NS 9360 - KCT Highline Bridge - Santa Fe Junction - 8/27/05

NS 9360, NS 8699, and NS 9108 - Santa Fe Junction

Norfolk Southern (NS) 9360, NS 8699, and NS 9108 are seen here making a light engine movement through Santa Fe Junction, after having come off the lower level of the Kansas City Terminal's (KCT) Highline Bridge. The train is heading north through the junction on KCT Track 330, as it makes its way toward the West Bottoms area of Kansas City. The locomotives would make their way from Track 330 to either Track 79 or Track 80 for the run north to the West Bottoms. The foreground track, next to Track 330, is Track 79.

Highline Bridge approaches

In the background of the photograph is the eastern approach to the upper deck of the Highline Bridge at Santa Fe Junction. The Highline Bridge crosses over the Kansas River at Kansas City, Kansas. The upper deck of the bridge allows trains making their way between Kansas City Union Station and BNSF's Fort Scott Subdivision, to the east (left) of the photograph, and Union Pacific's yards and tracks across the Kansas River, to the west (right of the photograph). Union Pacific's 18th Street Yard, Armourdale Yard, and Armstrong Yard are all to the west in Kansas City, Kansas.

The ground level and lower deck tracks of the Highline Bridge also allow for movements between these two areas, but also allows connections to a number of other small yards and industries to the west of the Kansas River such as KCT's Mill Street Yard, in Kansas City, Kansas. Mill Street Yard was formerly a Kansas City Southern yard (KCS).

Santa Fe Junction

Santa Fe Junction is spread out over the cities of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.  The state line runs directly north and south through the junction, along State Line Road (where this photograph was taken from). The engines in this photograph are mere feet from crossing into Kansas City, Missouri, from Kansas City, Kansas. The junction features three levels of railroading. In addition to the ground level tracks and the upper level of the Highline Bridge, there is also the Argentine Connection flyover. The flyover carries trains over both the ground tracks and the Highline Bridge's eastern approach, and is out of view in this photograph, to the left.

Photo taken: August 27, 2005, at Kansas City, Kansas.