Peoria Station

PEORIA – So what customers has the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway (and its now 4 and 1/2 year old successor Tazewell & Peoria Railroad) gained and lost since the Staggers Act partially deregulated the railroad industry in October 1980? I will first list the losses (some of which will require clarification):

Lost since 1980

Amoco (River Terminal) – early 1980’s
Armour Packing Co. – early 1980’s
Broderick & Bascom Rope Co. – closed in 1980
Builders Cash & Carry Inc. – late 1990’s
Ceco Steel Rod Corp. – closed in 1981
Celotex Corp. – closed in 1982
Central Illinois Dock Co. – sold to ADM in 1996 (see Note 1)
City Coal Co. – c. 1990
Cohen’s Furniture Co. – mid-1990’s (see Note 2)
Fredman Bros. Co. – early 1980’s
Greater Peoria Sanitary District – early- to mid-1980’s
Hiram Walker & Sons Inc – late 1981 (see Note 3)
Intermodal Terminal – 1999 (See Note 4)
Louis Dreyfus Corp. – mid-1990s (purchased by ADM in 1993)
McKesson & Robbins Co. – early 1980’s
O’Neill Bros. Transfer & Storage Co. – mid-1980’s
Pabst Brewing Co. (Malthouse) – closed in 1980
Parnham Coal Co. – early 1980’s
Peoria River-Rail Terminal – closed late 1981 (see Note 5)
Peoria Union Stock Yards – early 1980’s (see Note 6)
Socony Mobile Oil Co. – early 1980’s
Wayne Pet Foods, Inc. – closed in 1988
Wilkins Pipe & Supply Co. – moved to Pioneer Park in 1981

NOTE 1 – Central Illinois Dock Company subsidiary “Central Illinois Freight Handling” is still listed as a customer of the Tazewell & Peoria RR in its newest tariff, dated July 1, 2008. While CIDCO may have the right to use their former barge dock’s rail facilities (now ADM), it is unlikely they have during the nearly 13 years since its sale.

NOTE 2 – Cohen’s Furniture relocated its regional distribution center from downtown Peoria to the former Continental Can factory/Pabst bottle return wharehouse in September 1989, then ceased using rail in the mid-1990’s.

NOTE 3 – Hiram Walker & Sons phased out operations at Peoria by January 1, 1982. The distillery and terminal elevator had been sold to Archer Daniels Midland (see “Gained since 1980″).

NOTE 4 – Due to operational issues brought on by the Conrail Transaction of June 1, 1999, Norfolk Southern and the P&PU closed the intermodal facility effective March 1, 2000. Actual traffic ceased by late 1999.

NOTE 5 – Peoria River-Rail Terminal operator Peoria Barge Terminal was forced to vacate city-owned property used since 1931. Operations consolidated with Sanger Street facility, established in 1968. See “Gained since 1980.”

NOTE 6 – For all practical purposes, livestock traffic to, from and through Peoria had ceased before 1970, save for some occasional shipments. Rate-making freedom brought on by the Staggers Act allowed railroads to “de-market” this troublesome commodity once and for all.

In addition to those listed above, C&NW canceled its switching contract with P&PU in 1981. As a result, P&PU ceased serving Alexander Warehouse & Sales, Great Plains Gas and Smith-Scharff Paper Co. Also, of those customers served under contract for Illinois Terminal, only American Allied Freight Car Co. remained past the 1980’s. Now owned by Greenbrier, AAFC moved its operation out of East Peoria in 1990 to make room for the Robert H. Michel Bridge, and is now located in Peoria.

Gained and lost since 1980

Agri Grain Marketing 1997-2003 (joint venture abolished)
ALCOA/Bulkmatic Transport Co. 1996 to 2001 (closure)
Bemis Co. (Paper Mill) – 1982 to 1987 (operated by Petratex final 2 years)
Bemis Co. (bag plant) – 1982 to 2006 (closure)
Caterpillar (Mossville) – 1982 to 1985
CPC International – 1980 to 1981 (closure) See Note 1
Carver Lumber Co. – 1984 to 1998, 2006 to 2008 (replaced by another RR)
Gateway Milling Co. – 1986 to 1998 (replaced by another RR)
Home Comfort Co. – 1984 to 1985 (found alternate transportation)
Jordan Manufacturing Co. 1984 to 1985 (moved to Monticello, Indiana)
Koch Nitrogen Co. – 1991 to 2007 (closure)
Little Giant Products Inc. – 1982 to 1983 (closure)
O’Brien Steel Service Co. – late 1980’s to 1998 (replaced by another RR) See Note 2
Pabst Brewing Co. (brewery) – 1982 (closure)
Pabst Brewing Co. (grist mill) – 1982 to 1984 (closure)
Putnam Supply Co. – 1982 to 1984 (owner retired)
Quaker Oats Company – 1980 to late 1980’s (access cut off, replaced by another RR)
Reserve Supply Co-Operative Co. – 1984 to 1992 (closed/product change)
Seneca Petroleum Co. – 1993 to 1995 See Note 3
Seneca Petroleum Co./R. A. Cullinan – 1995 to 2003 See Note 4

NOTE 1 – CPC International Pekin plant converted to ethanol production under “Pekin Energy Company” name (”Gained since 1980″)

NOTE 2 – P&PU and now successor TZPR continue to provide “intermediate handling” if shipments to and from O’Brien Steel Service Co.

NOTE 3 – Seneca Petroleum transloaded aggregate and steel slag from railcars to trucks at P&PU’s East Peoria Yard from 1993 to 1995.

NOTE 4 – Seneca Petroleum constructed a new transload facility in Peoria (next to its asphalt plant) in 1995, then sold it to R. A. Cullinan & Sons in 1999. Facility has been unused since East Peoria Materials opened TP&W-served East Peoria facility in 2004.

Gained (and retained) since 1980

ADM Growmark Inc. (Creve Coeur barge transfer) – 1997 (See Note 1)
AGRI-Bunge – 2004 (see Note 2)
Airco Industrial Gases – 1982 (See Note 3)
Archer Daniels Midland Co./Tabor Grain – 1981 (See Note 4)
Liquid Carbonic Co. – c. 1993 (see Note 5)
McFarland Cascade Co. – 1998 (see note 6)
Midwest Grain Products of IL – 1993 (See Note 7)
Midwestern Building Supply – 2006 (see Note 8 )
Pekin Energy Company Inc. – 1981 (See Note 9)
Peoria Barge Terminal Inc. – 1982 (see Note 10)
Peoria River Terminal Inc. – 2003 (see Note 11)
Peoria Brick & Tile Co. – 1982 (see Note 12)
PMP Fermentation Products – 2007 (See Note 13)
P&PU Road-N-Rail Storage & Consolidation – late 1980’s (See Note 14)
Scotwood Industries (See Note 15)
Sours Grain Company – mid-1980’s (See Note 16)
WABCO – 1982 (see Note 17)

NOTE 1 – Purchased from Central Illinois Dock Company in 1996; began operations about December 1, 1997.

NOTE 2 – Does not own any local facilities; most likely consigns grain trains to Tomen Grain Company in Pekin (if at all).

NOTE 3 – Located in Pekin due to startup of Pekin Energy ethanol operation; purchased by BOC Gases in 1994. BOC was purchased by Linde Group in 2006.

NOTE 4 – Archer Daniels Midland purchased Hiram Walker & Sons distillery in April 1980. After installation of necessary ethanol processing equipment, operations commenced on June 1, 1981. Shortly thereafter, subsidiary Tabor Grain began rail-to-barge transfer operations at its adjacent terminal elevator.

NOTE 5 – Located next to Midwest Grain Products of IL; purchased by Praxair in 1996.

NOTE 6 – Operates a pole distribution yard on TZPR East Peoria Yard property.

NOTE 7 – P&PU assumed switching duties at Midwest Grain Products of IL from Conrail in 1993.

NOTE 8 – Uses freight house off Wesley Road.

NOTE 9 – Set up as 50-50 partnership between CPC International and Texaco in 1980. Pekin Energy shipped its first ethanol (to Indianapolis by truck) in December 1981. Plant purchased by Williams Companies in 1995, which renamed PEC “Williams Bio-Energy” three years later. Aventine Renewable Energy became owner in 2003. A Dry Corn Mill was completed next to existing wet corn mill and placed into operation in January 2007.

Note 10 – Peoria Barge Terminal began using old distillery warehouse tracks between Monarch St. and its riverfront dock by early 1982 after vacating downtown river terminal. In late 1993, a spur was built from ADM-owned River Track into dock area

Note 11 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Interstate Asphalt Corp. purchased former Martin Oil Service tank farm and barge dock on S. Darst St. in 2000. Spur track was built around 2003. TZPR shares access with two other RR’s.

NOTE 12- became distributor in 1982; subsequently began leasing space in P&PU freight house.

NOTE 13 – PMP had rail siding constructed in late 2006; received first carload in mid-January 2007 (former Pabst Grist Mill).

NOTE 14 – Set up to store, consolidate and ship Caterpillar machinery; reportedly replaced KMI in Pekin. Since 2006, has been managed by Keen Transport Co.

NOTE 15 – This Overland Park, KS-based manufacturer of dry and liquid de-icing compounds is listed as TZPR customer as of about 2007. Occasional tank cars spotted for unloading near Keen Transport Rail Yard may be liquid ice melt from Scotwood. An early December 2008 shipment of five carloads of road salt unloaded near the same spot may also have been from Scotwood.

NOTE 16 – About 1984, Sours Grain Company had a loading spout and dump pit constructed using existing Conrail tracks along Front St. in Pekin. Renamed Tomen Grain Company in 2002.

NOTE 17 – WABCO now Komatsu America International.

The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad began leasing the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway for 20 years on November 1, 2004.  Below is a present-day customer list (source American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association):

AGRI-Bunge
Alter Recycling Company
American Allied Freight Car Co., Inc.
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Archer Daniels Midland/Growmark (now “ADM Grain Co.)
Aventine Renewable Energy
Behr, Peoria (see Linde)
BOC Gases
Cargill (business location unknown)
Carver Lumber (ended use of TZPR facilities in 2008)
Caterpillar, Inc.
Central Illinois Freight Handling Corp. (dormant)
ConAgra (now Gavilon)
Keystone Steel & Wire Company
Komatsu Mining Systems, Inc.
Linde
LS Lumber
McFarland Cascade
MGP Ingredents of Illinois
Midwest Building Supply
A. Miller & Co. (Allied Iron Steel Co.)
Mosaic
Peoria Barge Terminal
Peoria Brick & Tile
Peoria River Terminal
PMP Fermentation
Praxair
R. A. Cullinan & Sons, Inc. (dormant)
Scotwood Industries
Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, Inc. (operated by Keen Transport)
Team Tracks, Misc. Platforms, Storage Yards
Terra Nitrogen
Tomen Grain Company
UAP Fertilizer (ConAgra/Gavilon)

(I haven’t even listed all of the name changes that have ocurred since the 1977 list in Part I.)

Imagine if P&PU (and successor TZPR) failed to attract any new investment since 1980, and those plants which closed never found buyers. Then, consider how few customers P&PU would be serving today. Many of the customers served 30 years ago (or any railroad for that matter) are long gone. But marketing has lured new customers since that time. It’s a continuous process, and must not be inhibited by clouds of abandonment and politics. Now you know where I’m going with this.

I’ll let you chew on that for awhile. Be sure to comment for clarification. I’ll be glad to discuss it.

- David P. Jordan