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I'm headed down to Indiana for a bit and would like to see what the TP&W has to offer.

Do they run a fairly regular schedule? Daytime or night trains? Is Remington still the hub of operations? It looks like route 24 pretty much runs alongside the railroad - possible to chase a train? How fast do they run?

Thanks

I'd check the North & Central Indiana Railroads group on Yahoo or Facebook. There's a couple guys in the group who make regular TP&W reports and have a pretty good idea of when they run.

I have a friend that lives in Watseka Ill, He said the times are sporadic but mainly at night one time back in December of 2007 i chased a 98 car westbound from Watseka to Chenoa Ill he had an eclectic mix of power he had four engines, And one morning a couple years ago in the morning after sunup i chased a eastbound out to the KB&S interchange at Sheldon Ind in perfect daylight so you might get to see something, Even back in 1995 i was at Kenneth Ind and got a eastbound with three GP20's for power that was about 2:00 in the afternoon.

If there is a schedule, it's been changed and tweaked often enough lately to appear otherwise.

Remington was leased to GE for windmill unloading and a new yard built on the state line in Effner,IN.

Road trains between Effner and Peoria tend to run at night 2-3 times a week, sometimes at night there's a local that only goes to Gilman,IL and back. During the day, a few times a week a train will run east to Reynolds and south on CSX to the yard in Lafayette and back, maybe once or twice a week it will go to Logansport, and rarely it will go to Gilman,IL. Those are all 'if' they made it back the afternoon before.

chriiis wrote:If there is a schedule, it's been changed and tweaked often enough lately to appear otherwise.

Remington was leased to GE for windmill unloading and a new yard built on the state line in Effner,IN.

Road trains between Effner and Peoria tend to run at night 2-3 times a week, sometimes at night there's a local that only goes to Gilman,IL and back. During the day, a few times a week a train will run east to Reynolds and south on CSX to the yard in Lafayette and back, maybe once or twice a week it will go to Logansport, and rarely it will go to Gilman,IL. Those are all 'if' they made it back the afternoon before.

I don't think I'd call that a "new" yard at Effner. It is really the same yard that has been there for decades. Two yard tracks were rehabilitated though. Previously, they were used for car storage.

The road trains seem to be leaving East Peoria Monday and Thursday evenings (after dark), arriving Effner the next morning. They'll depart Effner Tuesday and Friday evenings (again, probably after dark) and arrive East Peoria the next morning. Sometimes, they'll pull a big cut of steel pipe loads from Watseka to East Peoria. Train schedule may be adjusted to handle pipe on the day it arrives.

I've seen TP&W make a transfer run to Lafayette (via Reynolds and CSXT's Monon Sub) on Sunday mid-afternoon. Symbol is Z189. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb6LWmYBlz8

Other Indiana Local operations seems to be a bit unpredictable, though someone posted a photo of a recent TP&W daylight move at Gilman on the IndianaRailroads.org bull session

http://indianarailroads.org/board/index ... =12069.100

Would you happen to know who some of their on-line customers are? I've lost track since the intermodal business stopped.

AARR wrote:Would you happen to know who some of their on-line customers are? I've lost track since the intermodal business stopped.

Ha! I know them all! I'll write up a list when I get a chance.

bn13814 wrote:

AARR wrote:Would you happen to know who some of their on-line customers are? I've lost track since the intermodal business stopped.

Ha! I know them all! I'll write up a list when I get a chance.

That would be appreciated! Looking forward to it bn!

Here a list of current TP&W'-served industries. Some are inactive (denoted by *) but have rail facilities.

LOGANSPORT, IN
Transco Railway Products (switched by NS, but TP&W has a connection)
Cole Hardwood* (hasn't shipped by rail in nearly a decade; on Logansport & Eel River)

BURNETTSVILLE, IN
CFS/Kova Ag Products (fertilizer)

IDAVILLE, IN
Co-Alliance LLP (fertilizer)

REYNOLDS, IN
Co-Alliance LLP* (grain elevator)
Co-Alliance LLP (fertilizer)

WOLCOTT, IN
CFS Wolcott Inc. (fertilizer)
Farmers Coop Co. of Wolcott (grain elevator)

HOOSIERLIFT, IN
Co-Alliance LLP (fertilizer)
GE Energy (wind turbine components)

REMINGTON, IN
Smith Transport Inc. (warehouse)
Co-Alliance LLP (birdfeed ingredients transload for Scotts in Reynolds)
Co-Alliance LLP* (hay bales; dormant for at least 4-5 years)
Co-Alliance LLP (grain elevator)

GOODLAND, IN
Co-Alliance LLP (fertilizer)
Co-Alliance LLP* (old grain elevator)
Co-Alliance LLP (new grain elevator)
Wilson Industrial Sales Co. (fertilizer, chemicals)

PERKINS, IN
Newton County Stone/Rogers Group (limestone quarry)

KENTLAND, IN
Gavilon Fertilizer LLC (fertilizer)

SHELDON, IN
Kentland Elevator & Supply (grain elevator access via KB&S track)
Kentland Elevator & Supply* (grain elevator on TP&W track)
Crop Production Services (fertilizer)

CRESCENT CITY, IL
CHS Inc. (Crescent City Fertilizer Terminal)
Watseka Interstate LLC (fertilizer)
Wheatfield Grain Co.* (grain elevator)

GILMAN, IL
Incobrasa Industries Inc. (soybean processing, biodiesel plant)

LA HOGUE, IL
Ludlow Coop Elevator Co. (grain elevator)

PIPER CITY, IL
Ludlow Coop Elevator Co. (grain elevator)

CHATSWORTH, IL
Livingston Grain Elevator* (grain elevator, siding in poor shape)

FORREST, IL
Trainor Grain & Supply Co* (grain elevator, objects on siding)

FAIRBURY, IL
Prairie Central Coop (grain elevator)
Crop Production Services (fertilizer)
Brant Consolidated (fertilizer)

WESTON, IL
Prairie Central Coop (grain elevator)

CHENOA, IL
Evergreen FS Inc. (fertilizer)

MEADOWS, IL
Prairie Central Coop (grain elevator)

GRIDLEY, IL
Myers Crop Center (grain elevator)
Ruff Brothers Grain Co (grain elevator)
Kerry Ingredients Inc. (confectioners ingredients)

CRUGER, IL
Grainland Coop (grain elevator)

EAST PEORIA, IL
East Peoria Materials/Rogers Group (aggregates, road salt)
BNSF Logistics* (wind turbine components)
Dun Transportation & Stringing (steel pipe staging)
Vectora Transportation* (wind turbine components)

SOMMER, IL
Ameren Illinois (E. D. Edwards Station via UP track)

MORTON (IL) INDUSTRIAL SPUR
Fort Transfer Company (herbicides)
Morton Buildings (timber-framed metal buildings)

ADM RIVER TRACK (PEORIA, IL)
ADM Grain Company (grain elevator, barge dock)
Archer Daniels Midland Co. (plastics)
Peoria Barge Terminal Inc. (various commodities)
Peoria River Terminal (asphalt terminal)
Seneca Petroleum Co. (asphalt terminal)

NOTE: TP&W only serves ADM facilities, none of the others for several years at least

MAPLETON (IL) INDUSTRIAL SPUR
Chemtura Corp (plasticizers)
Evonik Industries Inc. (specialty chemicals)
Lonza Inc. (specialty chemicals)
Ingredion Inc. (liquid sweeteners)
Caterpillar Inc. (gray iron foundry)
Growmark Inc. (fertilizer terminal)

bn13814 wrote:Here a list of current TP&W'-served industries. Some are inactive (denoted by *) but have rail facilities.

Awesome bn! Which five are the major ones? I've noticed in other states than MI Crop Production Services seem to ship fertilizer directly to the dealer by rail. In MI the have a terminal in Saginaw that gets the fertilizer by rail then trucked to the many dealers across the state.

AARR wrote:

bn13814 wrote:Here a list of current TP&W'-served industries. Some are inactive (denoted by *) but have rail facilities.

Awesome bn! Which five are the major ones? I've noticed in other states than MI Crop Production Services seem to ship fertilizer directly to the dealer by rail. In MI the have a terminal in Saginaw that gets the fertilizer by rail then trucked to the many dealers across the state.

In a normal year, TP&W's largest customer is probably Archer Daniels Midland Co., mainly corn delivered to the ADM Grain Co. barge dock/terminal elevator in Peoria. But this traffic is way down due to 2012's severe drought, and almost all of it is captive, i. e. loaded at online elevators. So other "top five" customers include grain elevators maintaining multiple on-line facilities, such as Co-Alliance LLP and Prairie Central Coop (which co-loads trains for a single destination on a single waybill). Grainland Coop at Cruger is the largest elevator on TP&W's system, and until 2012's devastating drought, regularly shipped 40-car blocks to Peoria-area processors and/or river terminals (they did 25-car blocks briefly this spring).

Probably No. 2 is Incobrasa Industries' Gilman plant. Incobrasa is also served by Canadian National, but TP&W does a healthy business there. Soybeans are loaded at on-line stations or on connections (Tazewell & Peoria RR-served ADM Grain Co's Hilliards, Illinois elevator loaded blocks of soybeans for Gilman early this summer). In the past, local shortages have forced Incobrasa to import soybeans either via barge-to rail at Mapleton in 2003 or from purchased from two Heartland Coop elevators on the Iowa Interstate RR at Kellogg and Malcolm, Iowa as in 2008-2009. There is a lot of soy meal/flakes/hulls, etc. shipped out on TP&W, most of which goes to CSXT, however, some goes west to Peoria, most for interchange to BNSF.

As for others, it's hard to guess. Evonik Industries receives a large volume of inedible beef tallow from Union Pacific origins on a regular basis. It receives and ships other chemicals as well.

Ingredion (formerly Corn Products Int'l) ships tank cars of corn syrup from Argo to Mapleton on a regular basis. These are routed CN-Gilman-TPW. Ingredion gets so many tank cars at a time, they have a lease track in TP&W's East Peoria Yard. Corn syrup is hydrogenated to manufacture sugarless sweeteners such as sorbitol. Some outbound shipments go east to interchange (NS at Logansport) or BNSF via TZPR.

Lonza is adjacent to Ingredion and ships and receives chemicals on a regular basis.

Caterpillar's Mapleton Foundry isn't a significant customer as it once was (the company operated TWO Mapleton foundries from late 1978 to 1985), but the plant does receive scrap metal and bentonite clay regularly.

During the construction season, Newton County Stone ships about 11-12 loads of limestone to East Peoria Materials on a regular basis.

I see that I omitted an occasional customer at Remington: Smith Transport Inc. TP&W gets an occasional boxcar from BNSF at Peoria for them that is reportedly loaded with Kitty Litter. I corrected the list.

Regarding my listing of Ameren Illinois' E. D. Edwards Station power plant at Sommer, Illinois. TP&W hasn't delivered a coal train here since late 2003 (weekly coal trains from BNSF at Peoria), but in January of this year, the carrier delivered an electric transformer load shipped from Meredosia, Ill.

CHATSWORTH, IL
Livingston Grain Elevator* (grain elevator, siding in poor shape)

Is there any interchange traffic from the Bloomer Line in Chatsworth as well? Google maps still shows a track connecting the TP&W to the Bloomer Line, although I can't recall if it was in place when I was down there a couple months ago. Is there a reason for the connecting track if not for interchange?


Thanks a lot for posting the list of customers. I'm enjoying the chance to see exactly who is and who isn't shipping by rail on the TP&W.

MKT_fan11 wrote:

CHATSWORTH, IL
Livingston Grain Elevator* (grain elevator, siding in poor shape)

Is there any interchange traffic from the Bloomer Line in Chatsworth as well? Google maps still shows a track connecting the TP&W to the Bloomer Line, although I can't recall if it was in place when I was down there a couple months ago. Is there a reason for the connecting track if not for interchange?


Thanks a lot for posting the list of customers. I'm enjoying the chance to see exactly who is and who isn't shipping by rail on the TP&W.

The interchange track gets little use if any these days. Last time I saw a car on it was in the winter of 2009 (though this isn't necessarily the last one). Seems like TP&W dropped a carload of dry fertilizer (not sure if potash or phosphate) in January that year.

The connection was built c. 1986 so the Bloomer Line could interchange directly with then-Santa Fe, and avoid the hassle (and extra cost and delay to shippers) of having Norfolk & Western act as intermediate handling carrier between Risk and Forrest. Good thing the connection was built when it was since the N&W abandoned its ex-Wabash line through Forrest in 1990.

The lack of interchange isn't surprising. The Bloomer interchanges mostly with Norfolk Southern at Gibson City. In fact, two of the Bloomer's largest customers are located on a spur in Gibson City accessible only via NS. These are Alliance Grain Co's West Elevator and the One Earth Energy ethanol plant.

Speaking of the Bloomer, TP&W does handle some bridge traffic between BNSF at Peoria (via Tazewell & Peoria RR's East Peoria Yard) and shortlines such as the KB&S (Webster), Winamac Southern (Logansport) and sister Central RR of Indianapolis (Kokomo, via WSRY haulage). Traffic is mainly anhydrous ammonia, nitrogen or feed ingredients.

bn, I enjoy your attention to logistical and operational detail of TP&W. If I can reciprocate the favor of any of the MI short lines I will be happy to do so. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as you but can provide "ballpark" info.

The interchange track gets little use if any these days. Last time I saw a car on it was in the winter of 2009 (though this isn't necessarily the last one). Seems like TP&W dropped a carload of dry fertilizer (not sure if potash or phosphate) in January that year.

I just remembered that TP&W did deliver at least one (possibly two) 60-car phosphate train to the Bloomer in July 2012. In fact, this movement was delayed by a derailment near Watseka on July 7 that year. The one I know of was received from CSXT at Lafayette, and had to be held at the Hoosierlift until the main track was reopened.

AARR wrote:bn, I enjoy your attention to logistical and operational detail of TP&W. If I can reciprocate the favor of any of the MI short lines I will be happy to do so. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as you but can provide "ballpark" info.

I've considered a trip to railfan the Grand Elk Railroad, and perhaps some others in the area. This would be new territory for me. I was customer service agent for the West Michigan RR in 2001-2002 and helped the Michigan Southern agent from time to time (all from our Peoria office). Sad to hear most fo WMI is being abandoned.

(You might wanna provide info on these carriers in the Michigan section

bn13814 wrote:

AARR wrote:bn, I enjoy your attention to logistical and operational detail of TP&W. If I can reciprocate the favor of any of the MI short lines I will be happy to do so. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as you but can provide "ballpark" info.

I've considered a trip to railfan the Grand Elk Railroad, and perhaps some others in the area. This would be new territory for me. I was customer service agent for the West Michigan RR in 2001-2002 and helped the Michigan Southern agent from time to time (all from our Peoria office). Sad to hear most fo WMI is being abandoned.

(You might wanna provide info on these carriers in the Michigan section

Unfortunately GDLK is the one railroad I am least familiar with . However, if you post your question in the railfanning section there are others who will have better responses than me. I will post what I know to that thread.

Kalamazoo at BO Tower is the place to be for both Amtrak and Grand Elk. 8 Amtrak trains going east or west and at least 6-8 Grand Elk trains going in north or south directions in a day.

Pretty good TP&W discussion. Think I'll drive on down to East Peoria on Wednesday and check it out. Possibly get some pics to share. Thanks for the info.

Old Hogger wrote:Pretty good TP&W discussion. Think I'll drive on down to East Peoria on Wednesday and check it out. Possibly get some pics to share. Thanks for the info.

If the TP&W is quiet, Norfolk Southern's weekday local, D46, usually shows up between 9 and 11 am, drops its train at the Tazewell & Peoria RR (P&PU) and pulls its outbound back to Good Yard in Normal. Wednesday is traditionally "Tractor Day" but Caterpillar (and Komatsu) business has been slow this year. For Illustration:

March 28, 2012 (51 Caterpillar loads!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAB8F-jS9yU

August 21, 2013 (seven Caterpillar loads)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=earfRJLtiao