Joseph T. Wagner
Kick 'em When They're Down
The calmly flowing waters of a swollen Kickapoo Creek gently touch the concrete footings currently supporting the passage of this heavy, 131-car, southbound Union Pacific coal drag as its two, lead, AC six-axles ride their dynamic brakes, coasting downhill across a combination deck plate and lattice through truss bridge along the former C&NW "SI Line" outside Bartonville on a gloomy July morning. This train of loaded aluminum BethGons -- symbol CNAPW 14 -- are topped out with over 18,000 tons Wyoming's finest black diamonds; Filled at Peabody's North Antelope Mine in the state's rich Powder River Basin, these hoppers have only a few short miles left to travel before reaching their destination at NRG Energy's Powerton Generating Station near Pekin. The train will soon cross the Illinois River drawbridge and immediately make a right turn onto the IMRR and down into Crescent Yard for interchange where they'll tie down and the loads will wait for an Illinois & Midland crew to spot the cars at the plant for final dumping. Slated for decommission come the end of 2028 due to the country's relentless insistence on "cleaner" energy alternatives, Powerton is the sole remaining, actively burning coal-fired power plant to still remain standing in the greater Peoria area, outliving the facilities at Havana, Hennepin and Canton's Duck Creek (2019), and eventually the E.D. Edwards Station at Bartonville (2022). Once closed, it'll be another major hit in activity levels for a route that is already down in traffic. Twice weekly scheduled manifest service between Peoria and Clinton, IA, as needed coal, grain and ethanol unit traffic, and seasonal ballast trains are pretty much the bulk of what traverses this line.
For southbounds, this is the final, and most dramatic, crossing atop a snaky Kickapoo Creek which twists and turns beneath the rails of the Peoria Subdivision in six different locations within just about a short, two mile stretch of track. Just about a half mile back from this bridge, the train is still working through the CTC controlled interlocking at "Peoria JCT" where the Peoria Sub main to South Pekin splits from UP's "Low Line," which routes trains for Peoria area interchange into and out of their small Adams St. Yard just a short distance away on the city's southwest side. The single-tracked Peoria Subdivision, which runs south out of Nelson away from the busy Geneva Sub, uses a combination of CTC, TWC and ABS infrastructure to route what little traffic runs down this line and is also the only class 1 of four that has a "through route" through the city. A line that does not get much attention from photographers, an older "winged" EMD SD70ACe on the point of a well timed coal load just was enough for me to grab the camera and quickly pick it off at this very seldom shot location.
I sure could do without that walkway.
Kick 'em When They're Down
The calmly flowing waters of a swollen Kickapoo Creek gently touch the concrete footings currently supporting the passage of this heavy, 131-car, southbound Union Pacific coal drag as its two, lead, AC six-axles ride their dynamic brakes, coasting downhill across a combination deck plate and lattice through truss bridge along the former C&NW "SI Line" outside Bartonville on a gloomy July morning. This train of loaded aluminum BethGons -- symbol CNAPW 14 -- are topped out with over 18,000 tons Wyoming's finest black diamonds; Filled at Peabody's North Antelope Mine in the state's rich Powder River Basin, these hoppers have only a few short miles left to travel before reaching their destination at NRG Energy's Powerton Generating Station near Pekin. The train will soon cross the Illinois River drawbridge and immediately make a right turn onto the IMRR and down into Crescent Yard for interchange where they'll tie down and the loads will wait for an Illinois & Midland crew to spot the cars at the plant for final dumping. Slated for decommission come the end of 2028 due to the country's relentless insistence on "cleaner" energy alternatives, Powerton is the sole remaining, actively burning coal-fired power plant to still remain standing in the greater Peoria area, outliving the facilities at Havana, Hennepin and Canton's Duck Creek (2019), and eventually the E.D. Edwards Station at Bartonville (2022). Once closed, it'll be another major hit in activity levels for a route that is already down in traffic. Twice weekly scheduled manifest service between Peoria and Clinton, IA, as needed coal, grain and ethanol unit traffic, and seasonal ballast trains are pretty much the bulk of what traverses this line.
For southbounds, this is the final, and most dramatic, crossing atop a snaky Kickapoo Creek which twists and turns beneath the rails of the Peoria Subdivision in six different locations within just about a short, two mile stretch of track. Just about a half mile back from this bridge, the train is still working through the CTC controlled interlocking at "Peoria JCT" where the Peoria Sub main to South Pekin splits from UP's "Low Line," which routes trains for Peoria area interchange into and out of their small Adams St. Yard just a short distance away on the city's southwest side. The single-tracked Peoria Subdivision, which runs south out of Nelson away from the busy Geneva Sub, uses a combination of CTC, TWC and ABS infrastructure to route what little traffic runs down this line and is also the only class 1 of four that has a "through route" through the city. A line that does not get much attention from photographers, an older "winged" EMD SD70ACe on the point of a well timed coal load just was enough for me to grab the camera and quickly pick it off at this very seldom shot location.
I sure could do without that walkway.