR 1352 has nine cars. I was at work when M-GALPEI arrived, but figured I could catch the counterpart, and did. The TZPR local went ahead by a few minutes. I caught the same train with a pair of CN units on March 27, and now today's had a pair of CSX units! Must be a lot of foreign power available at Galesburg these days. Today's train had seven more of those OZIX loads, and some of the usual traffic, including a healthy cut from TP&W (probably the last 30 cars...

CAPTION: Burlington Northern's westbound local, 13814, is shown shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois on Wednesday morning,  October 18, 1995. Three unidentified geeps have 78 cars. Burlington Northern and Norfolk Southern shifted most carload interchange from Chicago to Peoria that month, swelling consists on existing trains. After creating a slideshow/narration video of Burlington Northern local 13814 from October 18, 1995, I got to thinking...what if I could catch a BNSF train in the same spot moving in the same direction on the 30th anniversary? I would have preferred M-PEIGAL (a possible scenario given some recent Saturday runs), but had to settle for an empty Kincaid coal train to recreate my encounter with 13814 exactly 30 years ago today!  CAPTION: BNSF Railway ran this train of coal empties out of Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, October 18, 2025. The train, originating at the Kincaid Generating Station near Pawnee, Illinois on the Illinois & Midland RR...

After work, I made my usual trip to the downtown library, with appropriate detours.   After exiting I-74 in East Peoria, I noticed what I thought might be a Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train preparing to shove a few tank cars out of the west end of the yard and run Norfolk Southern's Bloomington District to Crandall Junction and then into Morton. Turns out, it was probably just a short train returning from Collier Yard in Bartonville.   Shortly, I heard the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad dispatcher give BNSF's M-GALPEI permission to enter his property at Darst Street when river traffic cleared and the bridge was lowered. That gave me time to get to Krause Avenue in time to capture the train's passage.  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 late-afternoon Monday, September 22, 2025. BNSF 7167 and BNSF 6748 have 30 cars for the Eas...

I left work this afternoon for the downtown library but first checked East Peoria for any rail action. No Norfolk Southern D49, but BNSF's M-PEIGAL was in the yard. I soon heard some radio chatter that told me the Keokuk Junction Railway's Kolbe-East Peoria Turn had been given permission to run the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad from Iowa Junction to East Peoria. But after crossing the river, I saw it about to enter Bridge Junction. Apparently, the train was already enroute or I took longer to get across the river than I thought. Oh well, the train had only six cars.    Not long afterward, I heard the BNSF crew ask for head room to grab cars from Track A-27. That told me I had time to go to the library (and get copies of those articles I posted for today's THIS DAY IN HISTORY). I left the library early to check on the BNSF train. About 1730 hours, the crew asked permission to depart for Darst Street. Minutes laterm the KJRY crew asked to follow the BNSF train. So I crosse...

I missed M-GALPEI's arrival but after my routine visit to the downtown library, I returned to East Peoria to check on M-PEIGAL with the assumption it would run in the evening.   Sure enough, the crew was putting together its train but re-crewed before departure. Highlights on today's train include one more of those Dash 9-44CW Norfolk Southern sold to Relco (Albia, Iowa), four Caterpillar D9 track-type tractor loads and the three iron oxide loads TP&W delivered to TZPR on Sunday.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) comes off the "New Horn" after crossing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge early evening Monday, July 21, 2025. BNSF 7475 and NS 1078 have ex-NS 3946 (sold to Relco) and 28 cars. The three BNSF steel hoppers mid-train contain iron oxide, and were delivered to TZPR by TP&W on Sunday.   - David P. Jordan

Running a day early for some reason.    The block of 29 empty flatcars on the head end look like the kind used to haul concrete crossties, but why they are moving empty to Peoria is not clear.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Rockhill Road near Oak Hill, Illinois early evening Sunday, June 1, 2025. BNSF 9237 and BNSF 5655 have 51 cars. Note 29 BNSF flat cars on the head end.   Also notable is that late this afternoon, I noticed three loaded ballast hoppers and two rip-rap loaded air-dump cars parked on the east end of the New Long Main in Peoria. I'm thinking a bridge replacement project is planned somewhere along the Peoria Subdivision.    - David P. Jordan

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...

When I drove by the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard after work this afternoon, I noticed BNSF power at the south end. I was to late to see M-GALPEI's arrival, but knew I had a chance to see M-PEIGAL flip back west after leaving the downtown library.   The Komatsu chassis load and empty BNSF flat car were pulled by TZPR Industry 2 on Friday. The non-placarded tank car right behind them might well contain distillers corn oil from BioUrja.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and onto home rails at S. Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois early evening Monday, May 12, 2025. A short time later, the train rolls toward W. Farmington Road. BNSF 5893 and BNSF 6740 have 21 cars.  - David P. Jordan

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 ...

This was probably the neatest BNSF manifest out of Peoria in awhile. Notable items in the consist include:   - Four flatcar loads of Caterpillar equipment (two D10s, with undercarriage components on separate cars) bound for Caterpillar Japan Ltd. via the ports of Tacoma, Washington and Yokohama, Japan.    - Five boxcars returning empty from Sweetener Supply Corp in Wolcott, Indiana. The first one, HKRX 6807, was on TP&W's westbound road freight to East Peoria on Wednesday (April 16). Four more - CIBX 101096, ITFX 150290, ITFX 150293 and ITFX 150345 - were the TP&W's westbound on Sunday (April 13). All are assigned to bagged salt service, probably out of Compass Minerals' Lyons, Kansas "mechanical evaporation" facility on the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO).    - Also on Sunday's westbound was BNSF 646171, a steel hopper laden with iron oxide shipped from Waelz Sustainable Products' Clymers, Indiana plant.    - Right behind the BNSF...

I missed M-GALPEI's arrival this morning before 10:00, but it appears to have been made up of 27 tank cars, possibly all TP&W-bound nitrogen fertilizer solution loads from Koch Nitrogen (OCI Iowa Fertilizer Co.) at Wever, Iowa. I did stick around to see M-PEIGAL though.    I don't know if this was a third cycle for the week, or if it was operated late due to New Year's Eve/New Year's Day. Normally, M-GALPEI/M-PEIGAL cycle on Mondays and Thursdays with a third cycle as needed on Saturday (usually) or Sunday.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) crosses the Illinois River mid-afternoon Saturday, January 4, 2025. Later, the whole train is shown crossing Sanger Street a short distance away. BNSF 3973 and BNSF 4085 have 25 cars. - David P. Jordan

I missed BNSF M-GALPEI coming into town early this afternoon, but checked later for the chance the crew would turn back with M-PEIGAL. No such happening. Instead, the crew was driven to Grove where it boarded the feed train brought up by CN yesterday.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train G-PEISMR (Grain, Peoria IL to Summerfield TX) is shown in several scenes departing the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and on home rails mid- to late-afternoon Sunday, October 27, 2024. BNSF 4401 and BNSF 3896 had 100 gluten feed pellet loads. Entire train is shown at W. Farmington Road. Final scene is a power runby at Kramm Road, just west of Edwards.    - David P. Jordan

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.   ...

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 captured BNSF Railway's Peoria-bound freight Saturday afternoon.  I assume this would have been Thursday's train, but it apparently didn't run that day. Cars were added at Gilson Siding, but I arrived after the crew finished putting the train together.  There is good variety of traffic on this one - a block of ten nitrogen fertilizer solution tank cars on the head end (another probable seven-car block near the end), four salt boxcars, New Mexico potash, a Methyl Chloride tank car, a likely zinc ingot load for Liberty Steel & Wire, two RBOX hi-cubes with unknown content, plastic, scrap metal, sodium bicarbonate and maybe some animal fat.  CAPTION:  BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls across Knox Road 1400 E near Maquon, Illinois after adding cars from the siding at Gilson late Saturday afternoon, January 7, 2023. BNSF 1706-3194-2568 have 76 cars. - David P. Jordan  

After a trip to Lafayette, Indiana and return, I came home and happened to catch BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL! As I glanced from I-474, I probably mistook an earlier M-GALPEI (parked on the New Long Main for the week!) for an M-PEIGAL on the mainline. After a brief turnaround in Bartonville, all I could see was the M-GALPEI. But then I heard radio chatter about a "BNSF 8386 West." I found it racing under Harmon Highway (Rt. 116), so I tried to get ahead of it. I could have stopped at Pottstown, but the shadows were bad. I opted for Kramm Road, where M-PEIGAL rolled by just before 1900 hours. BNSF 8386 and BNSF 6674 have 45 cars. Sunday isn't the usual day for this train (or counterpart M-GALPEI), but operations on BNSF's Galesburg-Peoria line have yet to recover from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad bridge outage from May 21 to June 30.  - David P. Jordan