Peoria Station

Local industries engaged in the manufacturing or processing of metal and metal products are quite prominent, with Keystone Steel & Wire being a major employer with some 1300 workers. Due to the weight and quantity of steel and steel products shipped in or out of the area, and where water transportation is not possible, rail transportation is vital. Below are area rail users categorized under Metals and Metal Products.

ALLIED IRON & STEEL CO.
Ft. of Clarke Street
Peoria, IL
www.amillerco.com

Allied Iron & Steel is owned by A. Miller & Co., whch operates a scrap metal recycling facility on SW Adams St. Allied has auto shredding capability and can also dismantle railcars. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad serves the facility, and pulls scrap metal-laden gondolas on a regular basis.

ALTER METAL RECYCLING CO.
7000 S. Adams Street
Bartonville, IL
www.altermetalrecycling.com

Alter Metal Recycling is the contract operator of Keystone Steel & Wire Co’s scrap metal processing and recycling facility. Scrap metal and junk arrives by rail and truck, is sorted and processed then sent to the adjacent steel mill.

BEHR PEORIA INC.
2424 W. Clarke Street
Peoria, IL
www.jbehr.com/peoria.htm

Behr Peoria is owned by Rockford, Illinois-based Joseph E. Behr & Son. The Peoria facility has recycling, processing and auto shredding facilities. Scrap steel plates shipped (by rail) from Caterpillar and Komatsu are processed here. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad is the serving carrier.

CATERPILLAR INC. – BUILDING LL
Cass Street
East Peoria, IL
www.cat.com

Caterpillar’s Building LL fabricates tractor frames, case and frame assemblies and other large components from steel plates. Rail use is limited to shipment of scrap plates to Behr Peoria’s south Peoria facility. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad is the serving carrier.

CATERPILLAR INC. – FOUNDRY
8826 W US 24
Mapleton, IL
www.cat.com

The Mapleton foundry produces gray iron castings for engine blocks used by Caterpillar diesel engines, but makes castings for other customers as well. The Toledo Peoria & Western is the serving carrier, and regularly delivers carloads of scrap metal and bentonite clay.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS FREIGHT HANDLING CORP.
910 Wesley Road
Creve Coeur, IL

Central Illinois Freight Handling is listed as a customer on the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad’s public freight tariffs effective July 1, 2008, but to my knowledge has not used rail transportation. Owner Central Illinois Dock Company unloads steel billets from barges at their former dock on Wesley Road, now the property of ADM Grain Co., and then trucks them to nearby warehouses. Apparently, CIFH can use ADM’s spur tracks if necessary, and since TZPR still lists them as a customer, I included them here.

GREENBRIER CASTINGS
15 Leland Street
Peoria, IL
www.gbrx.com

Formerly American Allied Freight Car Co., Greenbrier’s Peoria facility remanufactures railcar parts such as bolsters, sideframes and couplers, some of which are received by railcar. Scrap metal and junk is shipped in gondolas. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad is the serving carrier.

HANNA STEEL CORP.
220 Hanna Drive
Pekin, IL
www.hannasteel.com

Hanna Steel operates a steel coil processing, steel tube and stamping facility at Pekin’s Riverway Business Park. Steel coils are received by railcar, and some of the cleaned and painted steel is shipped out by rail. Business, unfortunately, is down now due to the present deep economic recession. Canadian National is the serving carrier.

KEYSTONE STEEL & WIRE CO. – STEEL/ROD MILL
7000 S. Adams Street
Bartonville, IL
www.keystonesteel.com

Keystone Steel & Wire’s steel mill, a prominent landmark in Bartonville, receives a large quantity of scrap steel by railcar. Coiled wire rod is shipped in large quantity from the adjacent rod mill. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad serves the plant. 

KEYSTONE STEEL & WIRE CO. – MID MILL
7000 S. Adams Street
Bartonville, IL
www.keystonesteel.com

The mid mill produces industrial wire, and its sole use of rail transportation is to ship scrap wire back to the steel mill for re-melting. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad handles this business.

KEYSTONE STEEL & WIRE CO. – WIRE MILL
7000 S. Adams Street
Bartonville, IL
www.keystonesteel.com

The wire mill also ships scrap wire back to the steel mill for re-melting, but also may ship an occasional load of pre-fab fencing in boxcars and stockade panels in centerbeam flat cars. A nearby acid unloading facility gets tank cars containing sulfuric acid, used mostly at the wire mill. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad serves this facility as well.

O’BRIEN STEEL SERVICE CO.
1700 NE Adams Street
Peoria, IL
www.obriensteel.com

O’Brien Steel Service uses rail transportation to receive steel I-beams and plates and to ship scrap metal. In recent months, however, rail use has been sporadic or non-existent, most likely due to the economy and/or changes in suppliers. The Central Illinois Railroad is the serving carrier.

- David P. Jordan