Peoria Station

I went looking for a loaded TP&W-UP grain extra coming out of Cruger this afternoon, but never found it, but I did notice the green signal indication at W. Farmington Road before 5:00pm. About 30 minutes or so later, this comes by...   (Loads tend to run via St. Louis.) CAPTION: Union Pacific train SPESJ (Special, Peoria IL to South Junction CO) rolls by W. Farmington Road after departing Crescent, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, October 3, 2026. UP 9799 and UP 6552 have 72 empty wind turbine flats. Empties came from Havana via the Illinois & Midland Railroad. - David P. Jordan

I took a half day from work, knowing Union Pacific's MPECL was going to be unusually big. Turns out, it wasn't called until mid-afternoon! At least I caught BNSF's inbound freight in advance. The 47-car consist included five empty flat cars on the head end (as opposed to the rear for better weight distribution (perhaps it doesn't matter so much on the Peoria Sub?), and ten more brand-new covered hoppers being delivered to Incobrasa Industries via TP&W.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) enters Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at Peoria, Illinois shortly before crossing the river into East Peoria mid-afternoon Friday, May 22, 2026. Later, counterpart, M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road. BNSF 7722 and BNSF 9081 arrived with 47 cars and departed with 21. The Union Pacific crew had troubles with their locomotive. It kept dumping the air. Finally, they got going and even made it up Pioneer Hill d...

I caught Iowa Interstate's ZENOE about midday today. The crew stopped at the North Limit Yard to drop 22 manifest on the head end, so I left.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate train ZENOE (Grain Loads, [Varies] to Peoria IL) rolls through Mossville, Illinois midday Saturday, May 2, 2026. IAIS 701, IAIS 152 and IAIS 519 have 130 cars (22 manifest, 108 grain loads). The manifest cars were set out at the North Limit Yard and the grain train was delivered to Canadian National on TZPR's Pekin mainline.   I was on the east side of the river when I heard BNSF's M-GALPEI get permission from Darst Street to East Peoria. Friday's train was a day late. This one was made up mostly of loads, including ten-car and eight-car blocks of ADM grain product traffic (perhaps BNSF has the Clinton, Iowa to TZPR business now??? If not, Marshall, Minn. and Columbus, Neb. plants might send corn germ to Decatur), three plastic loads and some nitrogen tank cars. There were eight OZIX (Ozinga) 2-bay co...

While in the area, I noticed BNSF's M-GALPEI moving on the south end of the TZPR yard. Later, it was coupled to an outbound. It eventually departed, but as thunderstorms entered the area. Amazingly, the train showed up at W. Farmington Road during a lull in showers... CAPTION: BNSF Railway M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) rolls by W. Farmington Road a few miles after leaving Peoria, Illinois early-evening Friday, April 17, 2026. BNSF 4462 and NS 9901 have 45 cars.   - David P. Jordan

List, I went to Peoria via I-474 this afternoon and encountered two TZPR Industry Jobs heading back to East Peoria. Good thing Ozinga Cement Co. opened its barge-rail dock late last year, or today's train returning from Kickapoo Yard would have had but two cars!    The other, probably "Industry 1," has corn syrup empties from PMP Fermentation Products, alcohol loads and empties (the first with alcohol placards was empty, the others are possibly buffer cars) from BioUrja Renewables LLC and two Komatsu truck chassis loads. The first four cars, all tank cars, appear to be loads, and I assume the Iowa Interstate has recently left them at the North Limit Yard.  CAPTION: Two Tazewell & Peoria RR "Industry Jobs" roll across the Illinois River in quick succession enroute home mid-afternoon Friday, March 27, 2026. TZPR 1351, returning from Kickapoo Yard, has 14 cars for East Peoria. IMRR 43, returning from working the Uptown Subdivision, has 18 cars for East Peo...

The first gondola is empty. The AMFX covered hopper is used by BioUrja Renewables LLC, probably for outbound DDG (mash). The other three gondolas were loaded. Obviously not coiled wire rod. Scrap metal can usually be seen above the rim. My guess is steel billets.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local, running from Kickapoo Yard to East Peoria, is shown at Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois. After river traffic clears, the train crosses the Illinois River. TZPR 1352 and IMRR 43 have five cars. I had come through Peoria to see the fourth empty grain train delivered to IAIS since January. Interestingly, they received one in February and two so far (Friday morning) this month!  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. train PENT (Peoria IL to Newton IA) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge early-afternoon Sunday, March 22, 2026. Shortly, the train rolls by the Ft. of Chicago Street and BioUrja Renewables LLC's Peoria distillery. Train arrived...

I did not expect to see this one as typical crew call time is much earlier.   I even left home later than usual, but still managed to see a late-running Union Pacific MPECL. I often run by the south side of Peoria enroute to the downtown library in case BNSF's M-GALPEI, the KJRY local, a TZPR local out of Kickapoo Yard and maybe a TP&W EP2 or EPX1 are in the area.    It appears that three corn syrup tank cars in front and one behind the two boxcars are KJRY traffic, obviously from Roquette America's Keokuk, Iowa wet corn mill. The loaded UP coal hopper is strange.   CAPTION:   Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, March 13, 2026. UP 5879 has 28 cars. - David P. Jordan

I guess I'm assuming that these feed trains CN has resumed delivering to BNSF via Peoria are the Summerfield, Texas trains. Distributed power is new to this operation. The one I saw February 8 had but two locomotives on the point and no DPU. In the past, these trains usually rated three locomotives on the point.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway gluten feed train G-PEISMR (Grain, Peoria IL to Summerfield TX) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after leaving Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Wednesday, February 18, 2026. BNSF 5253 and BNSF 7382 have 100 cars. BNSF 9275 is DPU.   I finished shooting the BNSF feed train at W. Farmington Road, returned to my car and in just a few minutes, this loaded Union Pacific coal train rolled by. I had to go to Cilco Lane at Sommer to get ahead of it. Lighting by this time wasn't so good, but this is only the second UP train I've seen this year.    CAPTION: A loaded, Powerton-bound, Union Pacific coal train rolls by Cilco Lane at Sommer,...

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 ...

I went into East Peoria after work this afternoon to find BNSF's M-PEIGAL at the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard building a train on the East Lead. It looked like they were putting two cuts together, so I waited on the Peoria side of the river. It did not take long for them to depart. After shooting video at two locations, I went to W. Farmington Road and waited, but soon grew impatient and backtracked to find the train still sitting on the BNSF mainline within yard limits.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-PEIGAL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Galesburg IL) crosses the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge into Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Monday, February 2, 2026. Shortly, the train approaches and then enters home rails near Darst Street without pausing. BNSF 3769 and BNSF 7810 have 30 cars (11 loads, 19 empties). Four Komatsu truck chassis loads are on the head end.   - David P. Jordan

I returned home Monday evening but still had another day off, so I took advantage of the situation for a little exploring.    I noticed five covered hoppers of various markings (CITX, three SCGX, one AMFX) at the old South Yard. These must be assigned to distillers dried grain service out of BioUrja Renewables LLC.    I also checked the new Ozinga Cement Co. facility at the lower end of the old Peoria Barge Terminal. A covered hopper was spotted under a spout, which appears to enable loading of bulk materials from barge to rail. I'd guess there is an undertrack pit on site to enable rail-to-barge transfer as well. Perhaps this facility is being installed to support the new slag cement mill being built on the Indiana Harbor Belt RR at East Chicago, Indiana? The Tazewell & Peoria RR is the serving carrier, and it will be exciting to find out what line haul carriers will be handling this traffic.    I checked Adams Street Yard where I found a short M...

Despite the heat, I was aware that BNSF's M-GALPEI arrived Peoria sometime in late-morning or early-afternoon, and knew I had a chance to see M-PEIGAL flip back west. Sure enough, shortly after I veered off I-474 onto SW Adams and then SW Washington streets, I picked up radio chatter giving the BNSF train permission to depart the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard for Galesburg.  Driving my desire to catch this train was that 30 years ago today, June 23, 1995, I caught its predecessor's eastbound leg. Burlington Northern local 13814 had one locomotive (BN 1596, a GP28P normally assigned to Northtown Yard in Minneapolis, Minnesota) and 14 cars on that day. One car was delivered to Caterpillar's tire plant and an empty was pulled and blocked on the rear of the 39-car outbound train left on the New Long Main (just west of Darst Street). Low lighting and low quality camera notwithstanding, I'm glad I recorded this encounter three decades ago! Back to the ...

Friday was my birthday so I took a vacation day and spent the day looking for action that I would not normally see.    The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Industry 2 job soon became the focus of my attention, as evidenced by 32 minutes of footage! CAPTION: The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's "Industry 2" Job works the Uptown Division between Bridge Junction and the North Limit Yard in Peoria, Illinois on May 9, 2025. TZPR 1352 left East Peoria with 18 cars - four empty flats for Komatsu America Corp. plant, six corn syrup loads, a sodium gluconate empty and sodium hydroxide solution load for PMP Fermentation Products, two empty alcohol and three possible distillers corn oil empties (or buffer cars) for BioUrja Renewables LLC. A tank car between the last two cars for PMP appears to have used as a buffer. Train pulled one chassis load and an empty BNSF flat car from Komatsu and five corn syrup empties from PMP. Last scene shows the train across the river after sw...

Busy morning.    I bagged three and missed one. I knew that a loaded Powerton-bound coal train was racing down the Peoria Sub, so I pulled off I-474 at Bartonville, headed down US 24 and set up at Mendenhall Road. The train showed up minutes later.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train CNRPW (Coal, N. Rochelle Mine WY to Powerton IL) rolls by Mendenhall Road south of Bartonville, Illinois late-morning Sunday, March 2, 2025. UP 8139 and UP 6239 were on the point, with UP 6730 bringing up the rear as DPU.   While the UP Powerton coal train approached, I heard a locomotive horn, but in the other direction. I figured a TP&W train was running along the parallel ex-Peoria Terminal Co. line. Sure enough, shortly after the UP coal train cleared my position, a TP&W local out of Mapleton rolled by. It stopped at Collier Yard to pick up two zinc oxide empties from the Union Pacific. This gave me time to shoot video of a monster 270-car train of coal empties that Union Pacif...

I had a meeting after work this afternoon, but as it did not last too long, I headed to W. Farmington Road, noted the green signal indication for a northbound, turned around and parked. Mere moments later, Union Pacific's MPECL activated the gates and I got my video! CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Peoria, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, August 27, 2024. UP 8841 has 31 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I did not have to wait for very long this afternoon for my most frequent encounter. Short train today, but that is okay.  CAPTION: Union Pacific train MPECL (Manifest, Peoria IL to Clinton IA) rolls by W. Farmington Road shortly after departing Adams Street Yard in Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Friday, August 23, 2024. UP 8841 has 28 cars. UPDATE: While at the downtown library this afternoon, I learned that an eastbound TP&W road freight was approaching Washington. Given the speed restriction to Cruger, I figured I could get ahead of it, which I did.  CAPTION: Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train M-EPEF (Manifest, E. Peoria IL to Effner IL) rolls by Cruger, Illinois early-evening Friday, August 23, 2024. HESR 3485, IORY 5013, TPW 5010 and TPW 3440 have 44 cars. - David P. Jordan

When I drove by Adams Street Yard after work Tuesday afternoon, I found it empty. Based on recent encounters, I quickly headed to W. Farmington Road where the northbound signal displayed green. So I hoped MPECL was hiding behind the thick woods around Peoria Junction.   Turns out, a train of Powerton coal empties rolled by shortly. I still hoped MPECL was waiting for that train's passage, so I lingered in the area for awhile. But not MPECL. At least I got something for my time and effort.  CAPTION: A northbound Union Pacific train of Powerton coal empties rolls by W. Farmington Road mid-afternoon Tuesday, July 23, 2024. UP 8424 and UP 8207 were on the point; UP 5479 is DPU. - David P. Jordan

When I drove by the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard late this afternoon, I noticed a yard job assembling what looked like BNSF Railway's M-PEIGAL onto the East Lead. So I figured M-GALPEI was due soon.  I spent a little time at the downtown library, but decided to leave early and check on M-GALPEI. It crossed W. Farmington Road at 1753, but I arrived too late to shoot video there. With long afternoon shadows, I had to wait for the train to enter the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at S. Darst Street for decent lighting (and even then, it was slightly backlit).  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) enters the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad at S. Darst Street in Peoria, Illinois for the final leg of its journey to East Peoria early evening Thursday, May 30, 2024. BNSF 3268 and BNSF 5147 have 55 cars.  David P. Jordan