Peoria Station

Friday afternoon was busy, but the days are still too short to take advantage of anything other than chance encounters. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard was pretty full, so BNSF left M-GALPEI on the New Long Main in Peoria and ran engine lite to East Peoria for M-PEIGAL (which, as usual, had to be built from two tracks). A TP&W local ran around the same time as well. The Keokuk Junction Railway local had to wait for an BNSF Kincaid coal empty before moving from Iowa Junction to East Peoria. A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad job was working Liberty Steel & Wire and the Kickapoo Yard area. I did capture one train movement however...   BioUrja Renewables LLC purchased ADM's Peoria plant and property on November 1, 2021 but today was the first time I heard the crew call it "BioUrja 932."  CAPTION: One of BioUrja Renewables LLC's, ADMX 932, pulls 15 corn loads from the South Yard in Peoria, Illinois toward the distillery on old Rock Isl...

I figured that Friday would be busy, and I was correct.    On Wednesday, a BNSF coal train was sitting on the mainline near Darst Street. The TZPR bridge was in the raised position so it seems the whole railroad was shut down for both Wednesday (Christmas Eve) and Thursday (Christmas Day). A second BNSF coal train was reported at Galesburg. I noticed on Christmas Day that Union Pacific's MPECL was parked on the Low Line by Adams Street Yard, and it probably arrived early, like Wednesday evening.    I missed some action due to work (BNSF's M-GALPEI) and darkness (BNSF's M-PEIGAL, and the departing KJRY local). I did not bother with a short (four cars) Norfolk Southern D49 leaving East Peoria because I was waiting for the TP&W train described below.    This one was waiting on the east leg of the wye, a bit unusual for a TP&W train. Apparently, this job must have pulled rather than backed out of the South Yard and connection and then onto the TZ...

This morning, I learned that the Iowa Interstate was running an SIPE and PESI today, with the former already enroute. So I waited until it was closer to my area and was able to intercept after it had gone through Chillicothe. Short train, but with a little variety, including empty dry bulk fertilizer cars for TZPR (or TP&W) and a scrap metal load that is presumably consigned to Liberty Steel & Wire Co. CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest SIPE (Silvis IL to Peoria IL) is shown late-morning to early-afternoon Saturday, May 24, 2025. Scenes are at Mossville and San Koty on the Peoria Sub, then at the North Limit Yard, Alexander Street and South Street on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Uptown Division. IAIS 150 and IAIS 151 have 33 cars.   After getting back into Peoria, radio chatter indicated that BNSF's M-PEIGAL was building a train in the East Peoria Yard, and that it and TZPR's Lead 2 had to look out for the Iowa Interstate train. Sure enough...

I left for the downtown library a little later than usual this afternoon, which was fortunate because I otherwise wouldn't have seen a TP&W East Peoria Switcher pull through East Peoria with corn loads for BioUrja in Peoria.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway local has just entered Tazewell & Peoria Railroad territory at N. Main Street in East Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Monday, May 20, 2024. IORY 5007 has 22 corn loads for BioUrja Renewables LLC's South Yard in Peoria.   David P. Jordan