Great article about covered wagons on the Peoria & Western but was curious about what happened to the east end of the TP&W to Logansport.
Well mostly it just lays there in testimony to the reality that the when class ones complain about how insufferable the congestion in Chicago has become , they really don’t want an alternate around Chicago, they just want tax payer dollars to improve their own plant.
In 1960 The PRR and Santa Fe jointly owned the TP&W, and it made for good interchange with the PRR’s panhandle division in Logansport. When Conrail was created in 1976, they were set to abandon the line between Logansport and Effner. In 1979, the Santa Fe reached agreement to acquire the former Pennsylvania Railroad’s interest in TP&W. When Conrail quit the east end interchange in 1981, this line became almost worthless. TP&W was merged into ATSF on December 31, 1983.
The ATSF sold the Lomax-Peoria-Logansport main line on February 3, 1989 to new investors, who reused the TP&W name. When the parent companies of ATSF and Burlington Northern merged in 1995, TP&W was granted operating rights over BN’s line between Peoria and Galesburg, Illinois. Control of TP&W was acquired by Delaware Otsego Corporation in 1996…
There was another Thread recently that discussed the TP&W RR. Possibly it’s West end(?)
The TP&W has been in some pretty big league home parks ( BN, and AT&SF and by default the BNSF.
For a while ownership was in the hands of W.G. Rich’s NYS&W RR in New York State sold in 1999 to what was ultimately RAILAMERICA (now part of the Fortress Corp, owner’s of the FECRR).
As Convicted One points out at one time when it was in the ownership in part by the PRR Corp.
The Conrail creation changed the who picture of railroading for the TP&W. Tracks were abandoned around Logansport, In ,and other links parceled out under new ownership entities. Shortlined in and around Logansport now operate for PRR lines (Winnamac Southern/Rail America) and Central Rail Road of Indiana is a RA Corp line as well.
At one time TP&W RR was styled and pointed towards becoming an West to East By-Pass of the snarl that Chicago had become for Rail traffic and interchange.
And now the Delaware .Otsego. Corp in 1999 became a takeover target of the N&W RR (which owns 40%) and the CSXRR which owns 40% also and was also owned by Mr. William Rich who had a 20% share prior to his passing in 2007 (IIRC). And who knows what they have planned for this little P&WRR in the middle of Indiana and Illinois?
Back around '79 they were breaking in the NKP 765 Berk on the TPW, got some great pics of that. But I cant recall which end of the line they used for the break in. I think the west end is a little more hilly and might be a better line for a break in. Maybe someone can jog my memory.
I believe the east end. According to my 8th grade science teacher anyway He said they broke it in between East Peoria and Cruger Elevator outside Eureka. He said it was on the rear goint to Cruger and then led back to East Peoria. They do have 1 hill between East peoria and Washington. One day in class he showed a video of 765 on the TP&W. Best day of class in the entire year for me.