Peoria Station

I shot a couple of eastbounds on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision this afternoon, but traffic was slow (or late due to the time change). CAPTION: Action on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision between Princeville and Edelstein, Illinois early Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025. Both trains were eastbounds. The first, had BNSF 6796 and BNSF 1073 on the point with 58 autoracks. The second, had BNSF 3276, BNSF 7107, BNSF 8389 and BNSF 4694 on the point with 115 intermodal platforms.   An eastbound was lined up per signal indication at Edelstein but I decided to head for home. I'm glad I did, because I just happened to be driving through East Peoria when a TP&W switch crew was preparing to deliver interchange to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local, possibly EPX1, delivered to the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad in East Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Sunday, November 2, 2025. TZPR 2133 had nine empties. S...

The weather was nice but windy Sunday afternoon as I parked along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision.    The first train to show, an eastbound, was primarily intermodal but with a block of autoracks on the rear. The second, also eastbound, had seven reefers mid-train. I like that kind of variety. After a third eastbound, I moved from North Rice Road to Princeville to check for activity at the Seneca Foods plant (one boxcar on spot, two empties "constructively placed" on the siding). No sooner did the fourth eastbound cleared the crossing did a westbound show its face. After another westbound, I headed for home, and another adventure... Train symbols in order are: S-CLOLPC1-04A (Port Stack Intermodal, Clovis NM to Logistics Park Center IL) Z-STOWSP7 (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Stockton CA to Willow Springs IL) Z-PHXWSP8-04A (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Phoenix AZ to Willow Springs IL) Z-LACWSP4-04U (Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal, Los Angeles/Hobart CA to Willow Springs IL) ...

Peoria County is part of the Peoria metro area so I've always included BNSF's Chillicothe Sub in area operations. Today was a good day.  CAPTION: Nine trains on BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision at N. Rice Road, Princeville and Chillicothe, include Union Pacific's Z-G4CI and BNSF trains with Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and Ferromex units.   David P. Jordan

After church, I went trackside to BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision, and found some action almost immediately. CAPTION: Action at N. Rice Road (just east of Princeville, Illinois) early afternoon Sunday, August 11, 2024. A eastbound BNSF intermodal, westbound manifest (probably H-IHBGAL) and an eastbound autorack train passed my location in a 20-minute period (1235 to 1255 hours). I left just in time to miss another eastbound BNSF intermodal and Union Pacific Z-G4CI, which met at Edelstein! Mid-afternoon Saturday, I noticed while driving eastbound Interstate 74 through East Peoria that a locomotive and tank car were parked at the west end of the TP&W yard. So I knew a train was coming to Morton soon.   Turns out, it was just afternoon noon on Sunday.   I wasn't home until after 2:00pm, when the train was already in town. And as usual, I didn't hear the horn until it was leaving (probably Jackson Street, as I found it coupling to the empty tank car already pull...

After church, I checked the progress of industry track and siding realignment in Princeville. The contractor must have been working (if at all) on the west end, as there has been no progress by the road crossing for the past month or so. I happened to be there when an eastbound stack train roared by... CAPTION: An eastbound BNSF Railway stack train roars by Princeville, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, May 21, 2023. BNSF 6772, BNSF 4635 and BNSF 6946 were on the point. BNSF 6812 and BNSF 4988 were DPUs. Shortly after shooting the BNSF stack train, I learned that a TP&W-BNSF grain shuttle had departed Cruger for East Peoria. I made it to Ernest Street in Washington with just a few minutes to spare! CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway crew drags a BNSF grain shuttle by Ernest Street in Washington, Illinois early afternoon Sunday, May 21, 2023. BNSF 7032, FXE 4088 and BNSF 3705 were on the point. Train was loaded by Grainland Coop at Cruger.  - David P. Jordan 

After church, I returned to Princeville to check progress on track re-arrangement, and caught quite a bit of action. Description below. The two hot UP intermodals which play this route daily must have met around Williamsfield... CAPTION: Early-afternoon Sunday, April 2, 2023 was busy on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision between Princeville and Chillicothe. I missed an eastbound BNSF vehicle train but managed to capture Union Pacific's Z-G4CI at Princeville. I then chased counterpart Z-CIG4 to Blue Ridge Road, just west of Chillicothe. It passed a westbound BNSF vehicle train at Edelstein. I headed back west only to encounter an eastbound BNSF intermodal train at Edelstein which cleared just in time to capture a second westbound BNSF vehicle train!  (1) Z-G4CI - UP 7230, UP 2721, UP 5509 and UP 2596 have 120 platforms (2) Z-CIG4 - UP 2731, UP 5061, UP 6579 and UP 6183 have 95 platforms, UP 5375 and UP 5640 as mid-train DPUs, and 91 more platforms. (3) EB BNSF IM - BNSF 424...

Better late than never... Sunday afternoon, I sat by BNSF's Chillicothe Sub and short video of eight of the ten trains I saw in a two-hour period.  Although this line doesn't serve the Peoria-Pekin Industrial District, it does pass through the metro area, and has been the region's busiest line for well over a century. So it is definitely included in local rail operations and history.  CAPTION: Eight trains in two hours at Princeville, Illinois on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision, early afternoon Sunday, January 15, 2023. Highlights include a westbound vehicle train, Union Pacific's Z-G4CI and a westbound BNSF baretable train. - David P. Jordan

I caught several area train movements Sunday afternoon.  The three shown in this video were taken at Blue Ridge Road, located just west of Chillicothe, Illinois on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision, within about twenty minutes.  (1) Vehicle - BNSF 8343-7853 have 76 cars. (2) Intermodal - BNSF 6789-785-4284-5097 have 70 platforms. (3) Intermodal - BNSF 6147-5202-7690-4111 have 86 platforms. Next, I caught this westbound intermodal train at Chillicothe but had to drive to near Princeville (N. Rice Road) to capture it on video.  BNSF 8029-7617-3966-5526 have 131 platforms. Finally, I saw this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local leaving the East Peoria Yard for ADM Grain Co's Hilliards (Creve Coeur) barge loadout. TZPR 2133 has 21 grain mash loads which came off the Iowa Interstate. - David P. Jordan

I've seen this unit before, but it led on my second encounter. Norfolk Southern ES44AC #8114 displays the colors of the original Norfolk Southern Railway . I got word this afternoon that it was leading a westbound baretable train on BNSF Railway's Chillicothe Subdivision. There are advantages living close to a major mainline and this is one of them. Video shot just east of Princeville.  My first encounter occurred on August 9, 2013 on Norfolk Southern Train D46. Second unit behind NS 2700, the 22-car train was departing East Peoria for the return trip to Normal. Video (above) shot in East Peoria, at Farmdale Trestle, Goodfield and Carlock.  - David P. Jordan

On Monday, September 4, 2017, I managed to capture BNSF switching Seneca Foods Corp's Princeville, Illinois plant. Earlier, I noticed a boxcar spotted at the cannery rail dock but figured the eastbound local had already passed and that there would be no service on a holiday.  I'm glad I stuck around to learn how wrong I was... I was parked along BNSF's Chillicothe Subdivision at N. Rice Road east of town when I heard the distinctive sound of a locomotive horn in the distance. Mainline signals were dark so I knew the horn blast signaled that the local was in town. Back in Princeville I found a pair of B40-8Ws and three plastic loads shoving into the industry track to fetch the loaded boxcar.  After returning to the mainline and shoving into the rest of the eastbound local (L-CHI101) sitting on Main 2, the crew radioed the dispatcher for permission to depart. Prepared to capture the train's departure, I was interrupted by a westbound intermodal train. So ...