TP&W Railway

[Chris30]

I didn't know that KJRY had connections other than LaHarpe/Lomax... my bad. BNfan, if there is so much future business on the "West End", then why does TP&W want to get rid of line and scrap it??

Also, if I remember correctly, the intermodal that used the "West End" actually ran through all the way to Kansas City using BNSF crews between FT. Madsion/KC.

[Anonymous]

One quick thing to add that is of some importance...

The TP&W main line went west from Peoria to Lomax, IL where it connected with the SF/BNSF and then used trackage rights for the short distance to Ft. Madison, IA.

Actually Sommer (or Hollis) to Lomax

There was never a lot of on-line industries between Mapleton and Lomax.

Santa Fe pretty much killed off the remaining local business when TP&W was simply their Peoria Subdivision in 1984-1989. TP&W managed to revive the grain business and attracted a few new customers.

The BNSF granted the TP&W trackage rights over BNSF (@1996?) between Peoria and Galesburg because they prefered to receive the TP&W trains at Galesburg instead of Ft. Madison. This left the original TP&W main west of Mapleton virtually useless.

Intermodal and some carload traffic continued to be interchanged with BNSF at Fort Madison until February 2001. Most traffic TP&W handled for BNSF between Peoria and Galesburg was carload, however, intermodal traffic could be seen at times.

Without the TP&W, the KJRY is on an island with no connection to the outside world. I think that KJRY is in bad spot.

KJRY has a connection with BNSF at Keokuk, Iowa. They handle all of the switching at Roquette America's large corn processing plant in town. In addition, they have a connection with Union Pacific at Fort Madison (after they purchased the LaHarpe - Lomax segment from TP&W in February 2002). Traffic interchanged with Union Pacific at Fort Madison is actually handled by BNSF to a physical UP connection at Chicago or Kansas City under a haulage agreement. Customers only see KJRY FTMAD UP as the routing. It allows competition for KJRY customers. Therefore, KJRY is not an island.


[red]If the BNSF switched the TP&W to Galesburg, then why would they accept the same Lomax/Ft. Madison arrangeent with KJRY?? The KJRY might be forced to take the old TP&W main line just to survive. All cars would probably have to go east to Peoria.

The West End has some grain elevators and there is also a small amount of traffic that could be delivered to about three on-line fertilizer dealers. A dog food plant and a feed mill at Bushnell could be lured back to rail. A road paving firm wants to get rock again by rail at a transloading facility east of Canton. Canton may be an important source of business in the near future. Coal waste now shipped in large quantity by truck to an old coal mine south of town for disposal may switch to rail. An ethanol plant to be built south of Canton should open in 2006. A couple of other customers (a CO2 processor affilitared with the ethanol plant and a present-day scrap metal firm) could come aboard as well.

There is quite a bit of local traffic. Keokuk is an industrial town and besides Roquette America, KJRY has access to industries on BNSF's Mooarline that ship and/or receive from eastern points.

KJRY has said they want to be a bridge route but the most realistic sources of business for the West End are eastbound moves via the Peoria Gateway and local traffic (grain could move east and west).


DPJ

[Chris30]

One quick thing to add that is of some importance...

The TP&W main line went west from Peoria to Lomax, IL where it connected with the SF/BNSF and then used trackage rights for the short distance to Ft. Madison, IA. There was never a lot of on-line industries between Mapleton and Lomax. The BNSF granted the TP&W trackage rights over BNSF (@1996?) between Peoria and Galesburg because they prefered to receive the TP&W trains at Galesburg instead of Ft. Madison. This left the original TP&W main west of Mapleton virtually useless. Without the TP&W, the KJRY is on an island with no connection to the outside world. I think that KJRY is in bad spot. If the BNSF switched the TP&W to Galesburg, then why would they accept the same Lomax/Ft. Madison arrangeent with KJRY?? The KJRY might be forced to take the old TP&W main line just to survive. All cars would probably have to go east to Peoria.

[Anonymous]

The TP&W retains the West End, though it is out of service. KJRY convinced the STB that SF&L Railway (owned by A & K Railroad Materials) was violating its common carrier obligations. As a result, the TP&W was forced to repurchase the 71.5 miles they sold to A & K in early 2001. SF&L ran its last train in October 2002 and TP&W repurchased the line the following February after some back-and-forth.

This year TP&W made a deal with BNSF to remove the diamonds at Bushnell. A "detour" is via an industry track and the old connection. A rare movement was made in August to test this detour when a trackmobile led two boxcars on a slow, westbound trek.

TP&W continues to fight attempts to force a sale of their West End to the KJRY. Word is they will serve an ethanol plant that is supposed to be open next summer. It is to be built south of Canton on BNSF trackage but they don't really want to serve it.

DPJ

[SSW9389]

There is a TP&W group on Yahoo that followed this quite closely.

[gabe]

I know a little bit about it. I wish I could be more specific, but it has been a while. The Toledo Peoria and Western (via RailAmerica) sought to abandon most of its tracks slightly west of Peoria to where the line connects with Keokuk junction. As I understand it, this would have reduced the Keokuk Junctions' viability. Accordingly, the Keokuk Junction invoked federal regulations allowing them to purchase the line slated for abandonment at near salvage level prices. As I understand it, it was a huge victory for the Keokuk Junction (and Pioneer Railgroup).

Like I said, though, I am shooting from the hip on this one, and though I am confident I read this somewhere, I forget where and cannot speak to the accuracy of the source.

FYI, I love railfanning the TP&W. It is not as good since Rail America took charge (but then again, what is?), but it still has some of the charm of a mom and pop railroad, but is large enough to have a lot of interesting areas to explore.

Hope that helps.

Gabe

[Anonymous]

Ok, does anyone here know anything about this railway? I'm curious about Keokuk Junction Railway purchasing the old lines from Keokuk, IA to Mapleton, IL. TP&W is supposed to be selling their lines to KJRY.