Peoria Station

Cool temperatures, overcast, stay home after work weather...until I learned of an interesting Iowa Interstate movement.    I caught SIPE just south of Mossville, and shot video at San Koty then again as it entered the North Limit Yard. The train stopped briefly for the conductor to detrain. When I left it around 1830 hours, the train was preparing to shove into the North Limit Yard. When finished, both units would run engine lite through Peoria and across the river to fetch a LOADED grain train received Canadian National.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by San Koty, Illinois early evening Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Later, the train enters the North Limit Yard and Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property. IAIS 151 and IAIS 511 have 44 cars. I decided to go back into Peoria to see if I could capture IAIS units pull that loaded grain train from CN through one of the brightly-lit street crossings in downtown Peoria. B...

It is unusual for PESI to have more loads than empties, but 15 iron oxide loads from TP&W, three gondolas from NS which appear to contain steel billets (based on another railfan's video at Putnam), two tank cars containing beverage alcohol and all loaded covered hoppers contain ADM grain products (probably from CN). Those NS cars are NW 190350, CR 582421 and NS 187590. CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge into Peoria, Illinois late-morning Sunday, February 8, 2026. Later, power runbys at the Ft. of Main Street in downtown on the TZPR and on home rails at Peoria Heights, and the whole train at San Koty and Mossville. IAIS 502, IAIS 705 and IAIS 712 have 87 cars (48 loads, 39 empties).   CN and BNSF seemed to have suspended the Decatur (IL) to Summerfield (TX) gluten feed trains for awhile, but today, the carriers swapped empties and loads. The last one I shot was ...

Despite this morning's cold, I headed into town and then north because I knew Iowa Interstate was running an SIPE. I encountered it just north of Mossville. Short train but good variety. Although strangely there was no long block of "mash" loads (and/or gluten feed pellets, which should be moving this time of year), scattered ADM/leaser covered hoppers probably contain corn germ and/or other corn processing by-products. The lone IAIS covered hopper could contain "organic grain" (non-GMO) for an NS destination. Two gondolas on the rear are iron oxide empties for TP&W. All five scenes shot from the comfort of my car...   CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) rolls by Mossville, San Koty and Peoria Heights, Illinois on home rails, and at Peoria twice on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Uptown Sub midday Saturday, January 24, 2026. IAIS 509 has 26 cars.   When I parked at the old NE Adams Street McDonald's...

While at work, I learned that a TP&W westbound was on the move, so I hoped to see it after work. I was able to capture it at Cruger and at Ernest Street just southwest of Washington. Unlike recent encounters, today's was a long train.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway westbound road freight, sometimes called "M-EFEP" (Manifest, Effner IL to E. Peoria IL), rolls by the first Union Pacific-bound grain train to be loaded at Grainland Co-Op's Cruger, Illinois elevator late-afternoon Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Later, the train is seen at Ernest Street just southwest of Washington. IORY 5013, HESR 2107 and RCPE 3481 have 95 cars (the first seven were pulled from Piper City).   I was hoping to capture Iowa Interstate's next PESI. As I hoped, the two iron oxide loads that were on Sunday's TP&W westbound into East Peoria were on it. Look for the 71st and 72nd cars in the video.   A dozen scrap metal loads on the rear are also notable.   ...

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad's last day as a common carrier. How appropriate to capture an Iowa Interstate train running on former Rock Island track! CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. train PEDAV (Peoria IL to Davenport IA) is shown on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad passing the new (1967) Rock Island depot at Morton Street in Peoria, Illinois and then Fairholm Avenue as it enters the North Limit Yard late-afternoon Monday, March 31, 2025. Later, the train is shown at Peoria Heights on home rails. Further up the Peoria Sub, the whole train is shown twice - at San Koty and then at Mossville. All scenes are on the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, which made its final runs as a common carrier 45 years ago today! IAIS 153 has 105 potash empties for Canadian Pacific Kansas City. - David P. Jordan

I only saw this afternoon's northbound Iowa Interstate train because I heard radio chatter on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's road channel.   A few notes on today's consist:   (1) The ADMX tank car on the head end was empty and had no haz-mat placards, so it may be in soybean oil service. I would guess it came from Decatur on CN and is enroute to another ADM plant, but that's just speculation.    (2) The 21 covered hoppers of mixed ADM/leasing company markings are probably the same I saw last evening behind TZPR 1351 waiting for BNSF's M-PEIGAL to get out of its way.   (3) Two IAIS-marked covered hoppers were loaded, possibly with urea or phosphate fertilizer at either Mosaic Crop Nutrition LLC's facility south of Bartonville or the TP&W-served Growmark terminal at Mapleton.    (4) The tank car on the rear was loaded, and placarded for industrial alcohol (UN 1170). CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. BUSW (Bureau Switcher) ran ...

After seeing SIPE Saturday afternoon, I figured would run PESI this morning, so I managed to catch it once before the Peoria Train Fair. Looks like 35 DDGS and/or gluten feed pellet empties, and five scrap metal loads.    CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls by the E. Linnet Street crossing off Rt. 29 in Peoria Heights, Illinois late-morning Sunday, February 16, 2025. IAIS 712 and IAIS 151 have 40 cars.  A TP&W westbound was seen near Piper City late this morning, so after an hour or so at the Peoria Train Fair, I decided to head east to intercept. I found it just west of El Paso and shot video in five locations between there and Ernest Street.   Today's train has a decent mix, including 12 limestone loads on the head end. A 15-car block of corn could have been pulled from La Hogue. I noticed a few nitrogen fertilizer solution empties. This traffic, with loads originating at Wever, Iowa, may have been reduced afte...

Union Pacific's MPECL left Peoria early, so I missed it. But I was able to capture the Iowa Interstate's PESI train early this evening shortly after it cleared the North Limit Yard.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls along the Peoria Subdivision just out of Peoria, Illinois early evening Friday, October 25, 2024. IAIS 151 has 33 cars. - David P. Jordan