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...

Despite the heat and humidity, I went out this morning after learning an an Iowa Interstate ZENO-E train was due into Peoria. At San Koty (a few miles north of Peoria), I made a right from Rt. 29 across the track and parked by the Firefighter training center with seconds to spare before I heard the horn. The train had a block of manifest cars on the head end. I can confirm that there were 23 as they were set out at the North Limit Yard, and the empty coil steel car was last. Sometime in early afternoon, the rest of the train crossed the river and left it on Main 2 at Hilliards, breaking it at the elevator access road crossing.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate train ZENO-E (Grain, Atlantic IA to Peoria IL) rolls by San Koty, Illinois a few miles from the North Limit Yard in Peoria, Illinois, where 23 manifest cars on the head end were set out. The 111 grain loads will go to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track main. IAIS 501 and IAIS 506 have 134 cars. In mid-afternoon,...

It wasn't a manifest, and had to hold my camera for 9 minutes, 40 seconds thanks to 10mph speeds on TZPR's double track Pekin mainline, but coal trains may be gone from the area in a few years... CAPTION: BNSF Railway train C-NAMPEK (Coal Loads, N. Antelope Mine WY to Peoria/Kincaid IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois late-afternoon Sunday, June 7, 2026. BNSF 9096 and BNSF 9241 were on the point of the 135-car train. BNSF 9098 is DPU. - David P. Jordan

Not sure what is with CSXT units leading local freight trains, but I don't mind. Notably, CSXT 775 was involved in that near-collision April 2 in Bushnell Florida. It was leading the train that scraped the rear of a school bus after the bus driver decided to cross in front of it. She was fired and arrested for her stupidity.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin mainline late-afternoon Tuesday, May 19, 2026. CSXT 775 and CN 3192 have 40 cars. CSX coil steel car is for Hanna Steel. Two FSR gondolas are loaded with scrap metal from KJRY-served Hitchcock Scrap Yard in Canton. Tuesday was one of those rare occasions that Union Pacific's MPECL is called late, and I can see it. I actually stumbled on it accidentally, and by chance got it after missing its departure. Consist is surprisingly short since Friday's train reportedly was made up of just 49 empty plastic pellet covere...

Canadian National's Peoria Sub was busy today. An empty grain train was delivered to Iowa Interstate, local L557 worked south as usual on Thursday, and a weed sprayer train ran north, entered the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at IC Junction in Pekin, turned at Wesley and headed back south to home rails this afternoon.  CAPTION: A Canadian National weed spray train is shown mid- to late-afternoon Thursday, April 23, 2026 rolling along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois. Later, it is shown on home rails at IC Junction in downtown Pekin, at 5th Street near South Pekin, and again at the intersection with Main Street in South Pekin. CN 5289, an SD40-2W, has six cars.   - David P. Jordan

Old 3192 remains on the L556/L557 for now. First car is that coal load that I saw on MPECL March 13. I guess it is finally going back to ADM at Decatur. The HOME SHOP FOR REPAIR DO NOT LOAD decal is interesting, as the car is already loaded. An empty tank car, which last contained sodium hydroxide solution, came from PMP Fermentation Products in Peoria. Alcohol loads are probably from both BioUrja and Alto plants. The two boxcars on the rear are zinc ingot empties from Liberty Steel & Wire.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls by Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin double track mid-afternoon Tuesday, April 14, 2026. CN 3192 has 40 cars.   Des Moines haulage grain trains haven't run on the Iowa Interstate (IAIS) since August 2021, and those had 85 cars. This one is probably for loading at an IAIS-served elevator, in which case the Regional gets a rate division. NS power must...

This afternoon, I was able to capture this IAIS-CN grain extra on the CN side. The train rolled right through downtown Pekin at or near posted speed limit (10mph). That was in contrast to my first encounter with the train on February 15 when the conductor de-trained and walked it across 3rd Street at no more than 2-3mph!    I don't know how long several Iowa Interstate-served elevators - reportedly Landus Coop at Atlantic and Adair and Heartland Coop at Dexter, Kellogg and Malcolm - will continue these trains but this is great for variety of activity on two lines which serve Peoria.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway grain extra G888 (E. Peoria IL to Helvetia LA) is shown in various stages and at various locations on Saturday afternoon, April 11, 2026. The crew ran engine lite from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Creve Coeur Team Track down Main No. 1 then crossed over to No. 2 to attach to the train at Hilliards. After departing an hour later, power runbys are...

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

I saw posts on this and hesitated to come into town, figuring I'd be too late. Turns out, I came in time. I still must get used to seeing those empty salt boxcars on Union Pacific. Looks like loads are delivered directly to TP&W at Collier Yard and empties are received via TZPR. The four scrap metal loads and carbon dioxide refrigerated liquid tank car do not make regular appearances on these trains. As for the former, Alter Metal Recycling probably has excess scrap metal to ship to customers outside the area.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train LPD01 ("Peoria Wayfreight") eases to a stop at Darst Street late-afternoon Monday, March 30, 2026 so the conductor can detrain and line the switch before entering home rails. UP 7365 and UP 7006 have a healthy 50 cars (25 loads, 25 empties).   After the Union Pacific train crossed the river, TZPR's Industry 4 followed to run to the West Yard and switch BioUrja's Alcohol Tracks. I did not see this train, and I was waitin...

List, I went to Peoria via I-474 this afternoon and encountered two TZPR Industry Jobs heading back to East Peoria. Good thing Ozinga Cement Co. opened its barge-rail dock late last year, or today's train returning from Kickapoo Yard would have had but two cars!    The other, probably "Industry 1," has corn syrup empties from PMP Fermentation Products, alcohol loads and empties (the first with alcohol placards was empty, the others are possibly buffer cars) from BioUrja Renewables LLC and two Komatsu truck chassis loads. The first four cars, all tank cars, appear to be loads, and I assume the Iowa Interstate has recently left them at the North Limit Yard.  CAPTION: Two Tazewell & Peoria RR "Industry Jobs" roll across the Illinois River in quick succession enroute home mid-afternoon Friday, March 27, 2026. TZPR 1351, returning from Kickapoo Yard, has 14 cars for East Peoria. IMRR 43, returning from working the Uptown Subdivision, has 18 cars for East Peo...

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 ...

I happened upon this train at Wesley, having just departed. Notables in the consist include three TZPR gondolas with unknown loads (possibly steel billets from Liberty Steel & Wire) and two twin-bay covered hoppers, most likely loaded with granulated slag from Harsco's Powerton facility. The three covered hoppers on the rear, likely loaded with dry fertilizer, were the same three I saw on that Tazewell & Peoria RR local Sunday afternoon.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls by Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's double track shortly after leaving East Peoria mid-afternoon Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Later, the train enters Pekin, and then home rails at IC Junction. CN 3192 has 19 cars.   - David P. Jordan

While out Sunday afternoon, I decided to check on a few things. Nothing new to report on Ozinga Cement Co. or Viridis Chemical, but I did happen to see a Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local building a train at Kickapoo Yard. Shortly, it received instructions to East Peoria and I caught it at two locations.   Coiled wire rod loads are from Liberty Steel & Wire and scrap metal is from Alter Metal Recycling (Clarke Street facility and/or or the one on Liberty property in Bartonville). A gondola or two in between might have been loaded with steel billets. The tank cars were asphalt empties pulled from Interstate Asphalt Corp's Peoria River Terminal and the covered hoppers were likely DDGS loads from BioUrja South Yard.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, indicated to be "Lead 2" by radio chatter, runs from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria, mid-afternoon Sunday, November 23, 2025. Shown working upgrade toward Darst Street and again crossing the river, TZPR ...

I heard radio chatter about a Keokuk Junction Railway train, though I could not confirm whether it had just arrived the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard or was about to depart. I did, however, catch Canadian National Railway's L557 local leaving on the south end.    A contractor (L. B. Foster, I think) is replacing crossties on Main 2 at Hilliards, so L557 used Main 1 instead. The conductor rode the steps on the lead unit as it passed track equipment. Given the train's glacial passage, I decided on a second try just south of IC Junction in downtown Pekin.    The train did not stop in town to pick up any local cars for Amerhart or Hanna Steel, though it may have had empties to pull from Hanna Steel, which they might switch on the train's rear end.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls gingerly on Main 1 of the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Pekin doubletrack at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), I...

I was stuck at work until 3:00pm today but learned that a Norfolk Southern extra (D09) had been called to fetch 53 grain loads from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria. In late-summer, local grain elevators empty their silos to prepare for the harvest, thus unusual movements like this.     ADM Grain Co's Hilliards (Creve Coeur) elevator loaded these cars during the past week. The elevator can only handle 25 (or so) at a time, so TZPR had to pull one cut and spot more and combine them. I noticed what was probably part of the train sitting on the Nickel Plate on Thursday. Given the train's length, I am assuming it is consigned to an ADM plant in Decatur.  CAPTION: Norfolk Southern Train D09 (Bloomington District Extra) rolls between Deer Creek and Goodfield, Illinois mid-afternoon on September 6, 2025, a rare Saturday run out of East Peoria. NS 7561 and NS 9747 have 53 cars loaded at ADM Grain's Hilliards, Illinois elevator.   - David P. Jorda...

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 &...

Since TP&W pulled an empty herbicide tank car from Fort Transfer at Morton late-Monday night, I figured it might be on Canadian National's L557 today.    It was not.   I doubt TP&W delivered the car to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in time for it to make L557's Tuesday run. I could be wrong because I did not see that the CN train that day.   Thursday's train was short, but the empty gondola is encouraging, indicating CN is originating scrap metal for Liberty Steel & Wire Co. again.   CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad double track Pekin main at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois at sunset Thursday, August 14, 2025. CN 8830, CN 5654, CN 8920 and CN 2313 have eight cars. - 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...

Heading to the downtown library, I made a side trip to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard and found the Canadian National local, L557, departing for Decatur.    Out of curiosity, I re-watched (and re-counted) Tuesday's Iowa Interstate SIPE, suspecting that IAIS and CN have been exchanging heavy ADM traffic (or at least ADM empties). Below is a list of SIPE-01's train. An asterisk (*) denotes cars which ran through on today's CN local. L = Loads, E = Empties.    1 L SOXX 638299 *2 L MWCX 420341 *3 L ITFX 650139 *4 L ADMX 63144 *5 L ADMX 635570 *6 L ITFX 650060 *7 L ADMX 636011 *8 L ADMX 190032 *9 L ADMX 63638 *10 L ADMX 64207 ---------------------- 11 E UTLX 208928 12 E TCBX 306193 13 E ADMX 54013 14 L ADMX 63027 15 L TILX 649750 ------------------ *16 E ITFX 650153 *17 E TILX 649807 *18 E TILX 636789 *19 E ADMX 64011 *20 E ADMX 636206 *21 E CITX 701596 *22 E ADMX 64368 *23 E ADMX 636032 *24 L ADMX 63614 *25 L ADMX 63994 *26 E SOXX 638305 -----...

The local rail scene was busy in Tuesday afternoon.  Apparently, CN runs an extra symbol, L500, in the Chicago region. Regular train L557 as already reported through Delavan a few hours ahead of the monster freight I saw this afternoon. The train was heavy with ADM/leaser covered hoppers, both loads and empties. I can only guess that there is a significant volume of traffic exchanged between Iowa Interstate and Canadian National via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, and/or rail-to-barge movements.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L500 (Chicago Region Extra, as needed) rolls along the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Hilliards (Creve Coeur), Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The train stopped here so a BNSF crew could couple two units to the head end of gluten feed pellet train G-PEISMR. Next scene shows L500 moving again. After switching mains at Grove, the whole train is shown entering Pekin. CN 3122 and CN 2226 have 79 cars. I cut back the first sce...