Peoria Station

On my way to the Davenport Train Show Saturday morning, I noticed the rear of an empty coal train approaching Knoxville on BNSF's Peoria Subdivision. I was able to set up at County Highway 10 crossing in time for video. Train came from the Kincaid Power Station on the Illinois & Midland Railroad. A BNSF crew took over at Crescent/Powerton Yard. CAPTION: An empty BNSF coal train rolls across County Highway 10 at Knoxville, Illinois late-morning Saturday, April 5, 2025. Shown nearing the end the train's run on the Peoria Subdivision, BNSF 6018 and BNSF 9080 are on the point. BNSF 8560 is DPU.   My return home via a different route and knowledge that Iowa Interstate train PESI had passed Mossville at 1805 hours led to an encounter at Putnam. The empty "Crandic" boxcar was apparently bad ordered by BNSF at Galesburg and routed to the IAIS at Peoria (via TZPR). Boxcars are rare on the IAIS Peoria Sub.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peori...

As I left work, I learned that BNSF's M-PEIGAL received permission from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad to depart East Peoria at 1410 hours. So I calculated that I could drive Interstate 74 to the Rt. 97 crossing east of Knoxville and backtrack, hopefully successfully intercepting the train before it stopped for a likely re-crew.  And I did just that! The CP and CN units were a little unusual, so I'm glad I made the trip. The train paused briefly at the County Road 17 crossing and then proceeded across Rt. 97, tying up short of S, Farnham Street in Galesburg for a re-crew. After sunset, the new crew got permission to enter the big hump yard. I had shot video of an eastbound and a westbound manifest on the Mendota Sub and didn't expect to see M-PEIGAL again.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) is shown at Rt. 97 just east of Knoxville, Illinois late-afternoon Thursday, November 2, 2023. Later, after a re-crew, the train exits the P...