T.G.'s Photography Blog

Crossing Gates at Sunset August 4, 2006. South of Valmeyer, Illinois. As the sun sets, the crossing gates at KK Road on the UP's Chester Subdivision stand guard. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

UP 9539 - Columbia, IL Union Pacific (UP) 9539 rolls north on Union Pacific's Chester Subdivision through the BB Road crossing. The crossing is just north and west of Interstate 255 (the highway crosses over and then turns and runs almost parallel to the tracks), and to the south of Union Pacific's Dupo Yard . At the same spot where I-255 crosses the Chester Subdivision, to the south, is Control Point D009 (CPD009), which is commonly referred to as ICG. At one time an Illinois Central rail line crosses the subdivision there. Photo taken: March 10, 2006. Columbia, Illinois.

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...