Peoria Station

I went to the Wesley Road crossing at Hilliards, and the flashers and gates activated briefly then went back up. I looked both ways and just saw a feed train cut at crossing. No sign of L557. I headed south on Rt. 29. The CN-IAIS grain train (not sure if loaded or empty) was at Pekin. I went into Pekin, got gas at Circle K (40 cents off 4-7pm this evening!) and headed back north. I encountered L557 at Grove so I turned around and found a spot at IC Junction. Lighting was poor, but can't have everything...   I should note that the CSX coil steel car was brought up to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard by last night's L556 and left with the two units on the Creve Coeur Team Track. They seem to be doing this with cars for local industries (Hanna Steel, Amerhart) instead of leaving them at that siding in Pekin.    The empty hydrochloric acid tank car is interesting. Perhaps the Iowa Interstate Railroad received this car when loaded and it has returned ...

After crossing the river on Interstate 474, I heard the Canadian National local crew get a warrant from IC Junction south (probably to Mount Pulaski). I figured the train had just departed East Peoria, so I turned around. It was passing Hilliards when I got back across the river. Train had a scrap metal load, alcohol loads and some ADM grain product loads from the Iowa Interstate.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad as it enters Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, April 7, 2026. CN 3192 left East Peoria with 30 cars, and added three empties from Hanna Steel. Other scenes are at IC Junction in Pekin and at Hanna Drive. Final scene is at Fifth Street near South Pekin.   - David P. Jordan

While hoping to see CN's local, I happened upon the Illinois & Midland RR local on its return leg from East Peoria to Powerton. The tank car was loaded, though I'm not sure with what. I'm guessing soybean oil for Agridyne LLC at Crescent. Then we have 14 loaded covered hoppers. As there are no ADM markings, I figure these are DDG loads from The Andersons at Clymers, Indiana that had come off the TP&W. These are followed by eleven zinc oxide loads for which IMRR acts as a bridge route between TP&W (East Peoria/TZPR) and CPKC (Springfield). A denatured alcohol load and empty bathtub coal car bring up the rear.  CAPTION: An Illinois & Midland Railroad Powerton Roadswitcher rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, March 17, 2026. HESR 2107 and IMRR 2108 have 28 cars.   After capturing the Illinois & Midland RR local, I saw that the CN local had already departed, but figured it was still ...

When I found it, CN's L557 was stopped after finishing working at Hanna Steel, so it is possible the hi-cube CN boxcar up front was pulled from Amerhart. But it might be a zinc ingot empty car from Liberty Steel & Wire Co.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls across Fifth Street near South Pekin, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. CN 3192 has four cars.   On my way from South Pekin to the downtown Peoria library, I encountered this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad industry Job.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad "Industry Job" rolls by Darst Street and Krause Avenue in Peoria, Illinois enroute from Kickapoo Yard to the East Peoria Yard late-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. HESR 2107 has six cars.   - David P. Jordan

Thanks to social media, I was able to intercept Canadian National's L557 local this afternoon.    Before I left work, I knew the crew had run their locomotives into the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. If I wanted to see it, I needed to get to Pekin fast. So I took Rt. 98 out of Morton, then cut through Groveland to Sheridan Road, took a left onto Veterans Road and made my way through Pekin's south side to find L557 just entering home rails at IC Junction. I simply turned left onto Washington Street, rolled down my window and started shooting.    It appears that when the 45-car train left East Peoria this afternoon, only the two loaded alcohol tank cars were from local industry; the other 43 cars were ADM traffic - probably from the Iowa Interstate - including five loaded corn syrup tank cars! CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown at Washington Street in Pekin, Illinois mid-afternoon Thursd...

I was forced to work two hours over this afternoon, but this being a Thursday, I decided to hcheck on Union Pacific's MBNAS at Bloomington. The train had apparently departed just before I arrived. Amtrak 318, which MBNAS usually waits to pass before departure was running over an hour late, and had only just left Springfield. I figured the dispatcher instructed MBNAS to leave a little early and take a siding at McLean, Athol (Lincoln) or further south.    Green signal indications, however, told me that a southbound was already lined through Normal and Bloomington, so I headed south of I-55 and exited at McLean where the signal was still dark. That's when I learned of the CN local's activities in Pekin. So to ensure at least some of my time and gas wasn't wasted, I headed west on Rt. 136, and then followed the CN's Peoria Sub as best I could hoping for an encounter.    I ended up going all the way back to Pekin. I stopped at Hanna Drive and thought I saw a headlig...

I checked the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard enroute to the downtown library this afternoon, and came across this train already talking to the dispatcher for instructions.    I never made it to the library.   A section of Wesley Road is closed on either side of the crossing at Wesley East, so the first spot for video was Hilliards. Although a short train with nothing spectacular for power or consist (the usual gluten feed/meal/DDGS/alcohol from Alto Pekin plants), I decided to shoot another scene in downtown Pekin and then check if any local switching needed to be done at Amerhart Ltd. or Hanna Steel Corp.    Turns out, L557 stopped across Hanna Drive to pull three coil steel empties from Hanna Steel. I waited at 5th Street near South Pekin for a third scene.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown  at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois  rolling along the Tazewell &...

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...

Canadian National Railway acquired the Illinois Central Railroad in July 1999, almost a quarter century ago, so it is good to see IC black units still roaming the area.  When I left work, learned that L557 had departed the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard and was working at Pekin. So went to Hanna Drive, arriving in time to watch the train shoving a loaded centerbeam flat car into Amerhart Ltd. An empty coil care car on the head end indicates that the crew had already switched Hanna Steel.  CAPTION: Canadian National train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls across Fifth Street near South Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, January 11, 2024. IC 1036 and IC 1038 have 22 cars.   - David P. Jordan

The captions pretty much say it all. I was disappointed that there was no KJRY interchange, or little if any TP&W interchange.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, June 6, 2023. UP 8949 and UP 8904 have 36 cars. At various times, a large number of loads (corn gluten feed, distillers' dried grain, corn germ, etc.) and empties move from ADM's Cedar Rapids, Iowa plant to Canadian National Railway-served points via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. Today's CN local demonstrates this in extreme! CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown at various locations in and near Pekin, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, June 6, 2023. CN 8892 and CN 5799 coupled to its 88-car train on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin Main No. 2 at Hilliards. At Pekin, L557 pulled an empty boxcar fr...

Just before leaving work this afternoon, social media provided a heads up that Canadian National's L557 local had permission to leave East Peoria with work to be done at Pekin and Emden. I figured I could intercept it at Pekin. Sure enough, that is where I found it. When I arrived, the crew had already pulled four empties from Hanna Steel. Due to backlighting, I elected not to capture them shoving several coil steel loads into the plant. I did, however, capture switching operations at Amerhart Ltd's facility. After that, I waited at 5th Street for the train's imminent departure.  After Delavan, I made a vain attempt to capture Union Pacific's MBNAS at Lincoln. I figured it would appear around 6:45 or 7:00, but there was no sign of it. Now I wish I'd stayed with the CN local at Emden.  Finally, I managed a final video as the train banged across the Union Pacific diamond at Lincoln.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is...

I missed BNSF Railway's M-PEIGAL, which ran Wednesday afternoon. I probably could have caught it at Edwards had I taken I-74 direct, but thought the crew would stop and radio the dispatcher for instructions after getting onto home rails at Darst Street. This afternoon, social media indicated an M-GALPEI was in the line-up. Ahead of it was another train of grain empties for TP&W, which happens to be the second (or second known) X-HERPEI since Sunday! When I arrived Peoria's south edge, I noticed the train sitting at S. Darst Street. A TP&W crew was aboard and shortly asked for dispatcher instructions. Due to lighting, I waited until East Peoria for video.  This train is bound for either Grainland Co-operative's Cruger elevator or Prairie Central Co-operative's new Greenfield (Chenoa) elevator.  CAPTION:   BNSF Railway brought another X-HERPEI (Grain Empties, Hereford TX to Peoria IL) to TP&W early afternoon Thursday, April 6, 2023. Shown at N. Main Street in ...

Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) is shown at several locations between East Peoria, Pekin and South Pekin, Illinois late Thursday afternoon and into the evening. GTW 5852 has 19 cars, including a Caterpillar D11 track-type tractor load, which is exceedingly rare for this train! I can't recall the last time I saw one of these on a southbound CN local here! One possible destination is Atlantic Tractor & Equipment Co. Ltd. in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The whole train is shown at Hilliards on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track, at Pekin after entering home rails and at Fifth Street near South Pekin. In between the last two, L557 delivered one lumber load and four coil steel loads to Amerhart and Hanna Steel, respectively. I should also note that the tank car on the rear, UTLX 671547, was the herbicide empty pulled from Morton by a TP&W crew last Friday.  - David P. Jordan

After leaving the downtown library this evening, I checked the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard to see if Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria to Decatur IL) was still around, and getting ready to depart.    Turns out, it actually was still in the yard waiting on an empty BNSF coal train out of Powerton to clear Wesley Junction. (It also met a loaded BNSF grain train, which followed the empty coal. This train was loaded on the TP&W.)   I shot the train at four locations. Video shows power runbys at Hilliards and Pekin (N. 2nd Street and IC Junction), and then the whole train at 5th Street near South Pekin. I actually got the entire train at Hilliards but I didn't think its glacial speed was sufficiently entertaining... CN 5696 and CN 5643 left East Peoria with 71 cars, adding five empties from Hanna Steel at Pekin. I think I heard correctly that the train had eight loads.  Note some nearly brand new (2021) CN covered hoppers sprinkled ...

My first encounter with Canadian National Railway local L557 ( E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) in two months! In the video, the train is shown first at Derby Street in Pekin pulling three lumber (for Amerhart) and three steel coil loads (for Hanna Steel) off the siding. Due to rainy weather, I didn't record switching movements at Amerhart and Hanna Steel.  After delivering these cars to local industries, the crew shoved an empty boxcar pulled from Amerhart into the consist and headed south. IC 1024 and CN 8894 have eleven cars. I hadn't seen a boxcar at Amerhart for awhile. It was good to see the load and empty being handled by the CN local crew today! - David P. Jordan

I knew CN's Peoria Local, L556, had been using a pair of IC black units this week - IC 6250 (SD40-3) and IC 1000 (SD70), so after work, I drove to Creve Coeur hoping to see them lead L557 south. I wasn't disappointed, as the train was leaving TZPR's East Peoria Yard as I crossed the double track on Wesley Road. I shot a few stills at Wesley and then waited at Hilliards to shoot video. The train, running Main 1, slowed to a crawl and stopped short of the Grove crossover to wait for an empty BNSF coal train to go by. When it resmed its run, it crossed to Main 2. I got some power runbys at North 2nd Street in Pekin and again at Koch Street after the train picked up a lumber load and eight coil steel loads for Amerhart and Hanna Steel, respectively. IC 6250, IC 1000 and CN 2639 have 64 cars. The first 38 cars were ADM empties, probably last contained feed. The other 26 were "normal traffic" including alcohol, distillers' grain mash and carbon dioxide gas. An empty...

  I again caught a Canadian National Railway switching Amerhart and Hanna Steel. Thursday, March 25, 2021, I happened to hear radio chatter between the crew of Canadian National Railway's southbound local, L557, and the dispatcher. I only caught part of the conversation but knew the dispatcher had given L557's crew a track warrant to run from IC Junction at Pekin to Mount Pulaski. That meant the train was close to Pekin. I was just across the river. So it was prudent to investigate.  I saw five steel coil loads and three lumber loads left at the siding just north of Derby Street. The northbound local, L556, usually leaves these cars for the next day's L557. But where was L557? Moments later, I found a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (TZPR) crew assembling a train for East Peoria. Their dispatcher (based at St. Albans, Vermont) gave them permission to run past IC Junction to East Peoria. So either the CN local had just cleared IC Junction or had yet to leave East Peoria. Turn...

Tuesday, June 23, 2020, offered me an opportunity to watch Canadian National Railway local L557 (E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) switching two customers at Pekin, Illinois' Riverway Business Park. I found the train pausing along Route 29, which enabled me to wait off of N. 3rd Street in downtown Pekin for its passage. CN 5735 and KCS 5019 had departed the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard with 34 cars.  The train stopped at the siding near Derby Street to twelve cars - two lumber loads for Amerhart Ltd., a coil steel load for Hanna Steel Corp., and nine grain empties. Switching operations begin at the 7:11 mark. Final scene shows the now 43-car train at Fifth Street near South Pekin, where the nine grain empties will be setout. Back in April, Canadian National implemented a new schedule for its local trains here. Northbound L556 runs from Decatur to E. Peoria Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Southbound L557 runs Tuesday and Thursday. Friday's L556 ...