Peoria Station

I learned Monday that Union Pacific's MPECL would be unusually lengthy, owing to block of 31 plastic pellet covered hoppers on the rear. I would also note eight scrap metal loads mid-train. Liberty Steel & Wire seems to suspend operations for maintenance at least two weeks prior to Thanksgiving, so that may account for the latter.    I took a half day from work Tuesday and found the train ready to depart around 1130.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by Milepost 80 shortly after entering the Peoria Subdivision mainline mid-day Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Later, the train crests Pioneer Hill. UP 5863 and UP 8135 have 79 cars.   After returning home, I learned that a westbound TP&W road freight was by Piper City shortly after 1300 hours, so I took off, tracing the TP&W along US 24 until I encountered the train at Gridley. Notables include 14 limestone loads for East Peoria Materials, five gondolas loaded wi...

After catching LPD01 on Monday afternoon, I decided to leave work two hours early on Tuesday to catch MPECL. As usual, my plan does not always unfold as I hoped, but I did catch the train, finally, at Camp Grove.    I left work at 1:00pm, and drove directly to Adams Street Yard to confirm that it was gone, which it was. So I headed up I-474, Route 6, US 150, Willow Knolls Drive and finally Brauer Road and waited a few minutes, hoping to hear MPECL growling up Pioneer Hill.    While I did hear sounds I thought could be MPECL, I was smart enough to look north to see the rear end fading in the distance. I could not catch it until Speer, and by then it was too late to set up for video. So Camp Grove was the next spot I tried, and succeeded.    On my way back to Peoria, I caught radio chatter between the dispatcher and train crew. She asked them if they were at Milepost 61. They told her they were at Milepost 47. She had informed that that a vehicle was hi...