In a month or so I will be driving along the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans. Are the any things along there that I should be sure not to miss?
What a cool trip. Were you literally going to follow the Mississippi river i.e. route 61 and backroads, etc, or just take the straight shot down I-55? I-55 and its older counterpart US 51 practically parallel old Illinois Central tracks all the way down Mississippi. Webs of old or abandoned railroads cross all over the west part of the state. Were you interested primarily in scenic photo opportunities, or more towards raw yard and mainline action? Railroads along that trip are in beautifully scenic settings throughout MS, and New Orleans is a monster city for rail action (CSX, IC, KCS, NS, etc). I am an expert on rails here on the MS Gulf Coast, but havent been up through the state many times. If you come through MS, stop at a WalMart and get a DeLormes MS Atlas, all current and abandoned lines are mapped.
You can use that as a guide for finding rail activity in unfamiliar areas.
E-mail me
if you think I can offer more information for you.
Otherwise, have a safe trip!
John
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