UP Chester Subdivision - 08-27-2021
In an effort to find a few good locations to photograph UP’s “Big Boy” 4014 I intended to scout out the line it was to travel over between East St. Louis IL and Poplar Bluff MO. Along the way around the east side of the river towns I spotted a bunch of KCS engines. I took the next exit and made my way back to the east throat of the yard.
1. These EMDs have their KCS logos painted out! KCS 3958 4022. E St Louis IL.
2. Ex-KCS SD70MAC 3958 on the right was idling. The others in the long string appeared dead. I’m not sure of the yard. Maybe it was former Illinois Central. KCS 3958 4022. View 2. E St Louis IL.
3. There appears an inactive hump in the distance. Considering this was metropolitan St. Louis I didn’t wander away from the crossing down into the yard. I wanted to resume my mission of seeking out photo locations for the “Big Boy.” KCS 3958. View 3. E St Louis IL.
4. My next stop was Dupo IL. Dupo was location of Missouri Pacific’s large yard and engine terminal back in the day. Now it seems to handle a lot of intermodal. UP 9088 rips by with a long freight heading south. I think UP utilizes Alton & Southern’s yard quite a bit.
5. UP DPU 5375. Dupo IL is a quiet little town, and the main drag parallels most of the yard.
6. As you can see Dupo is a good place to watch trains. I like that cantilever signal. UP 9088 Dupo IL.
7. UP’s yard office. The cross street goes under what presumably was the hump. Dupo IL.
8. As a double stack is switched, the jitney follows the conductor. UP 8625. Dupo IL.
9. NS 9788-UP 5741 are switching. Dupo IL.
10. UP 2649-7397 barrel through with an endless intermodal train heading south. Dupo IL.
11. UP 2649-7397. View 2. Dupo IL.
12. UP DPUs 6552-5655. Dupo IL.
13. Piggybacks! UP 2649-7397. Dupo IL.
14. UP 8625 switching intermodal. Dupo IL.
15. Cahokia, IL-MO, 1:24,000 quad, 1949, USGS. Click here for a larger image.
16. Cahokia, IL-MO, 1:24,000 quad, 2018, USGS. Click here for a larger image.
17. UP Mississippi River bridge from Thebes IL to Illmo MO. Missouri Pacific and Cotton Belt both used the Chester Sub. between E. St. Louis and Dexter MO. Looking at their maps is confusing as to ownership, and employee timetables don’t help much. Union Pacific came to the rescue!
18. Thebes to Illmo to Delta to Perkins to Bell City. We will check out BNSF at Chaffee later. Paducah, KY-IL-MO-IN, 1:250,000 quad, 1987, USGS. Click here for a larger image.
19. UP Thebes IL bridge at the Mississippi River.
20. UP 2649-7397 slowly makes its way across “old man river.” This was the southbound I shot at Dupo. After spending so much time at Dupo I decided to take I-55 to Cape Girardeau to spend more time looking at the line south of Illmo. This train wasted no time running the 100+ miles! Thebes IL.
21. UP 2649-7397. View 2. Thebes IL.
22. UP 2649-7397. View 3. Thebes IL.
23. UP looking south at Avert MO. That’s the Nestle-Purina plant on the right that manufactures pet food. I don’t know the story of the freight cars parked on the siding. I dig those signals.
24. On old US 60 at Ash Hill MO, I saw a headlight. UP 2666-6703-8636 struggled by with a huge northbound freight.
25. UP 2666-6703-8636. Ash Hill MO.
26. I headed the few miles on into Poplar Bluff. UP 2666-6703-8636. Ash Hill MO.
27. Poplar Bluff, MO-AR, 1:250,000 quad, 1957, USGS. Click here for a larger image.
28. Amtrak depot at Poplar Bluff. UP 4014 was parked just beyond the overpass in the yard. MoPac and Amtrak passenger trains use the old St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern (St. Louis to Texarkana) rather than the line along the river. UP Poplar Bluff MO Amtrak depot.
After viewing the 4014 off the bridge, I found a motel.
Train images used by permission of Everett N Young