Passing coal trains on the UP Chester Subdivision - 2/5/05

UP 8183 - Passing coal trains - Maeystown, IL

In the distance Union Pacific 8183 leads a southbound loaded coal train past a northbound empty coal train on the UP's Chester Subdivision, Valmeyer, Illinois, and Chalfin Bridge, Illinois. This shot was taken at about mile post 26 on the Chester Subdivision, at KK Road. 

Chester Subdivision

The Chester Subdivision starts to the north on the southern edge of Valley Junction (milepost 0.0) in East St. Louis, Illinois. The subdivision heads south through southern Illinois, staying fairly close to the Mississippi River, until it gets to the town of Thebes, Illinois. At Thebes the Chester Subdivision crosses over the Mississippi River, on a bridge referred to by the railroad as SIMBCO (milepost 119.7), into the state of Missouri, and heads toward Dexter, Missouri. At Dexter, the subdivision ends at Charleston Junction, milepost 171.9. 

Popeye

On a side note, the subdivision is named after the town of Chester, Illinois (milepost 62.8), which was the hometown of Elzie Crisler Segar. Elizie Segar was the creator of the famous Popeye cartoon series. Throughout the town there are a number of statues depicting the cartoon characters. A statue of Popeye stands at Segar Memorial Park.

Photograph taken: near Chalfin Bridge, Illinois, on February 5, 2005.