NOTE: Peoria Area Rail Users are posted alphabetically by railroad station
BNSF’s Peoria Local switches “Cat Tire” on April 27, 2012
Yes, Caterpillar actually does have a manufacturing facility in its headquarters city!
The Caterpillar Rubber Processing Facility (RPF) on SW Washington Street has been in operation since the winter of 1974. After purchasing the shuttered Hiram Walker & Sons cooperage plant, Caterpillar build a three-story structure to house rubber mixing equipment. Originally built to produce beaded tires, the plant now makes raw rubber.
This facility is BNSF Railway’s lone customer in Peoria. That railroad’s “Peoria Local” provides as-needed service, usually a few times a month. Covered hopper loads of carbon black and silica product are easily identified by car markings and stenciling.
Due to a late-October 2005 derailment, BNSF’s uptown trackage is isolated from its Galesburg-Peoria mainline. Until (or if) the connection is restored (which now seems unlikely), BNSF’s local train must use parallel Tazewell & Peoria RR trackage to reach what is known to them as “Cat Tire.”
- David P. Jordan
8 responses so far ↓
1 alex // Dec 20, 2012 at 11:12 am
Does seem like switching this one industry would be cost worthy for bnsf. why not just hand it off to tzpr?
2 alex // Dec 20, 2012 at 11:17 am
doesnt*
3 David P. Jordan // Dec 20, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Hi Alex,
One word: “Caterpillar.” Through subsidiary Progress Rail Services, it owns EMD, one of BNSF’s two rail motive power suppliers, and ships a lot of high value machinery and parts on that carrier.
Carbon black probably comes from Evonik Carbon’s Borger, Texas plant (cars marked ECQX belong to them now), which gives BNSF a rather long haul.
Silica product comes in covered hoppers with PPG Industries markings (PPGX) and are probably from Lake Charles, La. As a result of the UP-SP combination, BNSF is the serving carrier at this facility.
4 Bulby // Dec 21, 2012 at 2:51 am
When I rode by the BNSF Darst St. Switch (and alongside said connection to BNSF’s uptown track) in early November it definitely looked like unless BNSF gets someone else’s (read CAT’s) money; they have absolutely no intention of rehabilitating the old track leading up to CAT tire that is now O.O.S. More likely is that rail gets pulled up sooner or later. That was a bit of a surprising ride; so many old industry spurs/Rights of way now inactive, yet evidence remains of in some places, 8 tracks side by side. Gee our country is in GREAT economic shape.
5 David P. Jordan // Dec 21, 2012 at 8:36 am
The CB&Q had about 80 customers in Peoria back in 1947. But many of them were small and generated little business. A lot of them went out of business or switched to trucks in the 1950s. Between 1959 and 1966, the larger ones outgrew cramped, multi-story facilities on Peoria’s south side and relocated to the TP&W in East Peoria.
The Q did, however, attracted new industries where possible: Piggyback ramps by the late 1950s and Allied Iron & Steel in 1965. Fleming-Potter built a new label plant in 1962 and Wahlfeld’s built a new plant at the former CB&Q freight house in the late 1960s.
Some warehouses were closed and reopened by new owners. United Facilities bought a 5-story warehouse on Peoria’s southside in 1953. Even though it constructed a new warehouse at East Peoria in 1959 (and expanded through the 1960s), United continued using this building into the 1970s. Caterpillar bought Chris Hoerr & Sons’ grocery warehouse at SW Washington and MacArthur in 1964 for storing literature. Likewise, Foster & Gallagher purchased Hiram Walker’s bonded warehouse at 401 SW Water Street in 1966. All were rail users for a time.
6 Brian Carlson // Dec 21, 2012 at 8:45 pm
Just a note on that “BNSF long haul” from Borger…unless Panhandle Northern is strictly a switching carrier (which I doubt), the Omnitrax road most likely gets a cut of the rate. Not quite “single line service”, but close.
I used to sit at my grandmother’s front window as a young lad and watch the flare stack at that carbon black plant burp out a fireball every few minutes. Fascinating stuff for a young’un! My mom and dad both grew up in Borger, and I know the town well.
7 David P. Jordan // Dec 21, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Hi Brian,
I wasn’t sure if Panhandle Northern got a rate settlement or if it billed BNSF for switching charges. Whatever the case, Panhandle, Texas to Peoria, Illinois is a pretty good distance. It’s my understanding that until fairly recently, carbon black came from another Evonik plant in Ohio, so BNSF only got the Chicago-Peoria portion.
8 Bulby // Dec 22, 2012 at 2:59 am
David,
Would have been nice to have a historical map of that area when I rode through it. Might have been more interesting, than again, that was at about midnight so it wouldn’t have been to easy to see much beyond the Right of Way if I was looking. Thanks for the historical background on the operations.
Leave a Comment