Photographs around NS' Luther Yard - St. Louis - June 2007
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| BNSF 8724 - crossing Hall Street toward Luther Yard |
On a few days in June 2007, I headed up to North St. Louis to see if there was any railroading action going on around Norfolk Southern's Luther Yard. On one of those days I was driving north on Hall Street when I saw the RR crossing lights start to flash for the transfer track between the BNSF's North St. Louis Yard and Norfolk Southern's Luther Yard. I pulled the car over quickly to the side of the road and was able to grab a couple of photographs as BNSF 8724 crossed Hall Street leading a transfer train to Luther Yard. This is one of the few images I have ever gotten of a train using this transfer track. The track is not a long one, as the two yards are only about three tenths of a mile (approximately half a kilometer) apart.
Next I headed over to Carrie Avenue on the south end of Norfolk
Southern's Luther Yard in North St. Louis. Not much was going on at the time but I was able to capture a few images of NS 9561 and an unknown
locomotive (which was still painted in Conrail colors). The locomotives
were sitting on the point of a stack train that would eventually head
south out of the yard and across the Mississippi River to Illinois. From
there the train would either take Norfolk Southern's Brooklyn District to Decatur, Illinois, or Norfolk Southern's Southern West District toward Princeton, Indiana. At Luther Yard
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| NS 9561 - Stack Train - St. Louis, MO |
This last photograph shows a bit more of the yard from Carrie Avenue.
Before the days of Norfolk Southern, this was a Wabash Railroad
yard, and then a Norfolk & Western Railway yard. The yard sits along
Norfolk Southern's St. Louis District, which runs between St. Louis,
Missouri, and Moberly, Missouri.
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| NS 9561 - Luther Yard - St. Louis, MO |
Photographing Around Luther Yard
Carrie Avenue is the only location I know of that you can get any decent shots of the yard from. The east and west sides of the yard are surrounded by private businesses. On the northern end you can get photographs of trains as they arrive and leave Luther Yard along Switzer Avenue, but you cannot see the inside of the yard itself very well. |
| NS 8834 under Adelaide Avenue - St. Louis District |
South of the yard photographs can be easily taken along North 2nd Street, between Adelaide Avenue and East Grand Avenue. The tracks along 2nd Street are so close you could probably get your side mirrors hit by a train if you are not careful. In the above photograph NS 8834 leads a train north under the Adelaide Avenue overpass toward Luther Yard. The yard is about half of a mile north of Adelaide Avenue.
Photographs 1-3 taken: June 16, 2007.
Photograph 4 taken: June 30, 2007.
All photographs taken at St. Louis, Missouri.
Great images and info as always! I particularly like the second image down, Stack Train. I love the perspective and colors in that one. Very striking.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Shelly!
DeleteI worked as a section laborer in the late 70’s as a young man. The surrounding area as well. Repairing track cutting brush and Luther yard rail and tie and switch maintenance. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Hard work ! Pay was OK as I remember. Lots of cool trains. I got to ride on a switching train on a winter storm night, digging out the snow in the switch as the engine was building a trans. 12 inches of snow made it tough. We had kerosene puts in the switches we lit with road flares that helped keep the switches clear of snow but that night and previous day the snow was very heavy and drifting. I worked 34 hours straight they were required to feed us every 5 hours. I stayed with the N&W for 2 years. Lots of work and memories.
ReplyDelete