T.G.'s Photography Blog

  CSXT 8410 is eastbound on the IHB tracks, crossing the diamonds at Dolton Junction.   CSXT 8410 leads a manifest freight east on the Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) main line at Dolton Junction. The freight train is crossing the north-south UP main line. In the background is the headlight of an IHB locomotive switching on the eastern end of the IHB's Blue Island Yard. In the far background, a train sits on the Canadian National (ex-IC)/Metra electric line.  Photograph taken in 2004, at Dolton, Illinois.

BNSF 4779 leads a grain train north under I-255, on the Chester Subdivision at CP D009.   Back in 2006 it was common to see BNSF trackage rights trains on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision . I'm not sure if it is still the case today, as I've been away from the St. Louis area for many years now. Above, BNSF 4779 is leading this northbound grain train at Control Point (CP) D009 at Columbia, Illinois. A short while later, the train passes under CP D006's old Missouri Pacific cantilever signal bridges at UP's Dupo Yard. BNSF 4779 passes under the cantilever signal bridges at CPD006, at Dupo Yard. Photographs taken on July 23, 2006, at Columbia, IL., and Dupo, IL.

In this view from Boulder Road, BNSF 9981 is the DP on a northbound empty coal train rolling onto the causeway at Boulder, IL.   BNSF's Beardstown Subdivision, which runs between West Bushnell, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky, crosses Carlyle Lake in Southern Illinois on a causeway. The causeway runs between the towns of Boulder, Illinois, and Keyesport, Illinois. Boulder is at the southeastern end of the causeway, and Keyesport is at the northwestern end. Keyesport is at milepost (MP) 104.5, and Boulder is at MP 108.6, approximately. The causeway is about four miles in length. Four bridges along the causeway allow boats to pass under the tracks. BNSF 9731 is the DP on an empty coal train heading north over the southernmost bridge of the causeway. Photograph taken on April 14, 2005, at Boulder, Illinois.

 Back in May of 2014, my dad and I followed Canadian National's (reporting mark CN) Centralia Subdivision south through central and southern Illinois. After driving south to Makanda, Illinois, we wound up chasing a manifest freight train, led by CN 2110 and CN 2593, back north to Irvington, Illinois.  CN Centralia Subdivision The Centralia Subdivision runs between Sandoval Junction (milepost 247.2), at Sandoval, Illinois, to the station name of Illinois (milepost 263.1) at Cairo, Illinois. Sandoval is about six miles north of Centralia, and Centralia is about 60 miles due east of St. Louis, Missouri. Cairo is the southernmost town in Illinois and sits at the confluence of the Mississippi River and Ohio River. The Centralia Subdivision was once a part of the Illinois Central Railroad (reporting mark IC) and became part of Canadian National when CN purchased the IC in 1998. The subdivision is part of the CN (ex-IC) mainline running between Chicago, Illinois , to New Orleans, Lo...

Back in April of 2008, I was able to photograph Union Pacific's (UP) heritage locomotive, UP 1995. UP 1995 was leading train MNLAS-22, a manifest train from North Little Rock, Arkansas, to the Alton & Southern's Gateway Yard, in East St. Louis, Illinois. The train originated at North Little Rock on April 22, 2008, and arrived at Gateway Yard on April 23, 2008. UP 1995 and UP 9419 lead train MNLAS-22, north of Fults, IL. I first caught train MNLAS-22 just to the north of Fults, Illinois, as it rolled north on UP's Chester Subdivision. At the location of the photographs above and below the train was about halfway between Fults and Chalfin Bridge, Illinois. The Chester Subdivision runs from Dexter, Missouri, to East St. Louis, Illinois. In Illinois, the line runs across the flat farmland that lies to the east of the Mississippi River. In the photographs taken north of Fults, Illinois, the distance between the spot the photographs were taken to the river bluffs in the backg...

Back in 2008, I caught Union Pacific (UP) 6720 and UP 6726, both ex-Chicago and Northwestern (CNW) locomotives, leading a loaded coal train south through Valley Junction in East St. Louis, Illinois . The train was making its way toward UP's Chester Subdivision, which starts on the southern edge of the junction . At this point the majority of the train is still coming down off of the east approach from the MacArthur Bridge . The MacArthur Bridge crosses the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois.  The junction/interlocking is controlled by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA). UP 6720 and UP 6726 lead a loaded coal train at Valley Junction. These locomotives are painted in CNW's Operation Lifesaver (OL) paint scheme. While the two locomotives still retained their CNW OL paint scheme, they had been patched as UP locomotives. You can see under the cab's side windows the new UP markings and locomotive numbers. A patched loc...

UP 8404 at Chalfin Bridge, IL UP 8404 (an EMD SD70ACe) leads a grain train north on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision at Milepost 26, in the flat farm lands of the Mississippi River valley in Southern Illinois. The train is between Chalfin Bridge, Illinois, to the south, and Valmeyer, Illinois, to the north. Chester Subdivision The Chester Subdivision runs between Valley Junction (Milepost 0) in East. St. Louis, Illinois, to Charleston Junction (Milepost 171.9) in Dexter, Missouri. Much of the rail line in Illinois runs through a wide open and flat landscape, which often allows for showing the entirety of the trains running on the line. For a point of reference in regards to distance in this photograph, the white tower to the left of the train is about two miles (3.2 km) away.  Photo taken: August 13, 2006, just north of Chalfin Bridge, Illinois.

LLPX 2285 and UP 2531 - Dupo, IL Locomotive Leasing Partners (LLPX) 2285 and Union Pacific (UP) 2531 sit nose-to-nose in Union Pacific's Dupo Yard , along the Chester Subdivision. The locomotives were idle while awaiting their next switching duty in the yard. The tracks in the foreground, one of which is only partially show, are the two mainline tracks of the Chester Subdivision. LLPX 2285 and UP 2531 LLPX 2285 has been owned by a number of railroad companies. It was originally built for the Penn Central Railroad as, PC 7963. It was also owned and operated by Conrail, as CR 7963, when Conrail took over the failed Penn Central Railroad. It has also served as EMDX 763 (an EMD demonstrator unit), and was at one time owned by Union Pacific, as UP 1920. Both LLPX 2285 and UP 2531 are EMD built GP38-2 models. LLPX 2285 was built in June 1972, while UP 2531 was built in January 1966, according to information at RR Picture Archives. Dupo Yard Dupo Yard was originally a Miss...

UP 8214 and SP 338 - Fountain, IL Union Pacific 8214 and Southern Pacific 338 are leading an empty coal train north across Fountain Creek, at Fountain, IL., on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision. At the time of this photograph SP 338 was still in its Southern Pacific paint scheme, and was un-patched , even though the locomotive was owned by Union Pacific. When a locomotive is refereed to as being patched, it means the locomotive still retains the predecessor railroad's paint scheme, but its numbering has been changed by the railroad that currently owns it.  The train was on its way back to a mine in the Powder River Coal Basin , located in the Western United States. The train would travel north from here to St. Louis, then across Missouri to Kansas City. Then from Kansas City, the train would most likely travel to North Platte, NE, and then on toward a coal mine in Wyoming. Photo taken: June 19, 2004, at Fountain, Illinois.

NKP 765 leads train O99 south at Palmer, IL. Nickel Plate Road (NKP) 765 , Norfolk Southern (NS) 1072, and NS 1070 lead NS train O99 south on the Brooklyn District near Palmer, Illinois. The steam locomotive and its train were on the way from Decatur, Illinois, to the St. Louis, Missouri, area to run some Norfolk Southern employee appreciation excursions, over the weekend of September 8-9, 2012. Norfolk Southern 1070 and Norfolk Southern 1072 are two of Norfolk Southern's heritage locomotives. These locomotives are painted in past paint schemes of railroads that NS has merged with over the years. NS 1072 is painted in an Illinois Terminal Railroad paint scheme, while NS 1070 is painted in a Wabash Railroad paint scheme. Photo taken: September 6, 2012. Palmer, Illinois. 

CP 5982 and CP 5776 - Gorham, IL Canadian Pacific (CP) 5982 and CP 5776 lead a trailer train under the old signal bridges at Gorham, IL. The train was heading north on Union Pacific's (UP) Chester Subdivision, and it would eventually make its way to the St. Louis area, via Dupo, IL. Both of these locomotives were built as EMD SD40-2 models . CP 5982 was built in January, 1981, and CP 5776 was built in February 1976. These signal bridges date from the days when this line was a former Missouri Pacific (MoPac) line, before the Union Pacific acquired the MoPac in 1982. While both of these signal bridges look to still be visible on Google Maps' satellite view, many of the old MoPac era signal bridges along this line are now gone. The signal bridge in the background (middle right of the photograph) is a cantilever type signal bridge . This train was a surprise, and quite a different sight from the standard parade of Union Pacific Amour Yellow locomotives that haul tra...

NS 6783 (ex-Conrail) nearing Hole in the Wall on the Springfield Subdivision . Here, Norfolk Southern (NS) 6783, a former Conrail (external link) locomotive, leads a manifest freight train south on the joint trackage next to the north approach. The train will take the switch just ahead of it, go to its left, and pass through Hole in the Wall. Hole in the Wall is the name given to a pass through on the joint Union Pacific (UP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) trackage in East St. Louis that passes under the TRRA's north approach to the MacArthur Bridge. The UP and KCS share trackage between Valley Junction , located in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Godfrey, Illinois, to the north of here. The grain cars to the left of the photograph are on a track that serves a facility along the East St. Louis riverfront. NS 6783 (ex-Conrail) is exiting Hole in the Wall. NS 6783 is now coming out from under the north approach to the MacArthur Bridge, through "Hole In The Wa...

UP 7162 at Columbia, IL In the late afternoon light, Union Pacific 7162 is leading a loaded coal train south on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision . The train has just left Dupo Yard to the north, and it is nearing the BB Road crossing, which is just north of Interstate 255. The red block signals in the distance are on the southern end of Dupo Yard, at what is commonly referred to as Bixby. The original image was a 35mm transparency that was converted to digital using a copy slide setup. Photo taken: Circa 2000. Columbia, Illinois.

Union Pacific 2979 (an EMD SD40-2) and an unknown Norfolk Southern unit lead a trailer train south at mile post 10 on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision . The train is approaching the DD Road crossing, just to the south of Interstate 255. In the background, the train is passing under the Interstate 255 overpass. From here, the train will continue south on the Chester Subdivision down into southern Illinois, passing through the town of Chester, Illinois, which the rail line is named for. After, continuing south from Chester, it will pass through Gorham, Illinois, where the Union Pacific's Mount Vernon Subdivision meets up with the Chester Subdivision. Eventually, the train will cross over the Mississippi River into Missouri, from Thebes, IL. Once in Missouri, it  will travel on into Arkansas, and most likely on toward Texas. Though, it could also have headed toward the Memphis, Tennessee area. About the image The image was scanned from a Kodak Ektachrome slide, us...

BNSF 7826 is on the point of a parked grain train sitting next to State Street, on which a tumbleweed is slowly rolling down. These tracks are owned by the Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA), and are just north of the TRRA's Madison Yard. Behind BNSF 7826 is an ex-Santa Fe Warbonnet painted locomotive. Here is another image of this same train a bit more from the side showing the ex-Santa Fe locomotive. Photo taken on: November 25, 2011, at Madison, Illinois.

TRRA 1239 - Brooklyn, IL Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) 1239 is on the point of a train switching on the south side of TRRA's Madison Yard. Trains that are switching on the south side of the yard will often pull down toward the crossing at Canal Street/Bend Road (where this shot was taken from) and then make a back up move into the yard. TRRA 1239 is an EMD built SW1200 series locomotive that was built in April of 1965, according to RR Picture Archives (an external link, which will open in a new browser window). MRS boxcars Behind the locomotives are three old Manufacture's Railway (MRS) boxcars. The MRS was a small local St. Louis switching railroad that was originally owned by Anheuser-Busch. When InBev bought Anheuser-Busch, it sold the MRS Railway off to Foster Townsend Rail Logistics, Incorporated. Photo taken: February 26, 2006. Brooklyn, Illinois.

TRRA 1517 , TRRA 1503 , and TRRA 1510 are on the point of a train making a switching move, on the eastern approach to the Merchants Bridge over IL Route 3. The train was performing switching operations at TRRA's Madison Yard , which is about a half a mile east of this location. The train stopped over Route 3, and then made a back up move toward the yard. The Merchants Bridge crosses over the Mississippi River between Venice, IL. and St. Louis, MO. Photo taken: February 26, 2006. Venice, Illinois.

Union Pacific (UP) 9402, UP 9437, and UP 9557 lead a train north on the UP's Chester Subdivision at Flinton Station Road.The train had just crossed over the Kaskaskia River, a little south of this location. March 3, 2006. South of Modoc, Illinois.

A Union Pacific (UP) train rolls north on UP's Chester Subdivision. The train had just crossed over the Kaskaskia River, a bit south of this location, and was on its way toward the St. Louis area.  March 3, 2006. South of Modoc, Illinois.

Union Pacific 5976 is working as the DPU on this south bound load coal train, which is crossing over the Kaskaskia River on UP's Chester Subdivision. March 3, 2006. South of Modoc, Illinois.