The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway

The Toledo, Peoria & Western (TP&W) Railway has made a big impact on Illinois and railroading for over 150 years.

Originally chartered in 1849 as the Peoria & Oquawka, the TP&W provided an important bypass for trains to avoid the often congested rail network in Chicago. Train wrecks on the TP&W over the years resulted in improved and safer technology that is still in use today nationally. Conflicts between the railroad’s management and employees led to the creation and development of national railroad labor unions. On a local level, the TP&W served many local businesses and made an effort to establish positive relationships with communities that it passed through. At one time, Toledo, Peoria & Western was a name known in virtually every household in the area. The TP&W is still operating today and serves many businesses along its route, including grain elevators and factories, and interchanges freight cars with other railroads in the area for transportation around the country.

Author Thomas Dyrek is president of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Historical Society. Photographs and information from his collection as well as several other TP&W fans and historians have been assembled to tell the story of this unique railroad company.