Peoria Station

NOTE: Peoria Area Rail Users are posted alphabetically by railroad station

TZPR No. 701 switches two gondolas at Greenbrier Castings’ Peoria facility on August 13, 2011

Greenbrier Castings’ facility at 15 Leland Street in Peoria reconditions sideframes, couplers, bolsters and yokes for both freight and passenger locomotives and rolling stock.

The current operation dates back to 1991 when American Allied Freight Car lost its East Peoria site due to construction of the Robert H. Michel Bridge. The present location is where the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway’s main roundhouse stood for about a century starting in 1881. Greenbrier acquired American Allied Freight Car Co (and its parent American Allied Railway Equipment Co. of Washington, Ill.) in 2008.

The Peoria operation is part of a larger firm that also manufactures and leases railroad rolling stock. Served by the Tazewell & Peoria RR, junk parts occasionally arrive by railcar while scrap and junk are occasionally shipped to foundries, steel mills or perhaps other scrap processors. “Occasional” is the key word; Greenbrier’s Peoria facility is not a large volume rail user.

Recently, American Railcar Industries (ARI) sought to combine with Greenbrier, which spurned an offer four years ago. Greenbrier has rejected ARI’s latest pitch.

- David P. Jordan