Alton *
\
\UP
\
* Wann (Wood River)
\
\KCS
\
* Lenox (Mitchell)
/
/KCS
/
* WR (Granite City)
/|
UP/ |TRRA
/ |
West _________TRRA___________|__* SH (Madison)
Approach * Merchants Bridge \
| * Venice
| \
| TRRA \UP
| High Line \
TRRA | * Q (E. St. Louis)
\ | /TRRA
UP___\_/___________TRRA_______________* North Approach
Gratiot MacArthur Bridge
|
Amtrak trains between Chicago and St. Louis run on the Alton Railroad, which is mostly UP these days. Between Wann and WR, it’s now a UP/KCS joint line dispatched by KCS and controlled from Lenox Tower, the only working tower remaining in the St. Louis area.
West of WR, the trains usually run on the MoPac to Q, then cross the river on the MacArthur Bridge. Sometimes, when the UP is constipated around Venice, the trains will get on the Terminal at WR, run through SH to the Merchants Bridge, then head down the High Line. The latter route takes about five minutes longer.
14th St.__ |High Line
\ |
New Lead__ \TRRA /|
\|\ / |
12th St.__ \ \___*_________TRRA Main____/ |
__________\___\____/_______UP Hill Track__ |Poplar St. Wye
___UP_______/___________ \ \ |
*Gratiot \ \ \ |
Tower \|\ \|
(long gone) \ \ |
\ \TRRA |To Lesperance Yard
\ \
\ \
\ \___WB Main____
\____EB Main____ MacArthur Bridge
/
/
To MRS
|
|2-car |Union Station Lead
|length | 14th St.
/ \ \ _______50________
/ \ \________________________________51________\_______
/ ____\_________________/________________________52_____/ / / /
/_/________________/__\______AMTK_________________53_________/ / /
/23rd St. 18th St. / /
_/______________________________TRRA_________________55_________/ /
_____________________________________________________56__________/
UP yard, 13 tracks
______________________________________________________1________________
__________________________UP Jeff. City Sub.__________2________________
There’s a 4-car platform between 50 and 51, and a 9-car platform
between 52 and 53. The new Gateway Station is north of the east
end of the property. There’s a walkway over the tracks between
the station and the platforms.
|
_____________55__
/____TRRA_____56__
/
To _______________________________1____________/___________________
Kirkwood ___UP Jeff. City Sub.__________2_________/__________UP__________
/Grand
To ___BNSF Hannibal Sub._________31_____/
Lindenwood______________________________32____/
Yard / Iron
/ Mtn.
/ Jct.
UP
DeSoto
Sub.
|
The Kansas City trains enter the MoPac at Grand. This is the track that runs along the south side of Manchester between Kingshighway and Tamm, through southern Maplewood, along the northern edge of downtown Webster Groves, and into the Kirkwood station.
The Texas Eagle crosses over to track 32 and runs on the Frisco for about a mile and a half to Iron Mountain Junction where it enters the main track, DeSoto Sub. This is the track that crosses Mc Ree and Shaw at grade near I-44, crosses above South Kingshighway near Fyler, crosses over Chipewa and Gravios just west of where they intersect, runs through the eastern part of Carondelet Park, and crosses Broadway at grade around 7800 South (not far from the River Des Peres).
To Iron To Mountain Lesperance Jct. Yard \ | \ | \___________ | \| Davis | Jct. | | To Poplar Bluff |
If you want to see all that more nearly to scale, the TRRA has this map on-line.
There are three differences between what I have above and what’s on the map:
