Peoria Station

A rainy first half of the week, and late-departure of Union Pacific's MPECL starved me of train videos until today. After work, I intended to visit the downtown library, but first checked activity at the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard. I'm glad I did because the Keokuk Junction Railway's East Peoria turn had just pulled through the yard and stopped under the Cedar Street Extension. Wednesday's eastbound from western Illinois (La Harpe, or wherever the cfrew tied up last) included the road's newest unit, LTEX 3836. It was trailing on the East Peoria run, so it would lead on the westbound leg. But first, I received word that a westbound TP&W road freight was nearing Washington. So I quickly drove to Ernest Street and waited. Sure enough, the train showed up about five minutes later. CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train M-EFEP (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL) rolls by Ernest Street in Washington, Illinois late-afternoon T...

I actually heard the horn just seconds before getting into my car at work.. Per another source, the FE Trading gons were scrap metal loads from Hitchcock's Canton transload consigned to Steel Dynamics in Butler, Indiana (which makes sense with all the junk loads moving the other direction in subsidiary OmniTrax gons).  The two BNSF covered hoppers were loaded with organic corn at Consolidated Grain & Barge Co's Burnside elevator and consigned to Rohrerstown, Pennsylvania. All were interchanged from the Keokuk Junction Railway via the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at East Peoria.   CAPTION: Norfolk Southern train D49 (Normal IL to East Peoria IL turn) rolls by Deer Creek, Illinois on its return leg mid-afternoon Tuesday, May 9, 2023. NS 7014 and NS 3228 have 24 cars.   Going east to get the NS train risked missing my usual encounter with Union Pacific's MPECL, but I was able to catch it on the city's northwest side. Although a short train pulled by a single moto...

Finally, I caught the Keokuk Junction Railway switching Hitchcock Scrap Yard Inc's new Canton transload facility! Monday's regular westbound local left Mapleton with two loaded gondolas consigned to Hitchcock. They were placed on the rear of the short train to make dropping them easier and to avoid blocking Rt. 78.  This was the first time I've ever  watched a railroad switch an industry in Fulton County's largest city! Of course, there is a good reason for this - for decades, Canton has had no railroad-served industries .  When International Harvester Co. closed in late 1983, it seems that there were no others left that required rail servicde. Freeman United Coal Mining Co. closed its nearby Buckheart Mine in 1984 and  Burlington Northern closed its freight agency that year. The railroad continued local train service (Train No. 13815 out of Galesburg) for several more years to deliver lime to Central Illinois Light Company's Duck Creek Station and...

Business at Hitchcock Scrap Yard Inc's Canton property has been picking up a bit.  After an apparent lull from February activity, more regular operations have been noted in recent weeks. In fact, twice since mid-May the Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) has spotted a couple gondolas at a time here. Another car shown above arrived Wednesday.  Those prior cars carried markings (OMNX) used by OmniSource Inc., a Fort Wayne, Indiana-based metal recycler owned by Steel Dynamics Inc. While most observers have assumed Hitchcock would load scrap metal here and ship it to in Keokuk (Amsted Rail Griffin Wheel Div.) and perhaps Bartonville (Alter Metal Recycling/Keystone Steel & Wire), it appears all traffic is inbound, reportedly junk from auto parts plants. Loads are coming from Norfolk Southern. It is good to see a new rail user in Canton (the only one actually) and new business on the Keokuk Junction Railway. Hopefully, the relationship will be long and generate a substan...

Hitchcock Scrap Yard received the first railcar today at its new Canton property. Early Thursday afternoon, a westbound Keokuk Junction Railway train dropped SOU 63029, an empty gondola, on the short siding adjacent Hitchcock's newly-leased property.  Last October, the Canton-based scrap metal processing and recycling firm entered into a lease with the City for property on the south side of the former International Harvester Company property. An article in the Fulton Democrat was the basis for this blog post .  The gondola parked adjacent Hitchcock property will probably be dismantled for scrap. That is because the car was built in March 1968 (see below).  The Association of American Railroads (AAR) restricts railcars manufactured before July 1974 to 40 years in interchange service unless rebuilt. Cars exceeding 40 years can still be operating in captive service on one carrier, however.  Hitchcock may be planning to use is new property to ...

An area shortline is getting a new customer.  Hitchcock Scrap Yard Inc. (HSY) plans an operation on the south side of the former International Harvester Co. Canton plant. Today's  Fulton Democrat  tells us that The city has a lease agreement with Hitchcock Scrap Yard on some property that runs close to a railroad spur. They plan to scrap steel there, load into rail cars and ship it out, said Mayor Kent McDowell. Rail service will be provided by the Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY). I shot the above photo April 11, 2009 when Agridyne LLC was transloading steepwater into tank cars spotted on this KJRY, siding, trucking it from the nearby Riverland Biofuels plant. Hitchcock Scrap Yard's new facility will be located just behind the tank cars.  The most likely destination for scrap shipped from Canton is Amsted Rail's Griffin Wheel Corp. foundry in Keokuk, Iowa. BNSF serves this plant, but KJRY has access through a reciprocal switching agreement. Keysto...