I’m not sure that your statement is entirely accurate. I would go so far as to say that even the period of joint agreement between Santa Fe and PRR, one of the objectives from the PRR side of the relationship was “access to Peoria”
The authors of the book I cited even went so far as to say that PRR’s intention in acquiring control of the TP&W was out of desire to use Peoria as an alternative to Chicago. It just never panned out that way for them.
The more I read about the PRR’s operational strategy, the more I learn that they should never be underestimated. They bought entire lines (ex: C,C, & IC) just to keep certain hostile contenders from gaining access to their area. Off topic but I suspect this often explains why certain PRR acquisitions never performed to the fullest. Simply put, the operation of a particular line to it’s fullest potential may not have been the objective PRR held foremost…so much as keeping it away from their adversaries.
I never got to ride pre-Amtrak passenger trains, so I’ve never developed an interest in them. I’ve always looked at PRR vs NYC on old maps as to which lines went through more cities, and concluded Peoria was a draw.
As for using Peoria today as a Chicago bypass, it seems useless to UP, as their C&NW, MP/C&EI and SP/GM&O lines go around the city. BNSF is a different matter however. They route everything to Galesburg, and have a direct Galesburg-Peoria line.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, the three “Midwestern” roads serving Peoria from the West were the CB&Q, Rock Island, and the C&NW, for all three Peoria was at or near the end of branch lines, and they were laid out and constructed as such. While the industry in Peoria is important, the primary reason all three lines built into the Peoria area is to access mines for locomotive coal. Limitations of the Peoria area as an interchange point are similar to those inhibiting St. Louis, Navigable Waterway requiring high or Draw Bridges, and early development of the city meant the railroads were wedged in. The river bluffs also pose problems at Peoria.
“It only goes to Gibson City, and then trackage rights on CN(IC) are used to Chicago”
Dale,
To clarify your statement- it is true that the ex-NKP east out of Peoria is abandoned past Gibson City-but the trackage rights you refer to are for trains that once used the ex-Wabash Bement-Chicago main line. Once reaching Gibson City, the NS trains coming off the ex-NKP can re-enter the former Wabash Chicago line there and run south to Decatur or Danville. (Gibson City is also where the NS gets on the IC to Chicago- the WAB, IC and NKP all once crossed in a small interlocking where the NS-IC connector now is.)
Further east the NKP tracks are once again in use by the Kankakee Beaverville and Southern, starting at Cheneyville and running west to Lafayette. Beyond that the NS operates the line to it’s traditional terminal point of Frankfort, IN.
In regards to another point- the CNW did not go to Springfield, the South Pekin Sub missed Springfield on the west side by a good 5 miles- the main interchange for CNW in the Springfield area was with the C&IM at Barr, about 15 miles northwest of town. CNW’s nearest station point was Archer- which was just a siding in the middle of nowhere once, now it’s overrun with the suburban sprawl of western Springfield. The main intent of the Southern Illinois extension for the CNW was to reach the coal fields around Staunton and Benld- this was especially apparent on the west side of Springfield where the CNW vaulted over the WAB, GMO (KC line) and the Alton and ITC (at Girard) with nary an interchange track to be found. (Although I do wager that the line south out of Pekin that Convicted One speaks of is the former CNW- which ran straight as a string south to Barr- since the CIM ran along the river Havana, and the IC and GMO lines angled southeasterly towards Lincoln and Sherman.)
No eastern road, except Conrail, actually “gave up” their route to Peoria over the years.
The Pennsylvania RR let TP&W handle most east-west traffic for them between East Peoria and Effner. The Penn Central merger in 1968 led to the diversion of the small amount of through traffic still handled by the PRR Terre Haute - Farmdale Jct. line to the Peoria & Eastern. A portion of the line between Atlanta and Waynesville was embargoed after a 1973 washout. The Maroa - Farmdale Jct. portion was then sold to Illinois Terminal on April 1, 1976. IT was a north-south oriented Regional.
Conrail closed the Olin (IN) to Crawfordsville (IN) segment of the former Peoria & Eastern (operated by New York Central and predecessor Big Four since 1890) Indianapolis - Pekin mainline in 1981 after it was discovered the Wabash River was undercutting the railroad bridge spanning it. The daily pair of manifests - INPE and PEIN - were diverted via Terre Haute. Flooding caused washouts near Mackinaw in the fall of 1983, which led to a permanent diversion of INPE and PEIN to the Norfolk & Western west of Bloomington sometime in 1984. Conrail put the “Pekin Secondary” up for sale in 1991, but took it off the block after talks with Pioneer Railcorp fell through in 1992. The lines were for sale again in 1995 and after sale to Norfolk Southern of the Bloomington - Urbana segment the following year, Conrail replaced direct service to Peoria with a haulage deal (NS handled there traffic between Lafayette and East Peoria) lasting to the breakup in 1999.
Norfolk & Western decided to close the Lafayette - Gibson City section of its old NKP line to through traffic in late 1986, rerouting everything via Decatur (not Chicago) instead. classification of Peoria and Bloomington-Normal traffic at Decatur made sense because both north-south traffic inherited from ITC in 1982 and east-west former NKP traffic could be handled there.
“It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, the three “Midwestern” roads serving Peoria from the West were the CB&Q, Rock Island, and the C&NW, for all three Peoria was at or near the end of branch lines, and they were laid out and constructed as such.”
In regards to “midwestern” roads, don’t forget that the M&STL also came into Peoria, which intersected with the CNW’s main into Peoria at Kickapoo Jct. just north of town adjacent to where the CBQ came in. All 3 then ran together in the Kickapoo Creek valley into town. The CNW’s branch is interesting as such since it originally started as a branch from Nelson- then after the construction of the Southern Illinois extension to Benld (at Molitor Jct.- just northwest of town in the Kickapoo Creek valley)- the line from the north became a more extended ad-hoc main line to St. Louis and the Illinois coal fields, while the line beyond Molitor Jct. to Peoria remained as such… a branch.
The ATSF had a branch from the north at Streator that curved into Pekin/Peoria which was later abandoned after ATSF gained control of the TPW. The Rock Island was interesting as well, since they had two branch lines into Peoria from the north at one time!
No eastern road, except Conrail, actually “gave up” their route to Peoria over the years.
The Pennsylvania RR let TP&W handle most east-west traffic for them between East Peoria and Effner. The Penn Central merger in 1968 led to the diversion of the small amount of through traffic still handled by the PRR Terre Haute - Farmdale Jct. line to the Peoria & Eastern. A portion of the line between Atlanta and Waynesville was embargoed after a 1973 washout. The Maroa - Farmdale Jct. portion was then sold to Illinois Terminal on April 1, 1976. IT was a north-south oriented Regional.
Conrail closed the Olin (IN) to Crawfordsville (IN) segment of the former Peoria & Eastern (operated by New York Central and predecessor Big Four since 1890) Indianapolis - Pekin mainline in 1981 after it was discovered the Wabash River was undercutting the railroad bridge spanning it. The daily pair of manifests - INPE and PEIN - were diverted via Terre Haute. Flooding caused washouts near Mackinaw in the fall of 1983, which led to a permanent diversion of INPE and PEIN to the Norfolk & Western west of Bloomington sometime in 1984. Conrail put the “Pekin Secondary” up for sale in 1991, but took it off the block after talks with Pioneer Railcorp fell through in 1992. The lines were for sale again in 1995 and after sale to Norfolk Southern of the Bloomington - Urbana segment the following year, Conrail replaced direct service to Peoria with a haulage deal (NS handled there traffic between Lafayette and East Peoria) lasting to the breakup in 1999.
Norfolk & Western decided to close the Lafayette - Gibson City section of its old NKP line to through traffic in late 1986, rerouting everything via Decatur (not Chicago) instead. classification of Peoria and Bloomington-Normal traffic at Decatur made sence because north-south traffic inherited from ITC in 1982 and east-west former NKP traffic could be h
Yes, Convicted One. The routing was down the ITC Peoria - St Louis main from Peoria thru Lincoln to Springfield thence over the former ITC Springfield - Danville line as far as Decatur. The ITC’s Peoria - Mackinaw Jct. - Decatur line thru Bloomington had been abandoned long before.
Yes. It started its existence as the ITC (“Illinois Traction Company”) and became the Illinois Terminal Railway, I believe in the late 50s. The ITC/IT story is a good one. For a regional, it had a heck of a traffic base. It had considerable Peoria bridge traffic, to say nothing of the Peoria industries, ADM in Decatur, ample access to grain elevators, substantial coal on the line, and a petro-chemical business in Roxana.
But, razor-thin street car rails and several towns that objected to 4-diesel 130 car trains going down mainstreet at all hours of the day and night never really gave the IT a fighting chance to make it in today’s rail world. When some of its bridges started collapsing–namely the one in Peoria–that was the beginning of the end.
I always wondered what was the more valuale line for the IT, Springfiled to Peoria or Springfield to Decatur/Champain/Danville. I think the IT had a lot more interchange traffic at Peoria, but ADM had to be a pretty valuable asset in Decatur.
I often wonder if the IT could have survived were it not for its street car heritage. My bet is yes. It would have made a nice fit with CSX pre-Conrail in the merger game.
That was quite a historical view of Peoria/Central Illinois traffic patterns. Thanks.
What is the status of the former IC line from Peoria to Decatur. I assume there is a daily each way. Is there also grain trains off of the BNSF from Dubuque?
Whoa- we have to stop before going any further- we’re confusing the personalities of three seperate Peoria lines here! The line through Lincoln was not the former PRR- the Pennsy crossed the GM&O at Atlanta- the lines that crossed the GM&O at Lincoln was the original interurban IT main line (a small piece of which still exists in town, used by UP to serve local industry in town) and the IC’s Peoria line from Mount Pulaski.
As I recall the NS never much used the old “Pennsy Secondary” after taking control of the IT in 1982- the last locals ran on it in 1987, and in 1987/1988 abandonment proceedings were filed in sections, finally it was torn out by 1989. I remember seeing the rails freshly ripped from the ties on the roadbed from the I-55 overpass at Atlanta in the fall of that year.
To clarify IT traffic was diverted off the old IT “Pennsy Secondary” to the NKP line- where the traffic was originally operated in through freights to Frankfort, IN. When the NKP was abandoned Gibson City- Lafayette in 1986- traffic was then rerouted south to Decatur via the former Wabash main at Gibson City- instead of going out to Frankfort (the old NKP division point) via a pair of local freights. The former Pennsy line angled southeast from Morton- crossing the GM&O at Atlanta, while the original ITC main line south from Morton crossed the GM&O at Lincoln. The NS/N&W never owned or operated the part of the original ITC line where the bridge collapse happened in 1977- from what I recall the ITC had torn that out before the N&W operational merger in 1982.
Actually the name was changed from Illinois Traction to Illinois Terminal sometime prior to 1950. I rode round trip from Danville to Decatur on the last day before the line was abandoned between Ogden and Danville which IIRC was in 1950 and it had been the Illinois Terminal for some years prior to that. I don’t know exactly when the name change took place but it was probably in the 40’s or maybe even the late 30’s when the interurbans all lost so much of their pa
"Your detailed account was very informative, and much appreciated.
When you say that NS rerouted Peoria traffic through Decatur, is that the Line that runs through Lincoln?"
The NS route was the former NKP between East Peoria and Gibson City, the former WAB between Gibson City and Bement and the WAB mainline into Decatur. CN’s Peoria - Decatur - Mattoon line runs through Lincoln.
CN runs a “Peoria Local” called at Grand Avenue Yard in Decatur at 1:00pm daily. Mostly manifest and local traffic is handled but sometimes grain and coal trains will be run instead. The train is officially called “L56491.” The local runs to Mount Pulaski where it makes a setout for the, and a pickup (Peoria-bound traffic coming via Chicago) from the Clinton-Cockrell Station local. Amerhart and Hanna Steel are sometimes served on Pekin’s southside before entering the Tazewell & Peoria RR at IC Jucntion for the final leg to East Peoria. The inbound train is dropped and the outbound train is readied for departure. Sometimes, Amerhart is switched on the southbound trip.
If grain elevators need cars, empties are hauled northbound to a siding at South Pekin (recently shortened to the crossover south of Main St.) then picked up southbound delivered to elevators at Delavan (25), Emden (22), Hartsburg (5) or Chestervale (1 to 3).
The Iowa to Decatur grain trains, the weekly (?) BNSF coal train for ADM in Decatur, the occasional Decatur to Summerfield, Texas feed train and the weekly IAIS-bound coal train add a good traffic mix. There can be two to four trains per day.