Peoria Station

I happened to catch M-GALPEI having just entered Tazewell & Peoria property at Darst Street, so I headed to the riverfront for the only really good lighting left. Then I went to the library intending to catch M-PEIGAL later. What I did not count on was that M-PEIGAL left earlier than I figured it would, and that Norfolk Southern train D47 was cleared to run from Farmdale to P&PU Junction and into the East Peoria Yard at the same time. Fortunately, I got both! CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls across the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge at Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Friday, October 9, 2026. BNSF 7429 and BNSF 1109 have 20 cars. In early evening, counterpart M-PEIGAL rolls by Kramm Road, a few miles west of Edwards, Illinois. I heard some radio chatter from the MOP giving instructions into the yard as well as where the outbound was, but didn't pickup the train symbol or control points. So I checked t...

I caught Iowa Interstate's ZENOE about midday today. The crew stopped at the North Limit Yard to drop 22 manifest on the head end, so I left.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate train ZENOE (Grain Loads, [Varies] to Peoria IL) rolls through Mossville, Illinois midday Saturday, May 2, 2026. IAIS 701, IAIS 152 and IAIS 519 have 130 cars (22 manifest, 108 grain loads). The manifest cars were set out at the North Limit Yard and the grain train was delivered to Canadian National on TZPR's Pekin mainline.   I was on the east side of the river when I heard BNSF's M-GALPEI get permission from Darst Street to East Peoria. Friday's train was a day late. This one was made up mostly of loads, including ten-car and eight-car blocks of ADM grain product traffic (perhaps BNSF has the Clinton, Iowa to TZPR business now??? If not, Marshall, Minn. and Columbus, Neb. plants might send corn germ to Decatur), three plastic loads and some nitrogen tank cars. There were eight OZIX (Ozinga) 2-bay co...

An empty BNSF Kincaid coal train was passing Hilliards about the time I left work (3:00pm). Normally, I'd ignore it, but the lead unit was BNSF 6179 was one of ten locomotives displaying eight heralds of predecessor companies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the railroad (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. was created on September 22, 1995). If figured I'd have to take I-74 as far as Edwards and then backtrack.  I was correct. I got maybe one mile east of Edwards when I saw the train slowly approaching. I turned around and waited at Kramm Road, an open spot a few miles west of Edwards. The train crawled up to the crossing so the conductor could detrain and watch for vehicle traffic until the locomotive blocked it. He then boarded and the train took off. I don't think it exceeded 10mph though.  CAPTION: A BNSF Railway westbound empty coal train resumes its run west on the Peoria Subdivision after pausing for a brief stop at Kramm Road, a few miles west of Edwards, Illi...