I tried posting this in the trackside guides end of this forum but to no avail. I’ll be down around the Du Quoin, IL area in the middle part of march and I was wondering if there is any sort of activity around town. If i get bored where I’m going to be, where could I go to find a good volume of trains with minimal travel?
The junction on the north side of town should be okay
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=16&X=758&Y=10527&W=1&qs=|du+quoin||
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locThumbs.aspx?id=37554
I would go about 15 miles south to De Soto where the UP (MP) crosses the CN (IC).
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?t=2&s=14&x=94&y=1308&z=16&w
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=16&X=759&Y=10470&W
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locThumbs.aspx?id=37456
Farmer,
Has Union Pacific completed that connection between the old ATSF and the C&NW west of Edelstein ?
farmer 03:
Since you are going to be around the Duquoin area this month, you might find the topic on NEWS: BNSF buys the DUQuoin-St Louis line from CN. MP173 and I have been talking about this over the last several days as well as ome others, you might find it interesting since you will be in the area. Looks like there might be a traffic increase in that area. kind of hard to tell wich way it will be flowing at this point… If you see or hear anything I hope you will post it…
Thanks,
Sam
farmer:
Expecting a full report on Duquoin and the area. Are you going thru Centralia? If so, stop in there and check things out.
ed
sir yes sir! lol.
nanaimo73: it’s been quite a while since i’ve been around the edelstein area so i couldn’t tell you if it’s been done or not.
i’ve been reading the DuQuoin BNSF/CN sale discussion, which is what peaked my interest in the area. i’ll be down there for 2 or 3 days, but the majority of my railfanning is done along with my travels. i might deviate some to check out a train or two but i generally don’t make special trips to go check things out. i’ll have to look at a map for a while and pick out a way to go to include centralia, as its always been an area i’ve wanted to visit.
one of these lazy days (when it ever decides to warm up for good) i’m going to have to just go out and galavant around and go to a few places i haven’t been in a while. this would be why i miss my z28…kick the t-tops off, turn the music up and just cruise [8D]
at any rate, i’ll let you guys know how it went. if i can find some parts for my digital camera and find the secret decoder ring for posting pictures on here i might have some of those too.
ohhh yea…how busy is the UP/CN crossover in DeSoto?
Farmer:
Enjoy yor trip, and have a safe one. And if you hear anything interesting, please, let us know.
Thanks,
Sam
The CN (IC) south through Centrailia, Du Quoin and De Soto is supposed to carry between 20 and 40 million gross tons per year while the UP is part of the Chicago to Texas route and carries 40 to 60 MGT/year.
Hey farmer, are you pulling or just going to drink beer?
just goin to drink beer. i know quite a few guys goin to pull however.
I’d like to go, Gordyville was a really well run show, but I should just stay home and sit on the extra board. Can’t bring the tractor anyway, no cage. Have fun!
stretched the chebby’s legs today, went to davenport, IA for an auction and came home via galva, IL and edelstein, IL.
nanaimo73: the BNSF/UP connection hasn’t been started yet. no dirt moved, nothin.
on my way through galva(ex-CBQ) there was an autorack train parked short of a crossover where an eastbound amtrak, on time no less, ran around it. i’ve never really figured out why they don’t route the slower train to the left so the faster one doesn’t have to shimmy between crossovers, aka keep it floored and then the slower one falls in behind.
drove alongside the ‘transcon’ from Laura to edelstein and the only time i see a UP train moving with any kind of authority is when it’s on someone else’s rails.
saw a couple trains west of chillicothe near that one curve(can’t think of the name of it). there’s a chain link fence on top of the hill between the tracks and the road. wasn’t there last time i went by.
farmer:
That is a shame the chain link fence is there, however, I certainly understand why they did it. The owners put it up to keep the RAILFANS OUT. Too much stuff left behind, as in pop cans, film containers, etc.
Also, not enough left behind…stay tuned for the rest of the story…
I have been there once and only once. It was a day to remember, as the TPW was hosting teh NKP 765 down in East Peoria back in the late 70’s.
There was a lull in the activity at East Peoria, so me and my buddies went to the hill. Soon a car drove up and a well know photographer(WKP) and his posse got out of the car. How did we know he was well known you ask? It was announced.
Well, the WKP surveyed the area and decided there was a small tree right in the way of the shot he mentally had composed. So, one of his posse members took out a saw and cut the tree down.
Ironically, as a westbound ATSF train approached, the sun went behind a cloud and the WKP didnt even take the shot. He and the posse soon left.
I confirmed this story recently with one of my buddies (not a posse member) and we laughed about it…particularly since the WKP was featured prominately in a major railfan magazine.
And we wonder why there is a chain link fence in place now.
And now you know…the rest of the story.
BTW, I took a picture and even tho the sun came out, it was a decent picture.
ed
well, that’s pretty much what i suspected.
sad how the sport gets blighted by the unruly (and arrogant) few. that spot, i’ll call it the grassy knoll, looks like a decent place to have a seat and watch things go on.
i took a ride by the 'ol station in chili. its not looking in the best of shape. i made a lap past the station, over the tracks turned around and came back. in light of recent talk of trespassing tickets, i took note of allllll the no trespassing signage. it seems to me it’s painfully obvious where one is not supposed to be, yet we still hear a lot of belly aching. what gives?