Chasing short lines in Illinois

[MR77200]

The Bloomer Line runs almost every day. Here is the only video I have of them:

watch?v=06DYbl8sq0s

[TRAINMANDAS]

Thanks for the info!

[bn13814]

I'm not familiar with the KB&S, though last I knew, all road jobs started their day about 7:00am at Iroquois Jct. (just north of Sheldon, IL) and work to Kankakee (or St. Anne) and Danville and Lafayette.

As for the Illinois & Midland, most traffic is coal trains with run-through BNSF power to Havana and Kincaid. UP power is on the Powerton (Midwest Generation) trains, but for IMRR, these are merely a switching move. Non-coal traffic is handled by the Powerton Roadswitcher, which departs Powerton Yard (Pekin) after 9:00am to Havana, where it swaps traffic with the Shops Switcher out of Springfield. On other days, this job makes a transfer run to Tazewell & Peoria RR's East Peoria Yard.The Powerton Roadswitcher can have any IMRR power like SD18's 60-61, one (or both) RS1325's 30-31, SW-1500 43 and SD20 81 (still in classic C&IM paint).  They may even borrow TZPR GP-10 3000 from time to time.

The Tazewell & Peoria RR is a switching and terminal railroad with operations based out of East Peoria. Yard jobs and locals work all day, seven days a week. I'm not completely clear on operations, but I've heard the following: Industry 1, 2 and 3 (work between East Peoria and the North Limit Yard in Peoria), Pekin Local, Kickapoo Job (Keystone Steel & Wire is main reason for its existence), AM & PM Lead Jobs, and Extra Switcher. TZPR serves about 30 industries and interchanges with BNSF, CN, IMRR, IAIS, KJRY, NS, TP&W and UP. Motive power is SW10 1352 (ex-P&PU 702), SW1500's 1520-1521 (ex-Appalachicola & Northern 714-715), GP10 3000, SW9 700, SW10 701 and borrowed units from sister IMRR (typically SD20 81).

As for locations for photography, there are numerous public roads and business parking lots along the right of way to get shots.

[TRAINMANDAS]

Was wanting to get shots of KB&S, Illinois and midland, and Tazewell & Peoria.  Does anyone have information about when trains run on these lines and where to get interesting shots?