Peoia & Western

[Fred]

Any info on this line ? Are the ex CN FP9's still in service? What kind of schedule do they run? Live in Southeast Mich & it's a long haul to Canton, Il therefore I appreciate any & all info - thanks.

[AARR]

Any info on this line ? Are the ex CN FP9's still in service? What kind of schedule do they run? Live in Southeast Mich & it's a long haul to Canton, Il therefore I appreciate any & all info - thanks.

Jst read an article in Trains Mag about P&W.

Yes, FP9's are in service and have B unit added to roster which they often run as a A-B-A set.

They average 2-3 trips across the system per week.

Average train length is around 40-50 cars per train.

Big customer remains the corn plant in Keokow which receives corn and ships out many different corn products. Other customers inlcude rail-wheel plant, scrap yard, smattering of small grain elevators and fertilizer dealers, and railcar repair. They aloso have miles of railcars in storage.

[Fred]

Yea, thanks. The Trains article is 2 years old so I didn't know if the power situation had changed at all Those "covered wagons' were old then & now they are 2 yrs older didn't know if they were still in operation.

[Matt Short Line H]

Yea, thanks. The Trains article is 2 years old so I didn't know if the power situation had changed at all Those "covered wagons' were old then & now they are 2 yrs older didn't know if they were still in operation.

The units are still around just now they are labeled Keokuk and Western and the B unit I don't know what happened to it. The FP9's are running a Cheistmas Train this month.

[bn13814]

Yea, thanks. The Trains article is 2 years old so I didn't know if the power situation had changed at all Those "covered wagons' were old then & now they are 2 yrs older didn't know if they were still in operation.

The units are still around just now they are labeled Keokuk and Western and the B unit I don't know what happened to it. The FP9's are running a Cheistmas Train this month.

Railroad is the KEOKUK JUNCTION RAILWAY - "Peoria & Western" was an aborted idea keeping the Hollis-LaHarpe line separate from Keokuk-LaHarpe-Lomax. Both FP9s were re-lettered KEOKUK JUNTION RAILWAY in September 2011.

Unfortunately, a possible derailment led to the destruction of the Spoon River Bridge just east of Seville on September 16, 2013. The railroad intends to rebuild, but meanwhile, through traffic is impossible and Keokuk shippers (Roquette America and BNSF-served Amsted Rail Griffin Wheel Div.) are being forced to reroute traffic via BNSF.

FP9s 1750 and 1752 are based at Mapleton and run to handle storage cars and movements to and from a Pioneer Railcorp-owned car repair shop at Mapleton.

[Bulby]

The units are still around just now they are labeled Keokuk and Western and the B unit I don't know what happened to it.

PREX 1761 (F9b) is at KJRy's Laharpe locomotive shop (unless it's been pressed into service on the Keokuk runs, which is highly unlikely), it was at the shops for a 92 day when the Spoon River bridge fell. It's been due to get a block heater and a paint job in the near future (paint will not happen til warmer weather, block heater will be when shops gets enough time to work on it around those infernal GP-20s).

KJRY 1750, 1752 (FP9A) and PREX 2003 (GP-20) are currently based out of Kolbe (a.k.a. Mapleton) and frequently shift storage cars, as well as moving (in pieces) a 110 car train of purchased covered hoppers in/out of the Kolbe car shop for running repairs/re-lettering to ALAB

Don't get me started on Peoria & Western lettering.

[Matt Short Line H]

The units are still around just now they are labeled Keokuk and Western and the B unit I don't know what happened to it.

PREX 1761 (F9b) is at KJRy's Laharpe locomotive shop (unless it's been pressed into service on the Keokuk runs, which is highly unlikely), it was at the shops for a 92 day when the Spoon River bridge fell. It's been due to get a block heater and a paint job in the near future (paint will not happen til warmer weather, block heater will be when shops gets enough time to work on it around those infernal GP-20s).

KJRY 1750, 1752 (FP9A) and PREX 2003 (GP-20) are currently based out of Kolbe (a.k.a. Mapleton) and frequently shift storage cars, as well as moving (in pieces) a 110 car train of purchased covered hoppers in/out of the Kolbe car shop for running repairs/re-lettering to ALAB

Don't get me started on Peoria & Western lettering.

Really sorry but why was the P&W lettering on there???

[Bulby]

Don't get me started on Peoria & Western lettering.

Really sorry but why was the P&W lettering on there???

It was a poorly conceived, ill planned, partly executed idea by the Pioneer's former CEO that died after the F-units and a few of the GPs were lettered P&W. The original intention was to rename the railroad to P&W in light of the historical name; despite the obvious similarities with the still in business Toledo, Peoria, & Western. In the end, the idea was killed; and then it was a pain in the rear to get the lettering off of the most well known locomotives Pioneer has. I believe the final straw was a railfan calling the Keokuk Junction's annual Santa Train the "TP&W Santa Train".

As an aside, I believe that as Pioneer's roster gets repainted, the 1750, 1752, and 1761 are the only engines that will still carry the railroad name, the rest will just have the Pioneer Lines diamond emblem.