Rising, Champaign, IL: Total Grain Marketing/Andersons Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

I added Rising to the title because I learned that is the correct town for this elevator.

Andersons Grain

Built in 1968, this was "the first elevator in the U.S. capable of loading 100-car unit trains destined for the East Coast, the Gulf, and the fast-growing export market" (History)

The satellite views show that the aprons for open storage are not normally used. (Update: in fact, part of the east apron has been turned into a parking lot.) But we have had a couple of years of bumper corn crops, so the above picture shows that they were used for storage. I'm surprised that the corn is not covered with tarps. They don't seem to have fans around the circumference of the outside piles either. Maybe this corn will be used for ethanol rather than human or animal consumption and some mold and fermentation won't impact the final product. (Andersons also runs ethanol plants.) A 2007 Google Photo shows ground piles being built in Fall 2005. Note the portable auger just to the right of the long pile. You can see a series of little bumps on top of the pile showing that the auger gets moved a few feet each time the pile gets too tall.

Birds-Eye View, looking West

Birds-Eye View, zooming in

It appears that they have replaced several small grain dryers north of the core elevator with one tall dryer. And between the Bing and Google satellite images, they have built a building over the unloading lanes.

Bing Satellite, new dryer, exposed unloading lanes. They have also added the fourth "igloo."

Goggle Satellite, enclosed unloading lanes.

If you zoom out on a satellite image, you will see they use the old-fashioned design for unit trains, multiple parallel sidings, that require dividing the train into multiple cuts and then reassembling it after it is loaded. They have plenty of land around them, I'm surprised that they have not installed a loop track like BNSF has at Ransom, IL. The elevator is served by NS/Big Four/Peoria & Eastern.

safe_image for Total Grain Marketing Acquires Grain Assets Totaling 16 Million Bushels of Storage From The Andersons in Champaign, IL

Since the Bloomington District serves Peoria, this should be of interest...

Growmark's Total Grain Marketing has acquired The Andersons' 16 million-bushel grain terminal at Rising, several miles west of Champaign om Norfolk Southern's ex-Conrail (Peoria & Eastern) Mansfield-Urbana line. Canadian National has trackage rights from Champaign to Rising to serve this facility. Looks like unit trains will be loaded for southeast markets. Per the article:

"The acquisition also opens a new rail market for Total Grain Marketing, expanding access to poultry markets throughout the United States."

Also, The Andersons will retain fertilizer operations onsite (potash, and presumably the nitrogen terminal). So NS customers on this former P&E line segment now include:

Total Grain Marketing - Rising (grain terminal)

The Andersons - Rising (potash terminal)

The Andersons - Rising (nitrogen terminal)

Silgan Closures - Champaign (plastic, via transload)

Emulsicoat - Urbana (asphalt terminal)

Dart Container - Urbana (plastic cup manufacturing)

Dennis DeBruler Commented on David's post

When I researched this elevator in 2016, I was able to get this photo from The Andersons web site. Unfortunately, that page is no longer available. Fortunately, their history page is still available. That is where I learned: "Champaign, Illinois opens as the first elevator in the U.S. capable of loading 100-car unit trains destined for the East Coast, the Gulf, and the fast-growing export market."
https://andersonsinc.com/index.php/history#1960s
Note that the site still has the old fashioned yard tracks design rather than the current loops of track design.
And the article states: "The site has more than 16 million bushels of storage capacity making it the largest grain elevator by upright storage in Illinois." Even with that significant bin storage capacity, they had two huge ground piles when the aerial photos was taken.
Since that photo, they have added the fourth dome to the fertilizer storage facility.

Paul Jones: Dennis DeBruler Cargil in Gibson City loaded 100 car trains back in the 60's and 70's also developed the first 100 ton hoppers in conjunction with the I.C. I believe.

The fertilizer storage complex now has four domes.

Satellite