To hear Peoria City Councilman-Elect Dan Irving or Peoria City Treasurer-elect Patrick Nichting tell it, the above photo of a Pioneer Industrial Railway train having just cleared NE Jefferson Street today, April 20, is not possible since there are no customers on the Kellar Branch. But raw, unphotoshopped pictures don’t lie.
Carver Lumber received this carload of lumber late this morning when the train shoved it into the firm’s yard. Business is down, way down, due to the collapse of the housing market. It will return in 1-2 years, but in the meantime, think about how many railroads are willing to fight for and provide service to a sole customer which generated just ten carloads in 2008? In the not-so-distant past, many rail lines, which might generate hundreds of annual carloads, have been successfully abandoned.
The Pioneer Industrial Railway is an example of a carrier that shippers can rely on for commitment to service. If you’re reading this blog, own a warehouse or light manufacturing firm and need to relocate or add a new facility in Central Illinois, be sure to inquire on available buildings and sites along the Pioneer Industrial Railway-operated Kellar Branch*, or sister shortlines Decatur Junction Railway, Keokuk Junction Railway or the Vandalia Railroad. Contact information is at www.pioneer-railcorp.com.
*Central Illinois Railroad Co. also has operating rights on the Kellar Branch.
- David P. Jordan
3 responses so far ↓
1
Jason Myers
// Apr 20, 2009 at 12:33 pm
We must have been seeing things on the 16th when CIRY ran down the line too. I also have photo’s to prove it!
2
Steve Jaeger
// May 5, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Today (5/5 about noon), Pioneer Industrial Ry. brought a boxcar (presumably empty) down the Kellar Branch to O’Brien Steel where the railcar was set out. I had to return to work & couldn’t stick around, so my question is: where does the crew then take the Pioneer locomotive, where is it kept?
3
David P. Jordan
// May 5, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hi Steve,
Pioneer Industrial Railway keeps their locomotive inside Carver Lumber property when it’s not operating.
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