PEORIA -- With an earsplitting blast, a Pioneer Rail Corp. locomotive and one closed freight car made its way through north Peoria around noon on Jan. 26 until it reached Carver Lumber Co. 8700 N. University.
With only a flagman to stop traffic, it crossed busy streets such as Prospect, Knoxville and Pioneer Parkway.
Another man manually operated warning lights on Knoxville but the lights didn't work on Pioneer Parkway, where an observer saw a motorist nearly collide with the train.
There are no signs on these roads warning motorists of a railroad track ahead.
Traffic briefly was backed up on Knoxville and Prospect to allow the slow-moving train to cross.
Carver Lumber Co. was closed, so the engine and boxcar were left inside a locked fence there.
The photo shows the train crossing Knoxville Ave.
Pioneer's contract with the line's owners, the city of Peoria and the village of Peoria Heights, to operate on the rail line expired years ago, but Pioneer insists it has the right to operate based on a ruling by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.
The two owners also have demanded that Pioneer pay fair rent to use the line, but Pioneer has refused.
State and local officials have expressed concern that the old rail line is not safe to use, and that the signals also are not working properly.
Trail advocates want to turn the line into a hike and bike trail that would connect Peoria with miles of other trails throughout Illinois, but the railroad has fought to keep the line from being railbanked for the trail.
A committee has been appointed to determine whether a trail can be built beside the rail line, an alternative that a Peoria Park District study has ruled out because of the typography with steep slopes on either side of the rails.
Trail advocates call this committee just another delaying tactic to stall development of the trail.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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