TP&W wind turbine components train creeps through East Peoria railroad bridge on May 1.
Union Pacific hauled the 53-car train carrying wind turbine hubs, nacelles and blades without incident from the Port of Vancouver, Washington to Sommer (south of Bartonville) where it was received by the Toledo, Peoria & Western for the final leg to the staging facility located just east of Remington, Indiana. The final hurdle: slipping those 130-ft. blades through the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad’s Farm Creek through truss bridge.
It didn’t work out so well. The cars carrying the hubs and nacelles were placed on the front of the train. They made it. So did the first set of blades (two 89-ft flat card, each with a blade and a “spacer car” in between). Unfortunately, a stanchion holding the blade on the one of the next set of three flat cars wasn’t positioned properly.
The second set of blades only made it so far.
With major East Peoria thoroughfare’s blocked, the decision was made to break the train and take what made it through the bridge to the TP&W yard, 1.5 miles further east. Those that didn’t were pulled back by Tazewell & Peoria Railroad switch engine No. 700.
Everything ended well – TZPR “turned” the offending set of cars and by late Saturday morning the remaining cars had been taken through the bridge, reunited with the rest of the train.
The reassembled train rests in the TP&W’s East Peoria Yard at midday on Saturday, May 2.
- David P. Jordan
5 responses so far ↓
1
Steve Jaeger
// May 4, 2009 at 12:17 pm
David:
To your knowledge, has the train departed TPW East Peoria for its journey to Remington? If so, has the movement been without, ahem, further incident? If not, do you know when it will move east?
2
David P. Jordan
// May 4, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Hi Steve,
The wind turbine parts train departed TP&W’s East Peoria Yard on Sunday evening. I doubt it had any problems as the TP&W is a pretty straight railroad – only a few curves, and none with through truss bridges
3
Brandon Smith
// May 4, 2009 at 6:50 pm
it left little before 10 o’clock sunday night same power
4
prego man
// May 8, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Can’t these danged things be moved by truck, huh?
5
David P. Jordan
// May 9, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Prego,
Rail transportation is the only viable method of hauling wind turbine components from seaport to the Midwest. These particular components entered the country at the Port of Vancouver, Washington. Shipping them that far to Indiana by truck would be cost-prohibitive.
Anyway, railroad personnel solved the problem and the parts moved to their final destination.
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