Peoria Station

Greater Peoria is served by eleven common carrier railroads – four Class I’s (BNSF, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific), one Regional (Iowa Interstate) and six shortlines (Central Illinois Railroad, Illinois & Midland, Keokuk Junction, Pioneer Industrial, Tazewell & Peoria and Toledo Peoria & Western). See map below for reference – most of you should recognize I-74, I-474, I-155 and Rt. 6 in dark blue and other major roads in gold. The legend for decoding railroad by owner requires some explanation -see individual railroad profiles.

BNSF RAILWAY

BNSF Railway reaches Peoria via a 50-mile, single-track line from Galesburg. The train shown above is a Peoria-bound coal train photographed at Douglas on January 6, 2008. Coal represents the single biggest commodity handled on this line and it goes to three destinations – SCH Terminal and Dynegy Midwest Generation at Havana and ADM at Decatur. Other traffic includes TP&W’s tri-weekly mixed freight and occasional grain and potash trains. BNSF contracts with the TP&W to service its lone customer in Peoria – Caterpillar’s rubber processing facility on SW Washington St.

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY

Peoria’s only “foreign” railroad, CN operates the old Illinois Central Railroad of Casey Jones and City of New Orleans fame. The line used to serve Peoria diverges from the railroad’s main Chicago – New Orleans stem at Mattoon. Most tonnage is coal and grain (an example of the latter is shown above at Pekin on July 4, 2008), but a daily local  works out of Decatur to East Peoria and back to handle mixed freight business. Coal trains from BNSF go to ADM at Decatur, coal trains from Farmersville (south of Springfield) go to the Iowa Interstate at Peoria, and grain trains for which BNSF provides haulage services go to Decatur on a seasonal basis. CN serves two customers in Pekin – Amerhart Ltd and Hanna Steel.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS RAILROAD CO.

The Central Illinois Railroad Co., or “CIRY,” is the City of Peoria’s preferred contract operator for its Peoria, Peoria Heights & Western Railroad (shown in purple on the map). CIRY has operating rights on both the Kellar Branch and the Pioneer Industrial Lead. Photo above shows CIRY switching cars for O’Brien Steel Service Co., it’s only customer, on January 26, 2008. Pioneer Industrial Park, CIRY’s other operation, is used for railcar storage.

ILLINOIS & MIDLAND RAILROAD

The Illinois & Midland Railroad, successor to the famed coal-hauler, Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway, continues to haul significant coal tonnage for three power plants and a barge dock, but also handles mixed freight, an example of which is seen above at Pekin on November 15, 2008. Shown in orange on the map, IMRR operates everything south of Pekin while sister (also orange), Tazewell & Peoria, operates everything north and also industrial trackage shown southwest of town. The IMRR serves a number of customers in Pekin – Aventine Renewable Energy (both plants), American Milling, Agridyne LLC, a RR-owned barge dock (operated by American Milling), Midwest Generation LLC and Reed Minerals.

IOWA INTERSTATE RAILROAD LTD.

The Iowa Interstate Railroad operates (and owns most of) Peoria’s first railroad, the Peoria & Bureau Valley, an affiliate of and eventual part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Except for a period of several years in the 1980’s, this line has seen continuous operation since November 1854. The Iowa Interstate operates a daily local (seen above March 22, 2008) out of Bureau Jct., where the Peoria Branch meets the railroad’s east-west mainline. Most traffic consists of grain, grain products, chemicals, sand and scrap metal. A coal train is received from CN each week. The IAIS serves Galena Road Gravel at Chillicothe as well as chemical and fertilizer customers at Henry.

KEOKUK JUNCTION RAILWAY

The Keokuk Junction Railway, a subsidiary of Peoria-based Pioneer Railcorp, owns former TP&W trackage between Hollis (near Rt. 9/Rt. 24 intersection) and Keokuk, Iowa. To reach the important connection with the Tazewell & Peoria at Peoria, KJRY uses a Union Pacific branchline on which the train above is shown on June 21, 2008. Most traffic is generated by twice-weekly coal trains received from Union Pacific, which go to AmerenCILCO’s Duck Creek Station south of Canton. Local trains run two or three times weekly to handle grain, grain products and other mixed freight. The KJRY revived a line that had been dead between October 2002 and February 2005, which proves that new life can be pumped into any railroad.

NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILWAY

Norfolk Southern reaches Peoria via a line which diverges from one of it’s mainlines at Bement, runs north-northeast to Gibson City, then almost strait west to Bloomington before heading northwest to East Peoria. Service to East Peoria is provided by a train out of Bloomington-Normal that runs almost daily, though mostly at night. Saturdays see daylight action, as shown above at East Peoria on August 16, 2008. NS business here is almost all mixed freight, such as Caterpillar tractors, alcohol, grain products, wire products and chemicals. Most tonnage is eastbound.

PIONEER INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY

This one is for frequent commenter, Prego Man, who is counted among the unbelievers. See, there’s a train on the Kellar Branch! The one above was taking a boxcar to the TZPR interchange on April 15, 2008. Unfortunately, trail proponents continue to insist that a taxpayer-funded, multi-million dollar recreational trail is a better deal than a privately-operated railroad that serves taxpaying businesses, and which has good prospects for new business. PIRY serves Carver Lumber.

TAZEWELL & PEORIA RAILROAD

The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, lessee of the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway, provides switching services for nearly 30 local industries plus terminal and/or interchange service for ten other carriers. Customers served are ADM Grain, Agri-Bunge, Allied Iron & Steel, Alter Metal Recycling, Archer Daniels Midland, Aventine Renewable Energy, Behr Peoria, Cargill, Caterpillar, Central Illinois Freight Handling, Gavilon, Greenbrier Castings, Keen Transport, Keystone Steel & Wire, Komatsu America, Linde Group, LS Lumber, McFarland Cascade, MGP Ingredients of Illinois, MBS Building Supply, Mosaic USA, Peoria Barge Terminal, Peoria Brick & Tile, Peoria River Terminal, PMP Fermentation, Praxair, R. A. Cullinan & Son, Scotwood Industries, Terra Nitrogen and Tomen Grain Company. Service to all customers is provided daily or as needed. Photo above shows TZPR locomotive pulling 17 distillers dried grain (DDGS) empties past ADM’s Peoria plant on November 15, 2008.

TOLEDO, PEORIA & WESTERN RAILWAY

The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway – infamous for the 1887 Chatsworth wreck, having the only railroad president to be assassinated (George P. McNear) and a derailment (Crescent City on June 21, 1970) which resulted in new safety rules regarding the shipment of liquified petroleum gas – is but a shadow of what it once had been. But today’s TP&W has much potential, and provides Peoria area industries access to CSX Transportation. The TP&W’s mainline between East Peoria and Logansport, Indiana hosts alternate-day through trains and as-needed locals. Switch engines work the East Peoria Yard day and night and another switch engine handles work at the industrial area near Mapleton. Already mentioned above is TP&W’s operation to Galesburg, on behalf of BNSF. Area customers are Grainland Co-Op at Eureka; Fort Transfer, Morton Buildings and Nestle USA/Libby’s  at Morton; East Peoria Materials at East Peoria; ADM Grain, Peoria Barge Terminal and Peoria River Terminal on ADM’s “River Track” in Peoria (pink on the map) and Caterpillar, CF Industries, Chemtura, Corn Products Int’l, Evonik-Degussa and Lonza at Mapleton. TP&W has access to AmerenCILCO’s E. D. Edwards Station and also part of Keystone Steel & Wire, but does not service them at present. Photo above shows Day Switcher rolling through East Peoria on August 31, 2008.

UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

The Union Pacific, whose north-south former Chicago & North Western straddles the west side of Peoria, then passes between it and Bartonville, runs along the river and then crosses it just southwest of Pekin, handles the most tonnage of any area line, except for BNSF’s east-west, double-track, 60-train-a-day “Chillicothe Subdivision” which passes through the northern reaches of Peoria County. The UP line is dominated by coal trains, of which there are two to four per day, loaded (and corresponding empties). A pair of daily mixed freights pass through on their way to or from Des Moines, Iowa, and Peoria itself is served by a bi-weekly train out of Chicago (shown above on October 3, 2008). Grain and potash trains also ply this line. Local work is performed by a switcher based at Adams Street Yard on Peoria’s far south side. Area customers are Akron Services at Akron; ADM Grain, Peoria Barge Terminal and Peoria River Terminal at Peoria and AmerenCILCO’s E. D. Edwards Station at Sommer. Most coal trains that go off-line are given to the Illinois & Midland, but also Keokuk Junction.

The contents of this Union Pacific coal train was  shortly converted to electricity for Peoria-area commercial, industrial and residential consumers. It is shown on February 2, 2008 nearing its final destination – AmerenCILCO’s E. D. Edwards Station - David P. Jordan