T.G.'s Photography Blog

BNSF 9833 works as the distributed power unit (DPU) on an east bound coal train, while a Norfolk Southern train and another BNSF train wait their turn to roll through Birmingham Junction .  The BNSF's Brookfield Subdivision and Norfolk Southern's Kansas City District share tracks between North Kansas City, Missouri and Birmingham, Missouri. Way back when I took this image, Birmingham Junction was easily accessible. The last time I was there around 2013 or 2014, the access road, from which I took this image, was closed off and no trespassing signs were posted. This image was captured on Kodak 400 Royal Gold film and scanned on a Nikon Coolscan film scanner. The resulting scan was saved as a Nikon NEF RAW file, which was then post processed in Adobe Camera RAW and Adobe Photoshop. Photo taken: Spring 2001. Birmingham, Missouri.

Cedar Rapids at Birmingham, MO The Milwaukee Road Skytop lounge car, Cedar Rapids, brings up the end of Milwaukee Road 261's excursion train at Birmingham Junction . The train was returning to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Kansas City, Missouri. Photo taken: September 26, 2005. Birmingham, Missouri.

NS 9865 - Birmingham, MO Norfolk Southern 9865 leads an east bound train through a grade crossing at Birmingham Junction . The train was heading to Norfolk Southern's Avondale Yard in North Kansas City, Missouri, which is about eight miles from this location. Birmingham Junction Birmingham Junction is at Birmingham, Missouri, and it features two double-track main lines, shared by four railroads, crossing each other at a diamond crossing, plus two industrial leads. The rail line that NS 9865 is on is shared by both the Norfolk Southern Kansas City District and the BNSF Brookfield Subdivision. The other main line is a joint line shared by the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Subdivision and Union Pacific's Trenton Subdivision . At the time this photograph was taken the CP-UP line was jointly operated by the Illinois, Chicago, & Eastern (ICE) and Union Pacific. The industrial leads diverge from the joint BNSF-NS line on a single track and then split a little north of th...

UP 5087 - Birmingham Junction - Birmingham, MO Early on a rainy morning, Union Pacific 5087 and a Norfolk Southern locomotive lead a covered hopper train north past the block signals on the joint Union Pacific-Illinois, Chicago, & Eastern (formerly I&M Rail Link) mainline at Birmingham Junction . The train had crossed over the Missouri River on the Trueman Lift Bridge shortly before this photograph was taken. The top of the bridge can be seen far back in the distance. The train is nearing the diamond crossings with the joint BNSF-Norfolk Southern main line . The Joint Line Today, this line is jointly operated by Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific. Canadian Pacific took over the Illinois, Chicago, and Eastern (IC&E) Railroad in 2008. The IC&E Railroad purchased the I&M Rail Link in 2002, and the I&M Rail Link had purchased it from the Canadian Pacific in 1997. Therefore, Canadian Pacific's ownership of this line has come full circle. Photo taken:...