| By: | Richard Kundert |
| Dates: | 8/17/1983 - 12/27/1983 |
| Album Info: | The TP&W is railroad I wish I had photographed more. This classy little line operated out of East Peoria, east to Logansport, IN and west to Ft. Madison, IA with a branch to Keokuk, IA. The TP&W was fighter...it faced incredible challenges throughout its history including the 1887 Chatsworth wreck, an 84 day strike in 1941 and government seizure in 1942. However, the 1970's almost pushed the TP&W over the edge. On February 12, 1970, a barge hit the Illinois River bridge forcing the TP&W to permanently detour over the Peoria & Pekin Union. The June 21, 1970 derailment at Crescent City injured over 60 people, leveled the downtown area and caused millions of dollars in damage. The same day as the Crescent City wreck, the Penn Central filed bankruptcy and could not pay interline settlements due to the TP&W. The PC bankruptcy also caused bridge traffic to dramatically decline during the 1970's. The early 1980's were also challenging years for the TP&W: the shut down of the Rock Island resulted in lost overhead traffic, and deregulation caused more erosion of bridge traffic. The TP&W faded into history on 12/31/1983 and it became the Santa Fe's Peoria Subdivision. Three years later, the Santa Fe sold the entire line and the new owners brought back the TP&W name. Today, the TP&W is part of the Rail America system. |
