BNSF 816 and BNSF 751 at Hannibal, MO.

BNSF 816 and BNSF 751 are southbound at the riverfront at Hannibal, MO.

After making my way north along BNSF's Hannibal Subdivision from St. Louis, Missouri, I arrived at the subdivision's namesake town of Hannibal, Missouri. From the lookout atop Lovers' Leap, I spotted BNSF 816 and BNSF 751 leading a manifest freight south through the riverfront, along the Mississippi River.

BNSF 816 and BNSF 751 with the Mississippi River in the background. In the background are the I-72 bridge and Norfolk Southern's lift bridge.

Hannibal, Missouri, has two railroads that run through it. In addition to BNSF, Norfolk Southern's (NS) Springfield-Hannibal District crosses the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois. BNSF's Hannibal Subdivision crosses NS' Springfield-Hannibal District at a diamond crossing on the western side of the lift bridge. Going west from the diamond, the Hannibal District curves through a tunnel and rock-cut to the south before paralleling the Hannibal Subdivision for a short distance along the riverfront. In the photographs above you can see the NS Hannibal District to the left of the Hannibal Subdivision.

South of Hannibal, MO., the train starts to pick up speed along the Mississippi River.

Photographs taken on July 9, 2006, at Hannibal, Missouri.