Gilman, IL: 1997 Incobrasa Industries Soybean and Biodiesel Plant

(Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2024

safe_image for Explore how Incobrasa Industries is leading the charge in the biodiesel revolution
This article dated August 3, 2024 shows the extent of trackage to be built to support Incobrasa Industries' expansion at its CN-and TP&W-served Gilman, Illinois plant.

manufacturing-today
Because of the demand for vegetable oil created by biodiesel fuel, they are building a second crushing plant to more than double their capacity to 80-98 million bushels per year. After the new crushing plant is done, they plan to double their biodiesel production from 75 million gallons per year to 150.

manufacturing-today
The increased capacity should crush soybeans that are now exported using the Illinois River. This will keep the soybean meal, which is a byproduct of creating vegetable oil, in the country. Since soybean meal is used as animal feed, this will help reduce the cost of raising livestock. They mention large poultry farms, but I think soybean meal is used to increase the protein in the feed for many different animals.

They receive soybeans by rail and truck. In fact, they own a fleet of covered hopper cars.

 PAUL “Pawel” Dworski, Feb 2017

Danville, IL: Lost/Wabash Depot & Freight House, Bunge Hominy and Chevron Biodiesel

Depot: (Satellite, judging from an historical aerial photo, it was south of Van Buren St. and west of the tracks.)

Freight House: (Satellite)

Bunge: (Satellite)

Chevron: (Satellite)

I wrote about Bunge's main operation here.

 

Robert Daly posted
Postcard of Wabash station in Danville, mailed in 1910.
Gary Tetley posted buildings designed by architect Theodore C. Link, FAIA.

Andy Zukowski posted
Wabash Railroad Depot in Danville, Illinois. 1976
Richard Fiedler shared
Richard Fiedler shared
Richard Fiedler shared

Kenny L Watson posted two photos.

1, cropped
This pic of the past, taken at the main street crossing in Danville Illinois, was posted by another member a while back. I just happened to be here and thought I'd get a present picture taken from about the same spot. Sorry it's not a day time pic.

Kenny L Watson: That is taken from the north side of main street looking south . Tilton yard would be about 3 miles on west of here. .

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There were some sidings to serve the freight house.

1949/60 Danville SW Quad @ 24,000

I can't believe the number of homes that have been removed to provide land for industry near the downtown area.

1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

By 1977, the homes had been removed for a new version of the mill. But the homes had not yet been cleared for the Chevron biodiesel plant.

Apr 29, 1977 @ 40,000; AR1VEJE00010178

The new mill had already been built by 1965.

Oct 25, 1965 @ 24,000; AR1VBHJ00010056

 

1950 Danville (NW, NE, SW & SE) Quads @ 24,000

 

1978 Danville NE Quad @ 24,000

Street View, Jun 2023

A Google Maps label is Bunge hominy loading bay. I could not find any thing about hominy on Bunge's website, but I did find that they sell hominy and white corn meal in 50lb bags on AllBulkFoods.

At least some of those 50lb bags are shipped in containers. And this photo provides another view of the pneumatic trailers that we see in the above street view. Are they used for shipping white corn meal?

A Davis987, Jul 2021

Is this hominy being shipped in open trailers. It doesn't look like the trailers have hopper bottoms like grain trucks do. I wonder how they are unloaded.

Facebook, cropped

At least the third one in this line has hopper bottoms. I came across some comments about truckers having to wait 15 hours in a line to get loaded.

john odell, Feb 2022, cropped

Mexico, MO: Chicago & Alton plus CB&Q and Wabash Depots and a Biodiesel Plant

C&A: (Satellite)

Wabash: (Satellite)

ADM Grain: (Satellite)

ADM Plant: (Satellite)

The C&A route is now owned by the Kansas City Railroad and the Wabash route is owned by Norfolk Southern. Burlington Northern abandoned the CB&Q route.

GM&O/C&A plus CB&Q:

Street View

Wabash:

Street View

When I saw this building, I wondered if it was a depot.

1 of several photos posted by Michael Parker
M-VNKC   Mexico MO
[A comment on another photo with a similar view indicates that the train is waiting for a recrew.]

Not only was that building the Chicago & Alton Depot, across the intersection from it is the former Wabash Depot.

WayMarker via WayMarking

Before I did a Google search, I used a topo map to determine which railroads were in Michael's photo. I was surprised to learn that CB&Q seemed to terminate at this town.

1932 Mexico Quad @ 62,500

In fact, it joins the C&A route to Kansas City.

Dennis DeBruler

HowdyYall confirmed that CB&Q ran some passenger traffic through this town.

Ebay1

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Carl-char Hirst posted five photos with the comment:

Cliff Kiersted shared

One Wabash shot.

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While looking for a street view of the C&A Depot, I noticed there was a substantial grain processing facility in the town.

Street View

"Welcome to Mid-America Biofuels, Missouri's first major biodiesel production plant. Located in Mexico, MO, Mid-America Biofuels, LLC is a joint venture of Biofuels, LLC (a farmer-owned biodiesel business), Ray-Carroll County Grain Growers, MFA Oil Company, Growmark Inc, and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)." [Mid-AmericaBiofuels] Missouri soybean farmers started funding research in biodiesel in 1992. This plant shipped its first load in 2006. [about] These plants should reduce the transportation costs for farmers. Not only is it a short haul to take their beans to market, their diesel fuel has a short haul back to the farm.

Satellite

1 of several photos posted by Michael Parker
M-VNKC   Mexico MO
Gary Olden shared

Dennis DeBruler posted three images with the comment: "While looking for street views of depots in Mexico, MO, I noticed that there is a grain conveyor built over a Class I railroad mainline. In fact, it is over two mainlines. The tracks on the left are the KCS/GM&O/Chicago & Alton and the tracks on the right are the NS/Wabash. The facility on the left (North side) is a regular ADM grain elevator. The facility on the right is the first biodiesel plant built in Missouri. It was built during 2005-06."

Kevin Priest: That's cool, Decatur Michigan has a tunnel under an amtrack track to connect the plant..

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https://goo.gl/maps/tF232HurrfwGco718

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https://goo.gl/maps/Mw35vrE5V4r1HaY16

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https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1688836,-91.8799342,329m/data=!3m1!1e3

Ralston, IA: Renewable Energy Group (REG) LLC Biodiesel Plant

(Satellite)

Renewable Energy Group, Jan 2021

regi-history
"When we made our first batch of biodiesel in 1996, the industry was still in its early stages, a niche market with a potential few foresaw. While our leaders grew the company carefully and consistently by finding opportunity within challenges, they also advocated for the biodiesel industry as a whole, often working with competitors for the greater good. Today, REG is the largest biodiesel producer by volume in the United States — as well as a producer and supplier of many other products — and continues to contribute resources and leadership to biofuel advocacy groups worldwide."

Mark Anderson posted
Soy Diesel Plant near Ralston, IA

How does biodiesel differ from petroleum diesel? Biodiesel is made from renewable resources that are largely plant-based, with their energy coming from the sun instead of fossil fuels. These feedstocks are diverted waste or byproducts from other industries, giving them new life. That helps biodiesel emit less greenhouse gases. In fact, biodiesel’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are up to 86% lower than those of petroleum diesel.*

Biodiesel often costs less than petroleum diesel. And it is a drop-in fuel that can be used in existing diesel vehicles and fueling infrastructure, giving diesel fleets a solution for reducing carbon emissions right away with their existing equipment. 

Compared with petroleum diesel, biodiesel fuel also enhances performance through higher Cetane, added lubricity and a cleaner burn that puts less stress in diesel particulate filters.

[regi-biodiesel]

Iowa Falls, IA: Cargill Biodiesel Plant and Switcher

(Satellite)  I wonder what they do at the Cargill Ops Training Center.

The railroad next to it along the north side was the Rock Island. It is now owned by UP.

"Soybean meal & oil & biodiesel production" [industrynet] Biodiesel caught my eye. (It really frustrates me that Cargill has bought a lot of facilities and then the web site refuses to talk about its facilities.) Evidently farmers can directly deliver soybeans to this plant because they do provide hours of operation and pricing info. [cargillag]

Roger Kujawa posted two photos with the comment: "The EMD switcher works the Cargill plant on the west side of Iowa Falls, Iowa."

Lawrence Smoak: Former B&O SW900

Dennis DeBruler

This is one of two plants that Cargill has for making biodiesel. (The other is in Kansas City, MO.)

Because I normally include a URL in my comments the indicate the source of my information, Facebook thinks I'm a spammer. (They can't imagine someone would acknowledge their sources!) So I will see if this comment gets deleted as a violation of Community Standards.

https://www.cargill.com/agriculture/na-biofuels [It didn't.]

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Roger's post
Sometimes it can hide real well.
42°30'49.1"N 93°15'55.8"W

It looks like they store it out in public view where Roger found it.

Street View

Street View

Street View

Owensboro, KY: Owensboro, Bunge, Gavilon and ADM Grain Elevators

Bunge: (Satellite, it is not clear which of these riverport facilities are used by Bunge)

Nutrien: (Satellite, honorable mention because fertilizer is another important bulk farm product)

Owensboro: (Grain and Crushing: 3D Satellite; Edible Oil: 3D Satellite)

Gavilon: (Satellite)

ADM: (Satellite, honorable mention because this is really at Rockport, IN)

Bunge

The bins on the left no longer show up in the satellite view. Where they replaced by the long building? I fired up Google Earth. The bins show up in 3/2016 but are gone in 2/2018. Going further back in time, they built the long building between 10/2008 and 6/2010. So yes, the bins were replaced by the building and some more conveyors.

Street View, Jul 2012

If I start my street view "trip" from River Road, I'm in a Jun 2019 trip and this is as close as I can get to the river. If the I click the "next" arrow, street view switches to a Jul 2012 trip, and I can get the above view showing the bins.

Street View, Jun 2019

These are the freight cars on the loop track. I can't figure out what they are and what they carry.

Satellite

Nutrien

Bob Johnson, Jul 2016
New mobile crane at the Owensboro, Ky river port

Owensboro

Tommy Matusz posted three photos with the comment: "How many of you have been to  the Owensboro Grain Dock on the Ohio, in Owensboro Kentucky? I’m a deckhand for the Owensboro Grain Company, and I load, and unload barges, and work the boats at our three piers."

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"At Owensboro Grain, we produce a vast array of products from soybeans, at our plant locations on the Ohio River in Western Kentucky. Our soy products include protein meal and hull pellets for animal feeds, crude and degummed oil, lecithin, various blends of refined vegetable oil for human consumption, biodiesel, glycerin, and industrial waxes." [OwensboroGrain] So Bunge doesn't make oils in this town, but Owensboro Grain does. And they make other products such as candle wax.

Three of the rotating cover photos on their web site:

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Gavilon

Photo, Jun 2020

Photo, Jun 2020

ADM

Street View, Jun 2019

I saved a satellite image to note how many barges are fleeted in the area. I don't think they are for this elevator because the loaded barges on the north side look like they are loaded with something like rock.

Satellite