Peoria Station

PEORIA – The Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad began a bankruptcy court-ordered liquidation 30 years ago today. Predecessor Peoria & Bureau Valley Railroad, which began revenue operations on November 7, 1854, was Peoria’s first railroad. Over the years the Rock Island developed considerable freight business in the River City, and was the last to [...]

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Food processors are again discovering rail transportation. Last Saturday, Albany, New York’s Times Union newspaper carried a story about Hillcrest Foods’ switch to rail transportation for receipt of bulk ingredients such as flour and sugar. To do this, the company moved from a location 25 miles north of Burlington, Vermont to near Saratoga Springs, New York. While [...]

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The Canton Daily Ledger and Peoria Journal Star both report that Riverland BioFuels LLC closed its 37 Million-Gallon-A-Year ethanol plant,which is located south of Canton, the first week of March. The adjacent grain terminal owned by Green Lion Bio-Fuels but leased to The Andersons is still in operation. For one year, starting in March 2009, Riverland [...]

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I just came across this, but the Journal Star published a story last Thursday on the Detweiller Marina Neighborhood Association’s opposition to industrial zoning for land purchased by O’Brien Steel Service Co. for future expansion. Nearly a year ago, I reported the Association’s initial opposition before the city zoning commission approved the re-zoning, and was [...]

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I think the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway’s 172-page Industrial Development Brochure is incredible for its detail, and it shouldn’t leave prospective buyers of listed properties and buildings with too many questions. But if they do have any, they can always contact the railroad. Closer to home, RailAmerica’s Toledo Peoria & Western Railway lists these properties. I’m curious, [...]

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I hope to get some new posts up soon. Meanwhile, it’s time for this month’s “Ask Peoria Station.” – David P. Jordan

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Bloomington’s Pantagraph newspaper is finally reporting Delta Connection’s planned air service expansion from that city’s Central Illinois Regional Airport. As mentioned here on February 5, Delta [Connection] will increase its daily Detroit nonstops from one to three roundtrips on April 6. And on the same date, American Eagle plans to add a fourth roundtrip between Bloomington-Normal and Chicago-O’Hare. Delta [Connection] [...]

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No, Allegiant Air won’t being offering scheduled Peoria-Honolulu nonstops, but the airline announced Friday the purchase of six Boeing 757s and expansion to the Hawaiian Islands. Allegiant is expected to offer Hawaii flights from West Coast cities, such as Oakland, California and perhaps Bellingham, Washington. San Diego is rumored as well. The airline’s present MD80 [...]

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Wheelworx North LLC announced just before Thanksgiving 2009 that it planned to construct a freight car wheel reconditioning shop at Pekin’s Riverway Business Park. The company’s president told the Journal Star he’d like to have their building erected by March. Well…it’s March and that sign in the picture above is all that has been erected. I’m not saying [...]

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I don’t have many details, but I’m hearing that a ballast reclamation operation is coming to Bartonville this spring. Apparently, an unnamed firm is leasing the westernmost track in Union Pacific’s Collier’s Yard (located between I-474 and Keystone Steel & Wire) to receive railcars loaded with reclamed ballast rock (some no doubt removed from abandoned lines, or for other reasons). [...]

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