Peoria Station

Co-habitating before they can even set a wedding date! NS 7614 leads UP 5726 and 35 cars for Peoria late Tuesday afternoon on MCLPE. This train seems to have been running earlier for the past month. Used to be called late-evening at Clinton, Iowa on Sundays and Wednesdays, and arrive Peoria sometime before the LDP01 job went on duty at 0800. Seeing these trains in the afternoon and evening on Sundays and Wednesdays indicates a much earlier call time, likely late-morning.  CAPTION: Union Pacific MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) rolls by Milepost 80, the old Molitor Junction, in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, September 16, 2026. NS 7613 and UP 5726 have 35 cars for Adams Street Yard where the train will be shortly The old Milwaukee Road bicentennial unit is cool. Even better, it visited Peoria! I was asleep when it arrived the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard, probably early this morning, on Norfolk Southern's now-nocturnal D49 local. But go...

List, It is always good to see one of the local G&W shortlines working. This job crossed the river with empty tank cars for BioUrja and BNSF's M-GALPEI waited its turn to cross the river.  CAPTION: The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's "Industry 4" crosses the Illinois River into Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, September 9, 2026. TPW 2105 has ten cars for the West Yard. I was surprised to see BNSF run an M-GALPEI on Wednesday when it ran (and flipped back as M-PEIGAL) on Tuesday. Tuesday's train would have run Monday if not for the Labor Day holiday. I'm not complaining though. Maintaining frequency is a good thing...  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Pottstown, Illinois late-afternoon Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Later, the train is shown on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad near Bridge Junction enroute to East Peoria. BNSF 7825 and BNSF 6871 have 22 cars. I learned that an empty Union Pacifi...

After work today, I planning to check out Bartlett Grain Co's recently-completed "El Camino" (Sheffield) elevator on Union Pacific's Peoria Subdivision, but when I saw the green signal indication for a southbound at Edelstein, I decided to follow the line closely in hopes of catching a train movement.  Tall corn can obstruct trains where there are no parallel roads, so my progress was slow. On Sundays and Wednesdays, there is always a possibility that MCLPE will run early, and this Wednesday it did. Turns out, had I gone to El Camino first thing, I would have gotten both, and in better lighting. Train consist is typical. Notables are four salt boxcars for TP&W and five corn syrup loads (one as first car, used as a buffer for an empty alcohol tank car) consigned to TZPR-served PMP Fermentation. A lone empty Ozinga (OZIX) 2-bay covered hopper indicates Union Pacific is getting some outbound cement materials (slag and coal ash) business. CAPTION: Union Pacific trai...

Last week was a dud for catching Union Pacific's MPECL trains. Both days, it ran late and I wasn't going to wait around not knowing if and when a crew was called. Despite MCLPE's late arrival on Monday, MPECL departed Peoria around the usual time (4:00pm).  Tuesday's train had a typical consist, including those wheel shipments in boxcars from the KJRY. It is always good to see boxcars on any merchandise train, especially blocked right behind the locomotives! CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road late afternoon Tuesday, June 18, 2024. UP 5767 and UP 7113 have 47 cars.   As I waited just off Krause Avenue on Peoria's south side for Union Pacific's MPECL to receive dispatcher's instructions, a pair of BNSF units rolled by me engine lite, heading west toward homes rails at S. Darst Street. I assumed the crew had just dropped off an empty feed pellet train (X-SMRPEI) for Canadian National on the Tazewe...

I received a heads up in time to drive past downtown to the W. Farmington Road crossing with one minute to spare before Union Pacific's MCLPE showed up!  I don't know why it is running so late, but it was good to catch a train movement which normally runs Sunday night/Monday morning and Wednesday night/Thursday morning.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road near Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, June 17, 2024. Running very late for an unknown reason, UP 5767 and UP 7113 have 31 cars.   After spending time at the downtown library, I made my way toward the Cedar Street Bridge. As I was crossing it, I noticed a westbound hopper train crossing the TZPR bridge, so I turned around and intercepted it. I knew Union Pacific had called a crew for an empty Decatur coal train delivered to the double track near Pekin this morning by Canadian National. Sure enough, that what is! I went to W. Farmington Road and waited...

I was already near Union Pacific's Peoria Subdivision when I got a heads up that train MCLPE was at Edelstein. It took about 40 minutes to reach Pottstown and the sun had already set, but I'm glad I went for it, even with the swarming mosquitoes... Train has a decent mix of traffic (mostly empties) for KJRY, TZPR and TP&W.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) rolls through Pottstown, Illinois early evening Sunday, June 2, 2024. UP 5767 has 51 cars.   David P. Jordan

While at the downtown library this afternoon, I learned that both Iowa Interstate's SIPE and Union Pacific's MCLPE were enroute to Peoria. As the closest, I went after SIPE first, encountering it in Chillicothe. I shot video at Rome and then headed north to intercept the Union Pacific train.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Rome, Illinois on the Peoria Subdivision early-evening Wednesday, May 1, 2024. IAIS 513, the Rock Island Heritage Unit, has 32 cars.   The sun had already set when I saw MCLPE's approaching headlight just south of Manlius. I managed to get a second video at the Rt. 40 crossing south of Buda. Low lighting means reporting marks and numbers are mostly unreadable, but the usual traffic makes most cars easy to identify in regards to load or empty status, commodities or commodities last handled.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) rolls south of Manlius, Illinois at 1925 N. Avenue...

I parked by W. Farmington Road late this afternoon, hoping Union Pacific's MCLPE would show up. When I arrived, the position light signals displayed yellow. I could stay a little while, so I did. Eventually, I heard a distant horn. The UP signal was still yellow, so I figured it was an eastbound BNSF train, but because of the shadows, I decided to cross the road. Then, I noticed the UP signal had changed to red for a northbound. I heard a second horn blast, which was at Pottstown. Now I knew a Union Pacific southbound was approaching.... CAPTION: Union Pacific train MCLPE (Manifest, Clinton IA to Peoria IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road near the end of its journey to Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Sunday, April 21, 2024. UP 8950 and UP 7099 have 38 cars.   David P. Jordan

Late afternoon last Sunday, I noticed Union Pacific's MCLPE switching its train into Adams Street Yard. I've seen or heard of an early trip happening for this train in recent months. Normally, it is called at Clinton late Sunday PM and runs overnight, arriving at Adams Street before sunrise. Now if a Decatur coal train has to get through, MCLPE ties up at Edelstein. In that case, the LPD01 crewbrings it in later in the day.  So I wondered if I could catch MCLPE this Sunday afternoon. Sure enough, an empty northbound coal train pulled into Edelstein Siding to await passage of a southbound... CAPTION: An empty northbound coal train enters Edelstein Siding late-afternoon Sunday, March 24, 2024. UP 6649 and UP 5658 have 118 cars. UP 5364 is DPU. This train will wait for the passage of MCLPE, which came by shortly. ...which happened to be MCLPE. I caught it at the Oertly Road crossing and again off Kickapoo Creek Road by the Harman Highway overpass. I don't know if this is a ne...

I barely got there in time... I checked the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard this afternoon. As I drove by the diesel shop on Wesley Road I saw a train departing through the East Lead. So I headed back across the river, and into the usual congestions at the intersection of MacArthur Highway and SW Washington Street.  To make a long story short, I pulled into Chicago Street just in time to snatch this brief video. CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, probably "Industry 4," rolls by the Foot of Chicago Street in Peoria, Illinois, late-afternoon Thursday, August 17, 2023. TZPR 1351 has ten alcohol empties for BioUrja Renewables LLC, seen in the background. So my encounter with the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local heading to BioUrja's alcohol loadout wasn't the only one for today. While at the downtown library, I received word that a very-late Union Pacific MCLPE was running by Dunlap (probably the talking detector at MP 67, near Ceda...

I'm unsure how long this train has been sitting on Edelstein Siding.  I've blogged before on Union Pacific Railroad's MPECL, which predictably leaves Peoria around 4:00pm every Tuesday and Friday afternoon.  Copunterpart MCLPE operates at night, departing Clinton, Iowa close to midnight and arriving Peoria before sunrise, Wednesday and Sunday. Only on the longest days of the year in late-spring and early-summer, can one catch this run with hope of the sun shining. So I was excited to find the nocturnal MCLPE sitting out in the open along Union Pacific Road. UP locomotives 8502 & 5038 have 31 cars. The Peoria Wayfreight (LPD01) crew will likely fetch the train Monday morning.  - David P. Jordan